ParentLink Navigators work in Missouri’s Bootheel area to help improve parents’ access to resources. Three Navigators are housed in the county health offices. Each Navigator splits their time between two county health offices:

1. Pemiscot and Dunklin Counties
2. Scott and Stoddard Counties
3. Mississippi and New Madrid Counties

The role of the Navigator is to assist parents and caregivers to fully connect with needed resources that relate to improving health and well-being. Physical and mental health resources, home visiting programs, developmental screenings, educational programs, legal services, housing, transportation supports, job training, etc. are some of the examples and types of care Navigators provide. Resources might be on a prevention, intervention, or treatment level.

To ensure full connections, Navigators help with access issues through advocating, transporting, emailing, writing, teaching, etc. For example, a caregiver may need prescription drugs, but needs help completing paperwork. The Navigator would help facilitate this process.

With the knowledge developed from each individual case, ParentLink will identify common problems to be addressed from a system perspective. This model not only creates a novel approach for practical, personal assistance, it creates a proactive framework for system change.

To learn more about ParentLink Navigators, contact Freda Kershaw at kershawf@missouri.edu.