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EarlyChildhood Archives - Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies: the Montana Coalition

LIFTS: A Comprehensive Resource for Montana Families

By Caregiving, Community Support, Parenting

Today on the blog, we spotlight LIFTS, a well-known initiative among those familiar with Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies – The Montana Coalition. Our goal is to equip our partners to become LIFTS ambassadors, providing them with the tools they need to spread the word to those who may not yet be aware of this helpful resource. We hope this post can be shared with those who can benefit from LIFTS to help achieve that!

What is LIFTS?

Launched in October 2021, the LIFTS online resource guide provides Montanans with a vital tool to connect with local service providers for pregnant people and parents and families of children aged zero to three. It offers a searchable database of local supports that families can easily access. LIFTS also includes a warmline where parents can anonymously ask questions about finding support, and a magazine featuring stories about how Montana parents and caregivers successfully found help and overcame challenges.

LIFTS stands for:

  • Linking
  • Infants and
  • Families
  • To
  • Supports.

Who is LIFTS for?

LIFTS is for Montana pregnant people, parents, caregivers, and providers for young children aged zero to three. LIFS includes a comprehensive range of services and parents can access LIFTS for information on services ranging from lactation support to mental health providers to public libraries. For busy parents, it serves as a trusted guide to find help in Montana when other information sources are overwhelming or unorganized.  It is mobile-friendly, making it even easier for parents to use at any time.

Providers supporting Montana parents and young children, such as home visitors, nurses, and care coordinators, can also use LIFTS to find trusted supports in communities across the state. It serves as a reliable resource for professionals and parents alike.

LIFTS is Local

Although LIFTS is a statewide resource, it was designed with local Montana community coalitions and early childhood experts to ensure the shared resources are trusted and locally endorsed. LIFTS is customizable to local counties and Reservations, allowing families across the state to access the support they need in their local communities when it’s available.

Features of LIFTS

  • Searchable Database: Easily find local services in local counties and Reservations.
  • Events: Discover family-friendly, substance-free local events.
  • Submit a Service/Event: Providers and community members can add services and events to the database, ensuring it remains current and comprehensive.
  • Warmline: If you need help finding specific information or resources, LIFTS offers an anonymous warmline you can call at 406-490-9100. Available from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, this service connects you with someone who can help.
  • LIFTS Magazine: The magazine features real stories about parenthood in Montana and experiences of when accessing help helped. These narratives aim to foster connection and let parents know they aren’t alone if they are struggling. The magazine also highlights resources and support systems available across the state.

Empowering Parents and Caregivers

LIFTS is more than just a resource guide; it’s a tool to help families feel empowered and supported.  Parents aren’t meant to do this alone and Montana is full of support for pregnant people and those caring for young children. By providing easy access to quality information and resources, LIFTS aims to make the journey of parenthood and the process of supporting parents and caregivers of Montana children aged zero to three a little easier.

Enhancing Community Care: Vetted Guides for Effective Referrals in Perinatal Mental Health

By advocacy, Caregiving, Community, Community Support, Maternal Mental Health, Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders

Montana has far reaching support systems for families during pregnancy and early childhood. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB) works hand-in-hand with these networks and local groups, striving to gather and share the knowledge and skills necessary to serve families during these crucial stages of life. A frequent challenge we hear about is the difficulty in referring patients and clients to appropriate resources.

Communities can address this challenge by creating community specific vetted guides to help parents, caregivers, and providers find the assistance they need promptly. To support these efforts, HMHB and partners developed a toolkit to help community groups build an effective directory of perinatal mental health and support specialists.

vetted resource guideCollaborating for Comprehensive Support

HMHB collaborated with the Maternal Mental Health Taskforce of the Helena Early Childhood Coalition and the Flathead Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of the Flathead Valley Early Childhood Coalition to create this valuable resource. This toolkit is tailored to help community groups create, organize, and maintain an up-to-date list of local resources, ensuring that

families receive the best possible care.

The team at the Early Childhood Coalition of Flathead Valley recently went through the process of creating a new vetted guide.  You can see that work here.

What’s Inside the Vetted Guide Toolkit?

The toolkit contains resources and templates to simplify the process of building a community-specific referral list. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

  • Points of Consideration: Guidance on the language to use and categories to include in your resource list.
  • Criteria for Vetted Guides: Examples of criteria that can be adopted to create a reliable and vetted guide for your community.
  • Content for Outreach: Pre-made content to populate an online form for outreach and recruitment efforts.
  • Inspiration from Existing Resources: A compilation of other referral lists to inspire and guide your efforts.
  • Designed Templates: Ready-to-use templates to streamline the process of creating your resource list.

Empowering Communities Through Collaboration

By leveraging this toolkit, community groups can enhance their system of care and referrals, making it easier for families to access the support they need during pregnancy and early childhood. Our collaboration with local coalitions underscores the importance of working together to create robust, effective support networks.

If you’re in a community that hasn’t yet built a vetted resource guide, don’t forget to refer to the LIFTS Online Resource Guide for a comprehensive statewide list of service providers.

Let’s work together to build stronger, more supportive communities for all Montana families.