Children First nurse given statewide award

The Logan County Health Department’s Jill Koenig was recently awarded the Julie Bonner Award for excellence as a Children First nurse. This annual statewide award recognizes the recipient as someone who goes beyond the high expectations of the Children First program, providing exceptional service both to clients and coworkers.

Left to right is Chris Koenig (Jill’s husband), Jill Koenig and Robert Wilson (Jill’s dad)

“It’s really a joy to watch Jill work so hard for her clients … whether it’s going out of her way to meet the needs of a client, or being a mentor to a new nurse, Jill embodies what it means to be an excellent Children First nurse,” says Aleen Ball, Jill’s Children First supervisor.

Children First, or C-1, is a community-based support program throughout Oklahoma that offers home visitation services to families during pregnancy and until the child’s second birthday. In order to qualify for C-1, an applicant must meet an income requirement.

Once the mother has enrolled in the program, she can expect visits from a C-1 nurse on the following schedule: Weekly for the first month; Every other week until delivery; Weekly for six weeks after delivery; Every other week until the child is 21 months of age; Monthly until the child turns two years of age.

Along the way, the mother and child receive a wide array of support and resources, including child and maternal health assessments, health/safety/nutrition education, and parenting education. For more information about Children First, call the Logan County Health Department at 282-3485.