NEWSLINKNurse-Family Partnership

April 2016

On the Front Lines of the Flint Water Crisis

Making History inSouth Carolina

New Yorker DocumentaryFeatures Texas Nurse, Moms

USA Today: Nurses 'Most PromisingSolution' on Infant Mortality

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Nurse-Family Partnership is primed to help moremothers and babies after South Carolina Gov.Nikki Haley in February announced the nation’s

first Pay for Successinitiative in maternaland infant health.

A pilot project haswrapped up andoutreach workers arenow enrolling newmoms.

"Every motherdeservesa good start in South Carolina and every babydeserves a good start,” Haley said on Feb. 16during a press conference at the capitol inColumbia, S.C. where the governor announcedthe launch.

Nurse-Family Partnership CEO Roxane Whitesaluted the courage of South Carolina leaders,families and philanthropists, who have dedicated$17 million to fund the South Carolina Nurse-Family Partnership Project. State leaders will usethe private funds plus $13 million in Medicaidfunds to provide the Nurse-Family Partnershipprogram to an additional 3,200 new mothers overthe next four years. White thanked mothers for bravely welcomingnurses into their homes to forge long-termrelationships, drive two-generation change andbreak the cycle of poverty. Pay for Success is a new model for fundingprograms that work. Investors — in this case,philanthropic supporters — pay up front forprograms proven to drive change. South Carolinaleaders will make “success payments” toreimburse the funders only if Nurse-Family

Making History:South Carolina LaunchesPay for Success

CLICK HEREto view video

of the announcement

VENUS MALIN Outreach Coordinator,

Charleston

Venus worked forNFP in Charlestonand has expertise inhealth systems, earlychildhood educationand English as asecond language.

DEONA SCOTT Outreach Worker,

Charleston

Deona will soongraduate from NFPand is eager toshare herenthusiasm withnew moms.

CHASITY TODDOuteach Worker,

Conway

Chasity has abackground incustomer serviceand is eager to usesocial media toboost awareness ofNFP.

NFP Moms Join Outreach Team

SHANNON CAPUANOOutreach Worker, Cayce

A passionate supporterwho has been an NFPmom, Shannonspecializes in customerservice. A CertifiedNursing Assistant, she’seager to increaseawareness about NFP inthe Columbia area.

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I struggled along the way accepting that I now was a youngmom and a single parent who, at the time, had not yetgraduated from college. I had fears of becoming a lost soul, astatistic, another young black woman lost in her pain and faileddreams. After Jameer was born, I faced yet another hurdle that I thoughtwould never happen to me. I began to suffer from postpartumdepression. I was jittery and afraid. I bonded with Jameer, but Ididn’t think I was capable of being a good mother....I prayedthat the pain and emptiness would go away because I knew inmy heart that Jameer was given to me for a special reason.” When Nurse Pam came to visit me at home in those first days, Itried to pretend that I was OK. But she saw right through myact and insisted I get help from my doctor. With prayers,medication for depression and Nurse Pam’s non-stop support, Irecovered from those dark days. There were plenty of struggles, but Nurse Pam never put upwith my pity parties. When I was tired, she encouraged me tokeep moving forward. When I was working full time while alsofinishing college, all the while being a single mom, she insisted Icould succeed…Nurse Pam made me feel like I could doanything. Now I’m giving Jameer that same message. Nurse Pam pushed me. Because of her dedication to seeing mesucceed, I graduated cum laude from college. Because of herenduring love, I had the drive to be a great mother. Because ofher support in my time of need, my son and I will continue tostrive for greatness. Nurse Pam vigorously instilled a saying in me: ‘The race is notgive to the swift nor to the strong, but to she who endures tothe end.’ Excerpted from Nurse-Family Partnership graduate Iantheya Brown’s speechat the South Carolina Capitol on Feb. 16 during a press conference with Gov.Nikki Haley. Thanks to Iantheya for sharing her story.

One South Carolina Mom Tells Her Story

Spread the word; know a mom

who needs NFP? Have her call

866-864-5226

My journey intomotherhood was notroses and rainbows.

