INDIANA FAMILY HELPLINE
| 1-800-433-0746 Voice |
| 1-866-275-1274 TTY / TDD |
On May 2, 1988, the Indiana State Department of Health, Maternal
and Child Health Services, launched a statewide comprehensive Indiana Family
Helpline. The 1-800-433-0746 statewide Helpline was designed to assist in promoting
Maternal and Child Health Services, WIC Services and support other programs and
services throughout the state. In August 1992, the Children’s Special Health
Care Services Helpline merged with the Indiana Family Helpline to improve services
to all Indiana families of childbearing age. During fiscal year 2004, the Indiana Family Helpline responded to 28,115 calls; 1,210 advocacy calls resulting in 58,763 referrals.
Communication Specialists provide information, referrals, consumer
education, advocacy and follow-up to individual callers on a variety of topics
including obtaining early prenatal and child health care; accessing Medicaid
and WIC providers; locating emergency housing, food pantries, utility assistance;
and getting callers in contact with literacy, vocational and GED programs. The
Family Helpline staff may become advocates for those callers who require this
assistance. This advocacy sometimes takes the form of a conference call between
the client, provider, and an Indiana Family Helpline Communication Specialist,
especially for high-risk clients in areas of limited resources.
The primary focus of the Indiana Family Helpline is to address
questions relating to Maternal and Child Health Services, Children with Special
Health Care Services, WIC Services, and other concerns of callers throughout
the state of Indiana. Caller’s needs are assessed by trained Communication Specialists,
referred to the appropriate community resource(s) accessed thorough the county-specific
computer resource database that presently contains over 9,500 resources. Follow-up
calls are made or letters are sent to callers as needed, to ascertain if satisfactory
services were received from the community resources to which they were referred.
In addition the Helpline is available to assist professionals in obtaining consultation
and information regarding these programs and issues in order to assist their
clients. The staff forwards pamphlets, brochures and other written materials
to enhance information shared by the Communication Specialist over the phone.
The majority of calls are generated by outreach efforts through
Medicaid, distribution of Helpline flyers in English and Spanish, special ISDH
Health Campaigns, MCH, WIC Services, word of mouth, and campaign literature such
as Baby First Right From the Start, Prenatal Substance Use Prevention, etc. Our
Helpline resource database is shared when working with counties trying to improve
their services and also with counties wishing to create local resource directories
and helplines. The Indiana Family Helpline service enables Maternal and Child
Health Services and Children’s Special Health Care Services staff to keep a “pulse” on
the challenges facing families trying to obtain care with limited resources.
Many potential crises have been averted in local counties by the Indiana Family
Helpline staff providing families, agencies or providers with resources unknown
to them.
Communication Specialists are on duty form 7:30 a.m. to 5:00
p.m., Monday through Friday. Messages from callers may be left on our voicemail
the remainder of the time. Each Communication Specialist is especially trained
in Maternal and Child Health Services programs and issues, and have access to
consultants from the Public Health Services commission in solving complex problems.
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