Dianna Tolentino was referred to Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership® program by her OB in 2013.
Grace is a typical 5-year-old who likes to play dress up and watch cartoons on YouTube. She’s healthy, has lots of friends and has hit every developmental milestone since infancy. She’s eager to start kindergarten. Each of these things is a small miracle given that her mother’s journey to Indianapolis began 20 years ago and more than 8,000 miles away.
Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) pairs mothers pregnant with their first child with a registered nurse for ongoing home visits aimed at supporting mothers and families in providing the very best start for their children during the earliest, most developmentally critical years. NFP is an international, community health program, widely researched and recognized for increasing health care access and improving health outcomes.
Goodwill’s NFP expanded its reach in southern Indiana in early 2017 and our first baby was born in November.
Nurse-Family Partnership®'s humble beginning more than six years ago seems like a distant memory. But not for Unique Johnson, her son Ezra and their nurse, Marilynn Berry-Stamm.
It’s hard to believe that it has been a full year since the merger of the central and southern Indiana Goodwills. One of the primary motivations for the merger was the desire to increase the pace with which we could deliver mission services to southern Indiana.
Implemented by Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana since 2011, Nurse-Family Partnership pairs first-time, low-income mothers with registered nurses who guide women through their pregnancies and ensure children reach critical developmental milestones through their second birthday. Supported by more than 35 years of research, this evidenced-based program addresses the health, development and well-being of low-income mothers and their families. Nurse-Family Partnership has shown positive, long-term change while conserving taxpayer resources.
This past October the Nurse-Family Partnership [NFP] program celebrated a new group of moms and families. Thanks to having six years worth of program participants, NFP is now able to celebrate a whole new chapter of NFP.
Lisa Sledge's first client, in 2011, was a 19-year-old, married Burmese woman referred to Nurse-Family Partnership by a Southside high school. Lisa immediately decided an honest approach was best, "Forgive my ignorance," she said, "but I don't know much about your culture."
Nurse-Family Partnership participants graduate from the program when their child turns two years old and then have the option to continue engaging with Goodwill programs through the NFP Graduate Program. Visits with a