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The Nurse-Family Partnership Program, Port Arthur Health Department• Nurse Nicole Schroder’s caseload: 26 moms, 22 babies• Texas: 5th highest teen pregnancy rate in the U.S.• Total clients at Port Arthur agency: 105, 95 of whom have had their babies• Nurses: 4 with about 25 clients each• Nursing supervisor: cares for an additional 5 clients• Waiting list: 48; high demand every month• Number of home visits last month: 168• Average miles traveled each month by each nurse: about 1,000• Service area: 4 counties — Hardin, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange• Service area: 2751 square miles

Special thanks to the Port Arthur Health Department, Nurse Supervisor, Karla Quigley,Nurse Nicole Schroeder, our dedicated Nurse-Family Partnership teams in Texas andour amazing clients who are overcoming obstacles every day.

Hope Shines in NewDocumentary fromThe New Yorker

FindInspiration.WatchLone StarNurse.

Help moremoms and

babies in PortArthur.

DONATE HERE

The film features young moms, like Catalina, who becamepregnant at 15 and had to figure out how to care for herdaughter, Kylie, while her own mother was in jail. Another mom,Monique, faces life totally alone after both her parents diedbefore she was 18. While pregnant, she walked miles to andfrom work and often came home to an empty refrigerator.Producer Dawn Porter explores how nurse, Nicole Schroeder,transforms her Gulf coast community, finding hope andopportunity amid poverty and despair.

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“I am so, so proud of you. You know that, right?I know that doesn’t take the place of yourmom. But I think you’re awesome,” Nicole,nurse

My parents died when I was young and itstill kind of affects me because I just wantthem here with me.” Monique Washington,holding son, Kyrian

“The Nurse-Family Partnership program trulyimpacts young mothers. The nurses go in to theirlives for that two years and give theminformation and encouragement that literallychanges their lives forever.” Judith Smith,Director of Health, Port Arthur

Voices: Lone Star Nurse

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USA Today reporter Jayne O’Donnell recently highlighted the stubborn gap in rates of infantmortality for African American babies and others. She found that nurse home visiting programsare the “most proven and promising” way to drive down premature births and deaths.Still, not everyone who is eligible is benefiting.

How Nurse-Family PartnershipPromotes Healthier Babies

Huge racial disparitiespersist despite slowinfant mortality dropBy Jayne O’Donnell, USA Today

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Despite a 13% drop in thenational infant mortality rate over nearly adecade, there remains a stubborn gap betweenthe rates for black Americans and other racialgroups as well as between some Southern statesand the rest of the country. The most proven and promising way to reducethe disparities in premature births that lead todeath — home visits by nurses — got a boost inthe Affordable Care Act, but is reaching only afraction of those in need, policy experts say.The ACA funding of nurse home visits coveredjust 115,000 families in 2014, while about 1.8million births a year — nearly half — arecovered by Medicaid, the health care programfor low-income families. Still, a 2012 report bythe Pew Charitable Trusts found fewer than athird of state Medicaid programs fully coveredhome visits. Black infants overall continue to die at a ratemore than twice that of white babies and someparts of the country have racial gaps that are farwider. Black mothers are also twice as likely tohave costly premature births due to factorsincluding poor access to health care and existinghealth problems, which contributes to theUnited States having one of the highest deathrates among developed countries.

CLICK HEREto read the restof the story and

see a video

Special thanks to John Silcox, Communications Director for the Fairfax County Health Department, and to nurse, Beth Glicker, forquickly helping USA Today with their story.

The Washington PostEditorial Board:It's Time for Action

A new report from The Commission to Eliminate ChildAbuse and Neglect Fatalities cites Nurse-FamilyPartnership as a critical evidence-based program proven toreduce fatalities. Twelve commissioners appointed by President Obama andCongress in 2014 began a two-year process of studyingand reviewing deaths from abuse and neglect. Theyreleased their final report on March 17. Key findings included:

• Children who die from abuse and neglect areoverwhelmingly young; approximately one-half are lessthan a year old, and 75 percent are under 3• We know a lot about what puts children at risk, butthere are few promising solutions and only oneevidence-based practice shown to reduce fatalities—theNurse-Family Partnership.

