$4.9M grant boosts home visitation program

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island was awarded more than $4.9 million in federal funds on Sept. 22 to help at-risk families voluntarily receive home visits form nurses and social workers. The grant is part of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with funding from the Affordable Care Act.
“Home visiting programs play a critical role in the nation’s efforts to help children get off to a strong start,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Parenting is a tough job, and helping parents succeed pays big dividends in a child’s well-being and healthy development.”
The award builds upon the success of the Nurse Family Partnership, an ongoing program that enables nurses to conduct regular homes visits to young, first-time mothers and their infants and toddlers, according to Elizabeth Burke Bryant, the executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count.
The program currently serves vulnerable, high-risk families in Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls and Cranston.
Pregnant women younger than 25 who enroll in the program will receive regular home visits beginning in pregnancy and continuing until the baby’s second birthday.
The outcomes of the program are being studied and evaluated by the Bradley Hasbro Children’s Research Center and developed into benchmarks for an evidence-based medical approach.
Under the new grant, $3.2 million will go to establish a home visiting system in Rhode Island, according to Bryant, based in part on the Nurse-Family Partnership model. Another $1.6 million will go to create new, innovative approaches. In addition, $673,000 will go to support the ongoing Nurse-Family Partnership. The money will be administered by the R.I. Department of Health.
“We know that evidence-based programs are cost-effective; they prevent situations that could cost more money down the road. This is a great prevention strategy,” Bryant said.
“The award will accelerate Rhode Island’s commitment to building a high-quality, evidence-based home visiting system to ensure that Rhode Island’s most vulnerable infants are on the path toward a healthy life.”

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