BY KYLE CREAMER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

TOMAHAWK — The Martin County Health Department HANDS (Health Access Nurturing Development Services) program celebrated Father’s Day by honoring dads and families with a picnic Saturday at Martin County Lake.

The event, for anyone pregnant, those with babies under 3 months and HANDS alumni, included inflatables, games and food and drinks, but fishing was the focus of the day.

Families sat together by the lake to fish and enjoy the sun thanks to the efforts of community members who volunteered their time to assist the HANDS program with setting up and ensuring that the event was as fun and safe as possible.

Jennifer Jude, HANDS supervisor, organized the event and worked directly with volunteers to bring it to life.

“We started several months ago kind of wanting to do something for our families and especially, you know, recognizing our dads,” Jude said. “So, we had a brainstorm … Everybody jumped on board, calling in all the components. We’ve had several meetings and trips to Walmart, orders on Amazon, and all that kind of stuff to get everything together.”

HANDS is a voluntary, non-income-based home visitation program for new or expectant parents. The program supports families as they build healthy, safe environments for the optimal growth and development of children. From pregnancy to the terrific twos, HANDS is prepared to answer all questions during the different stages of a baby’s growth. Families receive information and learn about resources available in the community for new parents. Some families receive further support through home visitation.

Jude said the health department works with many different programs to help the community and hopes to showcase its capabilities and raise awareness.

“We want to raise awareness for the health department and for the HANDS program,” remarked Jude. “It’s a new thing. We are open. We want to show the community what we have and what we’re capable of.”

Eric Mills, health department director, said the event will be an annual reoccurrence.

“I couldn’t be happier with the support our community has shown us and the HANDS families that have come out,” Mills said. “We’ll take what we’ve learned from this year and make it even bigger and better as we strive to get more involved in our community in every way we can.”

The Health Department hopes to continue developing its connection to the community and reach out to those who could benefit from the different programs available.

Any parent expecting a new baby and residing in Kentucky is eligible for the HANDS program. Families must be enrolled during pregnancy or before a child is 90 days old. If interested, contact the health department at (606) 298-7752.