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Abuse Experts: Nurse-FamilyPartnership Keeps More Kids Safe

PUBLICPOLICY

Pregnant women and young children whoreceive assistance through public healthprograms soon could have better access to nursehome visitors across the country. Federal officialsat the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services(CMCS) and the Health Resources and ServicesAdministration (HRSA) on March 2 issued a JointInformation Bulletin to assist states in designingbenefit packages for women and children. The Bulletin provides background on theMaternal, Infant and Early Childhood HomeVisiting Program (MIECHV), typical services of ahome visiting program and components of homevisitation programs that may be funded throughHRSA and Medicaid.

“Nurse-Family Partnership requested thisguidance. We are pleased that the Bulletinencourages states to use Medicaid coveragealong with other federal, state and local funds tosupport home visiting services and also offersinterested states to request technical assistance,”said Karen Kalaijian, a member of the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office’sPolicy, Government and Affairs department. The guidance can be used to encourage stategovernmental agencies to work together tomaximize Medicaid coverage of home visitingservices that are eligible for Medicaid. Read thefull joint bulletin.

New Federal Bulletin HighlightsMedicaid Coverage for Home Visiting

Keeping At-Risk Children Out ofHarm's Way“Previous efforts by the federal

government to tackle the issue have

not succeeded, and unfortunately the

commission found few examples of

evidence-based solutions. One notable

exception is the home-based Nurse-

Family Partnership. The commission

held up that program as a model.”

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Fighting the Heroin Epidemic, Fighting for ClientsNurse MichelleKrantz had a badfeeling when herclient keptcancelingappointments.

Cora and her husband, Eddie, both had a history of heroinaddiction. With their first baby due in February, they were tryingto stay clean. But on Jan. 8, Eddie, 28, relapsed, causing a seriouscar crash, overdosing and nearly dying before doctors revivedhim. Three days later, Cora, 26, admitted that she, too, was usingagain. She landed back in jail in rural Sauk County north ofMadison, Wis., where farms dot the landscape and heroin use hasspiked dramatically as it has around the country. Michelle faced a major challenge helping the couple transformthemselves into parents.

"They are each other’s triggers. They use together, sothat’s a huge risk factor to them. It’s been a battle.” Still, the Nurse-Family Partnership supervisor and nursegot busy trying to plant some flowers in a rough patch ofdirt. She visited Cora weekly in jail, advocating for properhealth care. When jail officials tried to bar Cora fromcontacting her husband, Michelle called meetings with jailand county officials and insisted they develop policies tohelp Cora succeed. Keeping Cora and Eddy apart wasfutile. Yes, the two had a bad past. But the promise of anew baby offered hope. While Cora felt the sting of criticism from almosteveryone, Michelle suspended judgment. “This baby is coming. It’s happening. This person is ahuman being who has made a mistake. What do we do tomake it better now?” Michelle said. Michelle helped Cora prepare for the birth and set healthygoals. Doctors gave Cora a drug to wean her from heroin.Meanwhile Eddie agreed to a strict drug court regimenincluding frequent testing and got back on Vivitrol, a drugthat interrupts heroin highs and had helped Eddie stayclean in the past. Doctors prepared for a baby who wouldbe born addicted.

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Emma Lynn arrived on Feb. 15 while Cora was still servingtime. Jail protocol barred Cora from telling her husband, familyor friends that she was in labor. The jail agreed, however, totell Michelle. Normally nurses don’t attend births, butsupervisors made an exception. Michelle arrived at thehospital at 4 a.m. and took pictures as Emma arrived at 8:01 a.m. In the past, jail officials had allowed new mothers just 12hours of recovery. Michelle fought for two days so she couldhelp Cora bond with Emma and start breastfeeding. When Cora returned to jail, hospital officials allowed Eddie tostay with his daughter as the infant detoxed. Along withcoping with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Emma hadinhaled some meconium during the birth and was on oxygen atfirst. Still the outlook is good. “She’s the cutest baby,” Michelle said. “She’s relaxed andEddie, who’s a big tough guy, loves dressing her in glitterpants. She’s doing very well. Her growth is good.” Ten days after Emma’s birth, Cora got out of jail, went throughdetox and like her husband, has subjected herself to strictsupervision from the county’s drug court and regular doses ofVivitrol. In the meantime, Michelle has received numerous referrals forpregnant women in the jail, who know her as “the nurse whofought for Cora.” Thanks to Michelle’s work, jail officials have adopted newpolicies. “Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) can do amazing things. NFPgave me the good base to advocate for my client and makesystem change. Every pregnant woman is going to have bettercare now because we started asking questions.” Michelle knows her client could relapse. Both Eddie and Coracome from families that have struggled with drugs. Eddie wasborn while his own mother was in jail for cocaine use. Cora’smother died recently from a heroin overdose and her brotherfaces criminal charges for supplying the lethal drugs. Despite tough odds, Michelle has learned to be the beacon ofhope. “Don’t give up on them because they’ve probably alreadygiven up on themselves,” she said. “I know this is not ideal.They don’t have a good track record. But this is the best chancethey may ever have.”

