Oral

Public health initiatives can take decades to adequately measure, analyze, and demonstrate positive, long term personal, family and community wide outcomes. The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is one such initiative. NFP serves first time, low-income mothers and their children until age two years through an evidence-based intensive nurse home visitation model. The program goals are to improve pregnancy outcomes; child development; and families’ economic self-sufficiency. Dr. David Olds and colleagues began research trials in 1977 that continue today. Consistent program findings include improved prenatal health and birth outcomes, reduced child maltreatment, improved school readiness, and reductions in crime and poverty for mother and child. May 2009, the White House pointed to NFP as one of the “the most promising, results-oriented non-profit programs” and called to expand their reach across the country (www.nursefamilypartnership.org). Presently, 28 states across the nation have NFP programs serving more than 17,000 families. The NFP National Service Office (NSO) and local NFP sites share the goal to expand existing programs, and support communities interested in establishing the NFP proven program in their locales. This session provides an overview of essential strategic planning and application processes, program implementation examples, and speaks to the long term sustainability variations (challenges) from state to state. The session concludes with an audience directed question and answer period. The moderator represents the American Public Health Association’s host city NFP. The first presenter is a senior program manager for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania state-wide NFP initiative. The second presenter will share the experience of recently implementing a NFP model in Lubbock, Texas through a nurse-managed health center. The third presenter and moderator will share the outcomes, challenges and lessons learned from the 2001-2009 Philadelphia NFP program. The fourth presenter will highlight the data and rationale for seeking private foundation support for the Philadelphia NFP Housing Specialist Social Worker. She will describe the Housing Specialist’s roles and responsibilities and emphasize participants’ successes and roadblocks to success. This interactive session supports dialogue and debate during the concluding Q and A period.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe two strategies that were successful in establishing the Nurse-Family Partnership, an evidence-based intensive nurse home visitation model. 2. Describe two challenges and related strategies to deal with those challenges for long-term sustainability of the Nurse-Family Partnership.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)