Every Child Succeeds Selected to Implement Ohio’s New Universal Nurse Home Visiting Program in Hamilton County Area
Evidence-based Family Connects to offer new families a nurse home visit around three weeks after the family brings their baby home
Every Child Succeeds (ECS), a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to optimizing child health and development for families from low-income backgrounds in Greater Cincinnati is proud to announce it was selected to implement Ohio’s new universal nurse home visiting program, Family Connects, in the Hamilton County area. The program was unveiled on April 12 by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and will begin this summer, initially serving communities in 11 counties across the state.
In Hamilton County, ECS will provide Family Connects’ services within selected communities initially and offer all new families in those areas a nurse home visit around three weeks after they bring their baby home. During these visits trained nurses will check in on the physical and emotional health of moms and their babies and address any questions or concerns that may need immediate or future clinical attention while also providing referrals to critical community resources.
“Implementing Family Connects is a key strategy to promote the comprehensive health and development of children in Ohio,” said Dr. Jennifer Frey, ECS President and CEO. “Newborn home visiting is something ECS has been doing daily for 25 years. We know that providing new parents and their children with individualized, in-person support in their homes has been shown to improve child social-emotional and behavioral development, enhance maternal mental health and self-sufficiency, and reduce child maltreatment while also creating greater community connections for parents. We are excited and honored to have been selected by Ohio to implement Family Connects in Hamilton County and look forward to working with state and local partners to further positively impact the critical newborn care period through the delivery of another evidence-based program.”
To learn more about ECS and its programs or how to support the organization’s efforts visit www.everychildsucceeds.org.
###
About Every Child Succeeds:
Every Child Succeeds (ECS) partners with families and communities to strengthen family well-being, support healthy environments, and optimize infant and toddler development. ECS provides home visiting services, adhering to the highest standards, including the Healthy Families America model. With over 20 years of proven results, ECS makes a difference with families through a dynamic approach that embraces multiple dimensions of the prenatal to age three service system. ECS utilizes continuous improvement informed by data and evidence to make a positive impact on families’ lives.
About Family Connects International:
Family Connects is an evidence-based model designed to support whole-person, integrated health for all families of newborns at a moment of life-changing transition. Family Connects nurses are trained to carefully assess newborns and mothers and discuss concrete next steps to address opportunities and concerns, including seeking immediate medical care when necessary. FCI nurses also keep the whole family in mind, recommending appropriate mental health services or medical care for other family members as needed—and they follow up to make sure families’ needs are met.
The Family Connects Model was established in 2008 through a partnership with the Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy, the Center for Child & Family Health, and the Durham County Health Department. The Model is in various stages of Consultation, Orientation, Installation, Implementation, Certification, Expansion.