Heroin in theHeartland Abuse rising fastest in theMidwest Overdose deaths nearlyquadrupled between 2002and 2013. Use among young adultsages 18–25 has doubled. Young men use heroin themost, but use among youngwomen has doubled. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention. http://www.

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"I look at the Flint River every day and I knew Icouldn’t do it. It’s nasty. They’ve found diapersand trash and bodies in it.” Throughout her pregnancy last year, Charity,21, spent money to lug home 10-gallon jugs ofwater even though she didn’t have a car. Today, she won’t let her 3-month-old son,Xavier, touch or ingest tap water. She usesbottled water to feed and bathe him, evenwiping his bottom with water she knows isclean. Despite her vigilance, Charity remains afraid oflead poisoning and plans to get Xavier’s bloodlead levels tested. “I’m terrified,” Charity said. “I don’t want theFlint water to cause mental problems….I wanthim to graduate from high school and collegeand be whatever he wants to be.” As Charity navigates new motherhood in a cityfacing the nation’s most crippling health crisis,nurse Annie Heit is at Charity’s side, reassuringher every step of the way. Thanks to an emergency injection of $500,000from the state of Michigan, Flint’s Nurse-FamilyPartnership program is doubling from four toeight nurses. Along with their typical work, nurses in Flint

have found themselves handing out waterfilters, checking to be sure they’re correctlyinstalled, promoting nutritional options toprevent lead absorption and doing morefrequent developmental screenings to ensurethe babies in their care are on track. Like a medical missionary of sorts, Heit and herhusband chose to move from Virginia to Flintabout a year ago. The couple wanted to make adifference in an underserved community. Thensuddenly Heit found herself on the front linesof an unthinkable crisis. As Mattie Pearson, director of Women and &Children’s Services at Hurley Medical Centerwho oversees the Nurse-Family Partnershipprogram in Flint has said, “You would nevereven imagine this could happen in the U.S. I wasraised in Flint. I have grandkids right in themiddle of it. Our neighbors and our elderly aredealing with this. You can’t even believe ithappened.” Lead poisoning is especially scary because itcauses permanent damage. Prevention is key and that’s why nurses are sovital. “We give them information on Vitamin C, ironand calcium. I make sure the water filter isinstalled correctly and that they have the abilityto get bottled water,” Heit said.

Flint’s Nursing TeamDoubles to CombatWater CrisisBefore health officials acknowledged the water inFlint, Michigan was poisoning residents, Charityrefused to drink it.

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Heit, herself, lives in Flint with her husband and 5-year-olddaughter. She feels lucky that her home has newer pipesand safe water. But many in Flint fear they will faceproblems for years. While Heit can’t fix the massiveinfrastructure problems that have led to the crisis, she canease some of the emotional distress. “I can’t help everyone, but I can help some. It’s empoweringdoing a job on the front lines,” said Heit, who currently has25 clients, 17 of whom have babies. Both Heit and Pearson say most Flint residents now haveplenty of bottled water. What they need is a safe system. “There’s not an easy fix. It seems as though it’s going to bequite a few years before all the lines are removed. It’s along-term problem,” Pearson said. “Fortunately our nursesare here for the long haul.” Charity plans to stay in Flint since her extended family isthere. She wants Xavier to know his grandparents. She’stired of showering in dirty Flint water, but will keep Xavieraway from the water and with Annie’s guidance, willcontinue to stimulate his brain. “He laughs a lot. I read to him. I sing to him. We dance. Wehave tummy time. We play with toys. We go for walks if it’snot too cold. We do it all!” When worries about lead bother her, Charity knows Anniewill soon be there. “When she comes, she always has a smile on her face. Itmakes me feel like everything’s going to be all right.”

