CHILDREN’S HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP of NRCA

Children’s Health Improvement Partnership (CHIP) of New River Valley is a program of New River Community Action, Inc. (NRCA).  CHIP of NRV is one of CHIP of Virginia’s 10 home-visiting sites.  Last year, CHIP of NRV provided 151 families (259 children) with services including access to health care, case management, and parenting education.The mission of CHIP is to improve young children’s health and promote wellness and self-sufficiency in low-income families through partnerships with local communities.

CHIP ensures eligible children up to age 7, their siblings and pregnant women a "medical home" (family doctor), case management services, and parent education. CHIP services are delivered by the CHIP team (a CHIP Registered Nurse and Family Educator) and include transportation to doctors’ visits and other appointments, crisis intervention, resource referral, parent education, group meetings and much more.The CHIP model of home visitation uses a strengths-based approach which views the empowerment of families as the focal point for services. CHIP home visitors provide health supervision, parent education, and family support services to participating families. One of the best ways to reach families with children is by bringing services to them. Each CHIP team (CHIP Registered Nurse and Family Case Manager), sees the environments in which families live, gains a better understanding of the families’ needs, and therefore tailors services to meet those needs.

CHIP’s goals are twofold: to ensure that young children living in low-income families receive consistent, quality health care prenatally through age six; and to provide a family-centered case management system that fosters health, stability, good parenting, and self-sufficiency.CHIP works with families, caught in the cycle of poverty. Families who are committed to creating a better life for their children and themselves. 

Using proven best practices to intervene early, CHIP prepares parents to be their child’s first and most important teacher. This two-generation approaches focus on creating opportunities for and addressing the needs of both children and their parents together to help break the cycle of poverty.

Give every child in our community the right start!