Nurse Family Partnership : A Community Health Based Home Visiting Program

This paper will step out of the comfort of the first world American lifestyle and look beyond to the health and social issues around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the leading stakeholder in advancing the awareness and support on global health issues along with the United Nations (UN) and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Only once the issues of these vulnerable people are identified can these organizations move forward in addressing and prioritizing the rapidly evolving global health agenda. The Millennium Development Goals will be defined briefly, however, since their goal completion date has ended, a future look at follow on program, Sustainable Development Goals seems the best place

Taylor, Y. J., & Nies, M. A. (2012, June 23). Measuring the impact and outcomes of maternal child health federal programs. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 17(5), 886-896.

Currently, Community Prevention Partnership of Berks County, Nurse Family Partnership, home visitation Program, provides services to first time low income expectant mothers. The organization has been delivering the program for many years. Successfully, the program serves 250 families. The Berks county, Nurse Family Partnership program has served 1600 first time poor mothers, and 1250 children since it began. Most NFP clients by the time of referral are 18 years of age. Accordingly, the thirty-one percent of this first-time mothers receives Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) and about fifty five percent are receiving Medicaid assistance. In fact, the household income average is 16, 000 and fifty two percent of mothers have not obtained a high school or GED diploma. Indeed, NFP outcomes involves maternal and child’s development education, referral and follow ups. Also, the program encourages breastfeeding, immunization updates developmental screenings. It has reduced smoking during pregnancy by 16.9% as well as prematurity rate by 4.5 %. (Michalopoulos, Lee, Duggan, Lundquist, Tso, Crowne, Burrell, Somers, Filene, & Knox, 2015).

Healthy People 20/20 is an organization that sets 10 year obtainable goals for improving health for all Americans. According to their websites mission statement they strive to identify nationwide health improvement priorities (Healthy People 20/20). Increase public awareness and understanding of the determents of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress (Healthy People 20/20). Provide measurable objectives and goals that are applicable at the national, State, and local levels. Engage in multiple sectors to take action to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by best available evidence and knowledge (Healthy People 20/20). Lastly to identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs (Healthy People 20/20). The topic I selected was the same area of healthcare that pushed my interest into the Nursing profession, Mental Health and Mental Disorders.

Maintaining healthy lifestyles such as eating healthy diets as well as proper health care can improve outcomes for mother and infants. WIC participants are more likely to receive adequate prenatal care. This in turn means longer pregnancies and infants are born with higher birth weights. Adequate maternal health and nutrition can reduce some of the leading risk for infant mortality such as low birth weight and prematurity ("Women, Infant and Children," 2015). Premature infants have longer hospital stays and additional health expenses then babies that are born full term. Children enrolled in WIC programs are also more likely to receive regular health

The condition of homelessness for a pregnant woman creates all kinds of complexities to their care. The Nurse-Family Partnership and Invest in Kids program in Denver is a provider dedicated to forming relationships with patients and sending skilled nurses to help at risk mothers and their children. The health assessment needs of homeless pregnant women revolve greatly around prenatal health, nutrition, mental health, substance abuse and physical abuse screenings.

The American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) conducted a study in January 2013, this study confirmed the long standing belief that midwife-led birth centers provide a safe and effective health care option for women during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Greenville Health Systems (GHS) listened and embraced the tenet of becoming the “health care value leader in the region” by proposing the construction of a three room freestanding birthing center operated by Greenville Midwifery Care. After almost one year of service to the community, the plan is to open a second birth center near the Patewood Memorial Hospital.

Reducing the risk of fetal mortality, infant mortality, and stillbirth, is the goal of Healthy People 2020. Recommending the following to have a healthy pregnancy such as having a healthy weight, not to use illegal drugs, getting vaccinated, taking prenatal and or during pregnancy vitamins, managing any chronic conditions prior of having a baby, having recommended screening test and controlling diabetes.

From the results, it is evident that the interventions were effective in increasing ANC coverage and improving other pregnancy related issues that emerged as a result of lack of or insufficient ANC. They addressed the common problems that affected the utilization of ANC, these included: maternal knowledge, accessibility to health care facilities and financial difficulties. Accordingly, as doctors and future practitioners, it is imperative that as we provide maternal and antenatal care, we structure the health care services we provide around the patient and cater to a patient's individual preferences, needs and concerns. We are advised to accommodate the patient as much as we can, which means providing them with care that is specific to them

Each of the targeted or hopeful goals has specific information in regards to the primary goal.

What are the four foundation health measures that will be evaluated to measure progress in meeting the goals of the program?

aim of fulfilling the main goals of a health care system. These goals include reducing heavy

Financial and business excellence focused on improving efficiency and effectiveness, maximizing funding to accomplish the public health mission, promoting a culture of organizational excellence, and optimizing communication. Service to customers and community focused on promoting an integrated public health system and assuring access to essential public health services. The last objective is workforce development and the focus is to attract, recruit, and retain a competent workforce while ensuring partnerships, systems, and processes to support the future workforce.

How does a family work as a system in promoting the health of its members?

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the role of the labor and delivery nurse to the “maternal role attainment - becoming a mother” model. The model (MRA) was proposed by nursing theorist Ramona T. Mercer in 1991 to guide nurses in implementing the nursing process while providing care to the non-traditional mother. Revised in 1995 to “Becoming a Mother”, this model soon proved useful for nurses to access, concentrate on, and attend to the needs of all new mothers. New mothers experience various stressors such as an ill infant, their own health, financial strains, and postpartum depression. This model is evidenced- based and incorporates the four global nursing concepts into it. The importance of this model is the provisions it makes for mother-infant bonding that affects the health and development of individuals and families throughout the lifespan (Role Attainment, 2005). For the professional nurse in labor and delivery, the model has significant use aiding the impact that labor and delivery nurses have on new mothers perceiving and attaining their maternal role.