"There's not an easyfix...It's a

long-term problem"

Charity and her son.

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Sharing cute photos, videos, parenting adviceand community events is what this group is allabout. Moms at the Gregg County Nurse-FamilyPartnership program in Longview, Texas areusing Facebook to build a mom-community ofsupport. “What started in my mind as a "breastfeedinggroup" quickly turned into a simple, all-inclusive group for our clients. We decided notto limit the group for breastfeeding supportbecause we had so many moms asking for ageneral support group,” said Jessica Garner,one of the nurse home visitors in Longview andadministrator of the Facebook group. “Our goal is to post stories and ideas that willpertain to our clients and help them be the bestmoms they can be.” Longview moms have turned their privateFacebook site into a unique space to shareinformative and entertaining information. Allcontent from moms gets approved by aLongview staff member before it’s shared withthe group. That way, the group remains asupportive learning environment that sparksmany fun and useful conversations.

Days of the week are now designed with a topiclike Motivational Monday, Tip Tuesday, andWacky Wednesday. “Our best clientengagement came from a giveaway post thatasked clients to introduce themselves and say acouple things they love about being a mom orbeing pregnant. We had great responses!Another post that got a lot of attention was a"Wacky Wednesday" post where we asked whattheir baby’s name would be if they named themafter their pregnancy cravings,” said Garner. Creating a safe space is key. Garner adds momsby invitation only and group members are theonly ones who can see the posts and shareinformation. “I love the Facebook group and the opportunityit provides for us to not only contact our clients,but also share important information with themsuch as safety tips and job fairs. I would like tosee more client participation and client posts,but I feel that will come with time and lettingour clients know that they are welcome to poston the page without fear of judgment.” “Hopefully our page will grow as our clientelealso grows!”

Longview Texas Nurse-Family PartnershipCreates Facebook Community for Moms

AGENCYNEWS

Spread the word; know a mom

who needs NFP? Have her call

866-864-5226

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PBS NewsHour

examined how nurses

help mothers boost

their babies' brain

development and

language skills so

they will be better

prepared for school.

Boosting Brainpower“All of that earliest (attachment betweenmoms and babies) sets in motion a positivecycle of interaction that leads to significantreductions in children’s behavioral problemswhen they enter school and significantimprovements in their languagedevelopment.”Dr. David OldsNurse-Family Partnership founder

“It seems so simple, but if (babies) onlyhear 500 words an hour versus 3,000, itmakes a huge difference and it’s a lastingdifference.”Nurse Kimberly Hirst

Special thanks to our Colorado partners at Invest in Kids and at Denver Health Medical Center where supervisor Rosie Sotohelped connect the NewsHour producers with nurse Kimberly Hirst, client Sinai Herrera, and graduate Stormee Duran.Thanks to to Kathi Blomquist of Ramsey County Public Health in Minnesota and Jayne Kauzloric of King County inWashington and their nurses for participating in video shoots so we could provide footage showing how home visits look.

WATCH NOWSee the

PBS NewsHour story.

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Capturing Great Moments!

SCHOLARSHIP FUELS NURSING DREAM Congratulations to Daisy Sosa! She will be graduating in May from the Maternal and Family

Health Services Nurse-Family Partnership program in Pennsylvania and is attending college

full time as she pursues her dream of becoming a nurse.

Daisy, mother of 22-month-old Julian, received the $500 Kathy A. Dickerson Memorial

Scholarship and plans to follow in the footsteps of her nurse, Deborah Rutkoski.

“She greatly influenced my choice of becoming a nurse because I saw her as a wonderful

role model who was always willing to help me…I want to give my son a better life and show

him that education is always important regardless of the obstacles I had to face,” Daisy said.

