Page 10 - BTC Yearbook 2016

Napa Valley Touchpoints Project

TEAM: Kristie Brandt, CNM, MSN, DNP Ralph Myers, MD
Laura Keller, RN, BSN, NP Maureen St. John, MS, MA
The Napa Valley was one of the three communities invited to participate in the first Community Level Training
(CLT) held in Boston in January 1996. Drs. Kristie Brandt and Ralph Myers attended the 5-day training held at the
Child Development Unit. The first Individual Level Training in Napa was a 4-day training that started on January 29,
1996. Laura Keller and Maureen St. John were participants in that first training and went to Boston in January
1997 for a CLT and joined Kristie and Ralph. This team has trained together continuously for 20 years.

IMPACT ON FAMILIES: With over 1,000 Napa providers trained over the 20 years of the Napa Valley
Touchpoints Project, it is hard to estimate how many of these providers remain in Napa and/or are still
working with children age 0-5. For a very conservative estimate: If every trainee impacted just one family
each week, that would be 52,000 Napa families scaffolded and supported using a TPs framework in one year.
Our Touchpoints Home Visiting research from 1997-2000 demonstrated that families did statistically
significantly better in multiple domains when their home visiting PHN was TPs trained..

IMPACT ON PROVIDERS: Over 1,000 providers have completed a 3-day or 2 ½ day Touchpoints training in Napa
since 1996. Participants include educators, early care providers, social workers, MFTs, nurses, psychologists,
physicians, OTs, PTs, SLPs, Registered Dieticians, policy makers, administrators, lactation consultants, childbirth
educators, and many others. Post-course evaluations have consistently been very high, and many providers report
that it was one of the best trainings of their career. For several years, a 3 and/or 6 month post-course survey was
sent to providers and their comments include remarks on the impact the model will have on their practice going
forward, greater pleasure and satisfaction in their work, and a sense of greater efficacy. Touchpoints has also
provided a common language for providers and unified goals for community services including optimal child and
family development through forming strong therapeutic alliances and using TPs based anticipatory guidance.

COMMUNITY IMPACT: Touchpoints has changed the Napa Valley! There has been at least one Touchpoints training
in Napa every year since 1996 and, for several years, there were six 3-day Touchpoints trainings held every year. The
highlights below will outline many of the Community Impacts resulting from our Napa Valley Touchpoints Project.

HIGHLIGHTS SINCE BEGAN:
1994 • Dr. Berry Brazelton speaks in Napa and asks that Napa be one of the first communities trained
1996: • Napa is in the first CLT training in Boston, January 1996
• First ILT held in Napa & first Touchpoints Training Syllabus created
• Touchpoints to Care booklet produced in English & Spanish
• Touchpoints-at-a-Glance Produced
1997: • Touchpoints Home Visiting Research Project started (concluded in 2000)
• Planning for the Touchpoints-Based Therapeutic Child Care Center started
1999: • Touchpoints National Networking Conference held in Napa, CA
2000: • Napa asked to be a National training site in collaboration with BTC
2001: • Touchpoints-Based Therapeutic Child Care Center Opened
2002: • Applications released for the 15-month Touchpoints inspired Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship
• Faculty Level Training held in Napa
2003: • Dr. Brazelton speaks in Napa again
2004: • Touchpoints-Based Universal Home Visiting Project Launched
• CLNBAS (now NBO) taught in Napa for the first time – and has been taught yearly ever since
2010: • Chapter on Napa Touchpoints Home Visiting research published in Nurturing Children & Families
2013: • First 5 Napa Commission votes to provide basic funding support over 3 years for TPs training
2015: • Approval from BTC to incorporate TPs ILT in the Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship curriculum
2016: • Napa celebrates 20 years as a Touchpoints training site
• Milestone reached: over 1,000 providers have received Touchpoints training in Napa, CA since 1996