What is Nurse – Family Partnership Program?

Nurse-Family Partnership^® is an evidence-based, nurse home visiting program that improves the health, well-being and self-sufficiency of low-income, first-time parents and their children.
The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office, located in Denver, Colorado is a nonprofit organization that provides service to communities in implementing and sustaining this program.

Nurse-Family Partnership Implementing Agencies are supported by a team of public health policy and administration, nursing, education and program evaluation professionals at the National Service Office who collaborate with Public/Private Ventures, based in Philadelphia, Invest in Kids, based in Denver, and other partners in the states where Nurse-Family Partnership is currently established.

For more information, visit the NFP National Service Office at 1900 Grant Street, Suite 400, Denver, CO 80203, call toll free at 866.864.5226, or send email to info@nursefamilypartnership.org  http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/content/index.cfm?fuseaction=showContent&contentID=2&navID=2

Overview

Communities that have Nurse-Family Partnership can expect three important improvements in the lives of families: 

• Mothers will have healthier pregnancies,
• Child health and development will be improved, and
• Mothers will become more self-sufficient.

The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office provides training and support services to ensure that the model is precisely replicated in communities, leading to improved outcomes for both mothers and children. Sites adhere to key elements of the Nurse-Family Partnership model, which include:

• Enrolling first-time, low-income mothers early in pregnancy,
• Specially trained registered nurses delivering home visits over 2 1/2 years,
• Establishing support for the program within an implementing organization.   http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/content/index.cfm?fuseaction=showContent&contentID=40&navID=39

Home Visit Experience

Registered nurses, together with Nurse-Family Partnership clients and their families, engage in activities associated with the three Nurse-Family Partnership goals during each home visit.
These are:

• Improved Pregnancy Outcomes
  • Help clients obtain prenatal care from their physician
  • Help clients reduce their use of cigarettes, alcohol and illegal drugs
  • Teach clients about healthy nutrition during pregnancy
• Improved Child Health and Development
  • Help parents provide more competent care of their children in the first two
    years of life
  • Teach parents how to care for their children and provide them with a positive
    home environment
  • Teach parents  how to nurture their children
  • Help parents create a safe envionment, both within and around the home,
    where their child can live and thrive
  • Teach parents safe and consistent practices of child discipline
  • Help parents get proper health care for their child
• Improved Maternal Life Course Development
  • Teach young mothers to keep their lives on track and develop a vision for their
    own future
  • Help the mothers make reasoned choices about the partners, family and friends who are involved with their child
  • Help mothers plan future pregnancies
  • Help mothers continue their education and reach their educational goals
  • Help mothers find adequate employment

Ideally, visits begin early in the second trimester (14-16 weeks gestation). Registered nurses visit weekly for the first month after enrollment and then every other week until the baby is born.
Visits are weekly for the first six weeks after the baby is born, and then every other week through the child's first birthday. Visits continue on an every-other-week basis until the baby is 20 months of age. The last four visits are monthly until the child is two years old.  

NNJM-CHC’s NFP Program of Passaic County, NJ:

We are a community based nurse home-visitation program.  Our office is located in Paterson, NJ  with easy access to the entire Passaic County Region.   
Our Registered Nurses have extensive knowledge and training in Maternal-Child Health. 

 

 

We have made innovations in delivering health care service by …

• Implementing a Central Intake System to increase access to care
• Providing an innovative model of care for the community
• Increasing social networking for clients. 
• Improving access to Maternal Child Health Care services in Passaic County, NJ.

We have been able to reach out to the community by:

- Identifying a population in need: low income, first time mothers in Passaic County.

- Identifying barriers to accessing maternal child health services

- Assessing individual client needs with emphasis on

1. maternal child health

2. improving parenting skills

3. increasing social networks.

- Demonstrating innovative ways to improve access to maternal child health services.  

- Utilizing “hands on” interventions to achieve the program outcomes.

- Addressing health, and psychosocial needs of first time, low income mothers.

 

The program is totally voluntary and at no cost to the clients.

 

Clients stay engaged in the program via several creative venues:

*  Home Visits by Registered Nurses – which improve access to care; provide health education; refer to resources in the community for support; offer  psychosocial support; empower new mothers to achieve goals.

* Offering Incentive items – Provide clients with needed baby care items

*  Networking – Outreach to health care providers, and community agencies regarding the program; provide collaboration of client services.  As well as having clients meet with each other for social and emotional support.

*  Creative Arts – provide activities that creatively promote learning for mother and child:  scrapbooking, PIPE activities, photography.

*  Events – Provide educational sessions while engaging clients in social networking with other young mothers:

·        Pregnant and New Moms Support Group –  an informal, safe atmosphere to screen for post partum depression, and provide an opportunity for socializing;

·        Pregnant Pause –  focus on abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy; 

·        Scrapbook Event – craft workshop with a focus on the importance of reading to children;

·        Holiday Brunch Event  – focus on indoor safety and healthy activities for young children during the winter months;

·        Summer Safety Event – focus on outdoor activities and safety in the community;

·        Infant & Child CPR Education Event – Teaching clients how to perform CPR / Choking relief maneuvers / First Aid & Safety measures in a controlled environment.

·        Mother’s Day – Pampering event

·        Father’s Day – promoting fatherhood event

 

For further information you may contact us at:

Nurse Family Partnership Program
1 Ottilio Terrace, Paterson, NJ  07502
Phone: (973)904-0856  Fax: (973)942-5974
Email: bscanlon@nnjm-chc.org 

Barbara L. Scanlon, CNM / MSN
Nurse Family Partnership - Supervisor

Nurse-Family Partnership Program of Passaic County, NJ

A program within the Northern NJ Maternal - Child Health Consortium 

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