“The program has taught me many wonderful skills from how to properly breastfeed to

teaching my child sign language.”

Rutkoski said Sosa is destined for success. “She is a patient, kind mom who has been

dedicated to the growth and learning development of her young son.”

The scholarship was created in 2007 to honor the passion of the agency’s first Nurse Home

Visitor who passed away during her time with the agency.

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Spread the word; know a mom

who needs NFP? Have her call

866-864-5226

We love sharing your news and photos. Send to marketing@nursefamilypartnership.org.

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Ready, Set, Innovate!About three dozen nurses from across the U.S.joined leaders from the Prevention ResearchCenter and the National Service Office to work withSilicon Valley innovation guides from HopeLab andGravity Tank. Their mission for three days at the end of March inDenver: dream up solutions to make nurses’ liveseasier, keep moms more engaged and grow Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). Even nurses who had lost touch with their artisticformer selves were soon whipping up drawings,costumes and artistic renditions of smart phoneand tablet apps, then acting out their creations.And those who didn’t think they had a techie bonein their bodies soon got in touch with their innercode developer. “I built an app,” said Dashé Lawton, a nurse fromShelby, Carolina. “It’s exciting!” The hackathon was part of the Innovation AdvisoryCommittee’s work. Nurses from Alaska to Floridaand North Carolina to California worked on how tostreamline support for clients, boost theirengagement, simplify nurses’ jobs and betterconnect nurses with one other. With help fromtheir tech coaches, the nurses also tackled how toboost awareness of NFP, reduce costs and tapalums as recruiters.

Among those reveling in the new ideas was Dr.David Olds, founder of the NFP model. He beamedas the nurses shared innovation after innovation. “There was such creativity here and such anopportunity to make us better,” Olds said. Leading the three-day session was Fred Dillon,Director of Product Development for HopeLab, theCalifornia-based research and developmentorganization of the Omidyar Group, whichrepresents the interests of Pam and Pierre Omidyar,the founder of eBay. “We have a saying at HopeLab,” Dillon told thegroup. “Lead with fun and health will follow.” The nurses had plenty of fun as they engaged inwhat Dillon calls “a human-centered designapproach”, where designers listen closely to endusers (in this case, the nurses and the families theysupport) to develop solutions that will work forthem. The next step for him and his team will be tostart prototyping and testing some of thetechnology solutions. With limited funds, not all the ideas will result innew systems or apps. But Dillon’s group could bepiloting some new solutions by 2017.

There was such creativity

here!

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AMONG THE IDEAS THE NURSES FLOATED:NFP Accelerated GraduationA path for moms who are doing great to finish early. continuing education credits N2N AppA dynamic, interactive community with podcasts to connect NFP nurses, save themtime and increase nurse retention. Learn 2 EarnA way for nurses to earn continuing education credits while taking NFP-relatedlessons on their smart phones and tablets. May is Mom Strong MonthAn effort through corporate partnerships and videos to show all moms are connectedand to create a new annual awareness month. Life School 4 High SchoolA program to give clients high school credit for NFP participation. NFP Pay it Forward – 1-800-NFP-ALUMSA texting program where graduating NFP clients could serve as advisors for pregnantwomen who are considering signing up. Funder-CationAn interactive tablet app that allows funders to educate themselves by drilling downon data and to watch video testimonials that explain complexities, like some momsare doing so well they leave the program early. We Care AppA smart phone app that would provide moms appointment reminders, texts withsupportive messages between visits and education about developmental milestones. Grow with me @ NFPAn app that allows moms to track their babies’ growth and the clients’ goals. NFPlayAn app that “gamifies” learning content for clients. The My NFP appAn app that streamlines scheduling, by allowing moms to sign up for wait lists andautomatically reschedules appointments if nurse has a last-minute opening. DocuStreamAn app that streamlines all paperwork. The dream for DocuStream: someday nurseswould have wrist watches or headsets that would allow them to “talk in” immediateupdates while driving after a visit.

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LOOK WHO'S TALKING...

We love all your tweets!Keep spreading the word.

