Many people don’t know that Goodwill’s interest in improving health outcomes was born out of the community center at Fletcher Place Methodist Church. Here, Josie Rangle led a team of volunteers to provide services to the community, including a medical and dental clinic. Soon after, Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana emerged in 1930 from this community-based work. 

It makes sense then, that Goodwill would later return to its roots of providing community-based health services. Goodwill began implementing Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) in 2011. NFP is a national, evidenced-based community health program recognized for increasing health care access to new moms and improving health outcomes.

NFP pairs a registered nurse with a pregnant client. The nurse will follow their client from the prenatal enrollment until the child turns two. The goals of NFP are to 1) Improve pregnancy outcomes; 2) Improve child health and development; and 3) Improve economic self-sufficiency of the family. Goodwill NFP recently celebrated our 5,000th baby born.

NFP is always focused on prevention and the improvement of pregnancy outcomes and child health. This task is even more challenging in Indiana, where the maternal and infant mortality rates have much room for improvement. One of our most recent efforts is through our Maternal and Infant Morbidity and Mortality Continuous Quality Improvement committee. This group of dedicated NFP staff examines ways that our practices are shaping the current landscape of health in the communities that we serve. When gaps are identified, changes in nursing practice can be adapted.

I recently asked the leaders of this committee, “What contributions do you feel that NFP is able to make towards improving the maternal and infant crises in Indiana?” They shared the following thoughts:

Delores Brown, Nurse-Family Partnership Supervisor: “NFP is exceptional at developing relationships both inside and outside the organization that set the foundation for change. This change comes by way of relationships that are based on trust, transparency, authenticity, nurturing, advocacy, and ultimately, an agreement between both parties. These relationships are often deemed therapeutic in nature. We see the client, our community, and community partners as the experts. We understand that in order to impact change we must first understand.”

Marsha Musleh, Nurse-Family Partnership Supervisor: “As an evidence-based program, we are able to address disparities and barriers to social determinants of health that we know affect outcomes in both our rural and urban communities. The impact we make not only influences the lives of our clients but also future generations.”

These changemakers, along with the rest of the NFP staff, are dedicated to improving the health outcomes of the families that we serve – one visit at a time.

To learn more about Goodwill Nurse-Family Partnership or to enroll, visit our website.