In the last year, Goodwill Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP), an evidence-based maternal health program, has been able to expand into 62 Indiana counties thanks to state and philanthropic investment. A wider service area across Indiana’s diverse urban and rural communities means more first-time parents can be paired with registered nurses and receive the support needed to provide the very best start for their children.

However, families in urban and rural communities experience vastly different barriers. Emily George, a Goodwill NFP Nurse serving Southwest Indiana, has experienced this firsthand with the families she visits.

“Transportation is a huge barrier for families in rural communities,” said Emily. “Obstetrics care and lactation help can be an hour's drive away for some families.”

While helping families stay engaged with their health care providers and coordinating trips to the doctor, she also delivers trusted information to help parents prepare for childbirth. This includes providing education on labor, breastfeeding and child development. Depending on the parents’ barriers, Emily also helps connect them to resources in the community to find housing and employment.

“A highlight of our community is that it’s tight-knit,” said Emily. “The resources that we do have are pretty well connected.”

Emily learned about Goodwill NFP while searching for a new job. As a former labor and delivery nurse at a hospital in her community, she was excited about stepping into a role where she could still work with local families and support the community she lives in.

“The most fulfilling part of my role is connecting with individual clients,” said Emily. “The experience of becoming a parent is so unique and being able to walk alongside them as they do it is so amazing!”

One of her biggest goals is to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). As an IBCLC, Emily will expand on her current certified lactation counselor (CLC) knowledge and have more expertise and methods to support parents with their breastfeeding journey.

“It’ll be a huge accomplishment because I’ve been wanting to do this since before I started at Goodwill NFP,” said Emily.

In her previous role, resources regarding lactation were rare. Emily decided to pursue a lactation certification to help her community. Working with her colleagues and current families under her care, Emily has been able to build confidence in her skills and practice. Some techniques she uses include conducting weighted feeds to see how much milk parents are transferring to their babies. From there, she can help troubleshoot and tweak breastfeeding sessions.

Understanding how few resources can be available for expectant families in her community, Emily considers her role as a Goodwill NFP Nurse as important work.

“It’s all the best parts of nursing for me,” said Emily. “It brings a lot of joy to my life to serve my community and the families here.”

To learn more or enroll in Goodwill NFP, visit goodwillnfp.org.