Olivia Bell wasn’t sure what being a young, single mother meant for her future, but it turned out to be the most meaningful experience of her life.

At 21, Olivia became pregnant, and she dropped out of college. She was alone and scared of what was to come. Olivia worked at a Goodwill retail store more than a year prior and remembered a new health program they had at the time. While working at Walgreens, Olivia saw her former Goodwill Guide — an expert in sharing resources with those we serve — who told her about Nurse-Family Partnership®, a home-visiting program that supports first-time, low-income mothers. When she learned that a registered nurse could help her prepare for motherhood, Olivia decided she must enroll. She immediately bonded with her nurse, Cindy Hunt, and dedicated herself to having a healthy pregnancy and raising her son, Landon.

After her son was born, Olivia started to show signs of postpartum depression. Cindy saw these signs and helped Olivia seek treatment. Without Nurse-Family Partnership, Olivia says she would have remained lost. She is back in school studying for her bachelor’s degree in health management. Olivia also established a mentoring program to help other young women, including single mothers coping with postpartum depression and lacking support systems.

Across the nation, nearly 40 percent of women have barriers to health care needs, including services to support healthy pregnancies, birth outcomes and monitoring for postpartum depression. Community support and partnerships are essential to providing Indiana’s low-income mothers and families the care and education needed to lower Indiana’s high infant mortality rate and raise the next generation of leaders.