RALEIGH -- Over the weekend, many of us spent time thanking our mothers for all they've done and admiring their dedication to family. No one would deny that being a mother is one of the toughest jobs in the world. But for some, the job is even more difficult.
There are low-income, young, first-time mothers in this state who find themselves at the beginning of motherhood without adequate financial, emotional and health-related resources.
Several years ago, a group of organizations, including three of the state's largest private foundations and the state Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health, formed a public-private partnership dedicated to finding solutions for these mothers. The partnership was committed to finding a program with proven, tested outcomes that had the capability to make a real impact. This program is called Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). It helps pregnant women who, without access to the program, might be on their own during a vulnerable time.
NFP is a nurse home visitation program that mothers choose to participate in. It matches mothers with a registered nurse early in pregnancy and continues nurse home visits through the child's second birthday. NFP has been proven to improve maternal health, promote healthy child development, reduce trends of child abuse, reduce juvenile crime and its long-term public costs, and help mothers achieve economic self-sufficiency. Independent studies have shown significant return on investment from NFP.
It is unacceptable that all mothers do not receive adequate prenatal care to ensure a healthy pregnancy. As a result, babies are born with low birth weights and developmental delays can leave children unprepared to enter school. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 9.1 percent of North Carolina births in 2008 fell into the low birth weight category. Data also show that 120,000 children are reported as being abused or neglected annually in our state.
By meeting with mothers regularly, nurse-home visitors help mitigate these risks by promoting healthier births, addressing mothers' overall health and well-being, and better positioning their babies for healthier childhoods and school readiness. As a society, we all benefit from this success.
Because the partnership has committed to sustaining and expanding NFP in the state, we believe North Carolina is uniquely positioned to receive Title Five federal funding that could strengthen current NFP sites and expand the program to other communities in need. Considering that several of the local NFP sites have reached caseload capacity in less than one year, we know mothers need access to this program.
I hope others will join us to support expanding NFP. Currently there are eight North Carolina NFP sites serving 10 counties, including Wake. More than 800 mothers have been enrolled and more than 500 babies have been born. These numbers represent real progress, but there is more to do.
All mothers, regardless of circumstance, deserve the chance to reach their highest potential and take pride in what they've accomplished. All children deserve to thrive in nurturing families. Today's children are tomorrow's citizens, parents and leaders. NFP has the real promise of positively changing lives today and future generations.
Rosie Allen is president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina and co-chair of the North Carolina Nurse-Family Partnership.
