In 2020, Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, sponsored two doula certification courses in an effort to combat and reduce the Black morbidity and mortality rates of birthing people in Indiana; beginning with the community in Marion County. 

Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Nurse-Family PartnershipⓇ client Mikala Turner always felt inspired by this quote from Confucius—“It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.” So inspired in fact, that it serves as her guiding principle throughout her life as she consistently sets and achieves her goals, overcomes tragedy and challenges and eventually discovers a path that allows her to provide support to others facing many of the same challenges she did. 

Cynthia Coles has faced trauma and adversities throughout her life. In addition to being the sole provider for her young son and working full-time, Cynthia became the legal guardian of one of her nephews and assists with the care of her other nieces and nephews after the unexpected and tragic deaths of two of her sisters. In addition, Cynthia also provides stable housing for family members and friends who are experiencing homelessness. No matter the circumstance though, Cynthia always kept moving forward. 

For Faith Oberting, becoming pregnant with her first child in 2016 brought many uncertainties, questions, and anxieties. Through word of mouth, she learned about Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana’s Nurse-Family Partnership, a program that provides a free personal nurse to moms less than 28 weeks pregnant with their first child, and decided to enroll for the extra support and guidance the program offers. 

Traditionally, September is Infant Mortality Awareness Month. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before their first birthday, while the infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. Indiana has one of the highest infant mortality rates, ranking 47th among all states. For this reason, Governor Holcomb set the goal to be the “best in the Midwest” for this measure by 2024.

Goodwill’s implementation of Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) has always relied on key supporters; both inside and outside Goodwill. NFP’s Community Health Advocate and Specialist Team is no exception. This past July, the NFP Community Team was celebrated and honored for staff milestones in addition to the invaluable contributions they have made to the program.

Though it has been around for as long as mothers have fed their children, for first-time mothers, breastfeeding is a very new, emotional and sometimes challenging experience that mom and baby have to work through together. That is where the skill and expertise of a Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Nurse can be a huge benefit to both mom and baby. 

When Jesse Hendrickson first walked into Goodwill for his court-ordered community service in 2016, he was homeless and recovering from a decade-long drug addiction that had isolated him from his family. 

Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership currently includes over 60 nurses and nurse supervisors who serve at-risk women and their families across 29 central and southern Indiana counties. When first implemented in 2011, there was a single team of eight nurses who served families living in Marion county. Marilynn Berry-Stamm was the first nurse to join that team.