Ever feel like there is so much going on that you’restarting to forget the “why I do this work” or feellike there is so much to be done that the “how I dothis work” doesn’t matter or doesn’t matter asmuch? Recently, when visiting some nurses and a family,there was a moment to reflect on the balance andthe importance of remembering who we are as wework to reach out to more families, to keep fundingin place, and to address the increasing gapsbetween the needs of families and availableresources. I’ve had the honor of visiting over two dozen momsin their homes this past year and I always hear thesame theme. Prior to enrolling with NFP, life feltoverwhelming; life challenges were overpoweringand crushing hopes, dreams and plans. And then, anamazing, caring nurse entered the home and theNFP effect started. Meeting and engaging with acaring nurse who is kind, supports goal setting andplanning, and helps find resources changed theirparenting and their life. Nurses brought therelationship (the how) and the content (the why) to their home and life.

We know the why of implementing a strong and successful NFP program requires an entire team of cross-functional experts. It’s hard work to obtain funding, keep reaching out for referrals, converting referrals to enrollment, and doing data entry, data entry and data entry to prove that the work has been done. And we know

that funders demand more each year and thestandards increase; competition for scarce resourcesgrow and the proof that the work has been doneincreases. As the US works to expand healthcoverage, the demands for return on investment,proof of outcomes, and cost-effectiveness increaseand threaten to crush the relationship building, “thehow." And, it often feels overwhelming! So, we alsoneed tounderstandand ensurethat we havecross-functionalteams whowork on the“how.” How do we stay focused on relationships andpresent with families and “how” we find greatreferral sources, how we work together oncomplicated funding. When I’m in the field or at mydesk, I try to stop and remember that each and everyone of us cares deeply about both the why and thehow. It's a tension and balance we strive to maintainevery day! We see moms facing seemingly insurmountablechallenges with housing, addiction, school, and workwhile they are also focusing on how to be a greatparent. And, I’m reminded to think about both thehow and the why of our work. Enrollment matters,funding matters, data matters and so does how wesolve these complex problems together. If weimagined every community with NFP reaching moreand more families and we are working together,opening our hearts and homes to each other, we cantruly change the future!

from Roxane White

Why and How

"…we canchange the

future."

Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office - 1900 Grant Street Suite 400, Denver, CO 80203NewsLink is a publication produced by the NSO Marketing & Communications Department.To submit story ideas or photos please email marketing@nursefamilypartnership.org

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Listening to MomsMoms in the Nurse-Family

Partnership program will be

heard in a different way thanks

to the Listen for Good grant.

Listen for Good is an initiative

of the Fund for Shared Insight,

which is dedicated to building

the practice of listening to the

people organizations seek to

help. Nurse-Family Partnership

was awarded $60,000 as a two-

year grant to do just that —

develop new ways to listen to

our moms.

Nineteen nonprofits were

selected in the Fund for Shared

inaugural cohort of the Listen

for Good grant. The grant will

allow Nurse-Family Partnership

to gain quality feedback from

NFP moms and then share the

feedback with the participating

moms.

Thank you to the Fund for

Shared Insight!

Robert F. Hill, ChairPartnerHill & Robbins, P.C. Dr. G. Rumay AlexanderSpecial Assistant to the ChancellorProfessor & Director Office of Multicultural AffairsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-School ofNursing C. Robin Britt Sr.Executive DirectorGuilford Child Development John R. Castle Jr.ChairmanMetro Dallas Homeless Alliance and TexProtects Dr. Fred CeriseChief Executive OfficerParkland Health & Hospital System Sue HagedornProducer and DirectorSeedworks Films Brett HanselmanPartner, KPMG LLP Michele RidgeFormer PennsylvaniaFirst Lady Dr. Elena RiosPresident and CEONational Hispanic Medical AssociationPresidentNational Hispanic Health Foundation Todd WennerChief Executive Officer and Co-FounderInfinite Aegis Group, LLC (IAG) Chris WassersteinPsychotherapist

Sanjay Shah, a principal with DeloitteConsulting LLP, has joined our board. He willbe heading a new technology committeeaimed at harnessing technology to helpnurses reach clients as efficiently as possible.

NewBoardMember

Board of Directors

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