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Family Tree TotsLine Chosen by County

TotsLine chosen as service carrier for AACO Health Department's Healthy Babies Coalition

Annapolis, April 13, 2007 - The Family Tree's TotsLine, a service provided to all parents and expectant mothers of children ages 0-5 has been chosen by the Anne Arundel County Health Department as their carrier for their Healthy Babies Coalition. Beginning this summer, the TotsLine will provide advice by phone, referrals, mailings of informational packets to expectant mothers and be a source for information for the Health Department.  The Family Tree, Maryland's largest non-profit dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, will be taking this service on for the Anne Arundel County Health Department gratis.

The Healthy Babies Coalition's main goals are to increase the awareness, knowledge, skills and resources to eliminate maternal and child health disparities, and to make sure all residents of the county have access to health care and social services when it comes to pregnancy and child rearing.  Their main focus will be on reaching out to African American families, particularly pregnant moms and their young children to insure the availability of culturally sensitive health care and support resources that promote positive birth outcomes for babies.

The launch of the Healthy Babies Coalition will begin with a kick-off on May 3, 2007 at the Meade Village Community Center in Severn, Maryland at 1:30 p.m.  On hand will be Patricia Cronin, Executive Director of The Family Tree, to talk about the partnership and The Family Tree's dedication to keep all children healthy, both physically and mentally, in Maryland.

For more information about The Family Tree's programs and/or the TotsLine, call The Family Tree Stressline 24-hours a day at 1-800-243-7337 or the TotsLine at 1-877-817-TOTS (8687).