Family Connects
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3710 University Dr,
Suite 310,
Durham, NC 27707
info@familyconnects.org
Author Archive for: jodi@familyconnects.org
Entries by Jodi Wahba
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FCI Voices: The Importance of Nurse Home Visiting & its Role in Detecting Birth Defects
Universal nurse home visiting for newborns and their families is our priority at Family Connects International. We have made it our mission to strengthen connections for families with newborns and link them directly to health and community care resources. Learn more about Family Connects International today!
In our last blog featuring FCI Voices, Family Connects Pierce County shared their journey to certification through Family Connects International. But what is the role of community partners and why is the work they do imperative to ensuring equitable care for every family and newborn? In this blog, we will learn from FCI’s Acting CEO Jenny Jensen, MSN, MPH, RN, just how important community partners and nurses are to providing postnatal care, including detecting birth defects and connecting all families to needed resources.
What role do our community partners and nurses play in detecting birth defects and providing resources for healthy families?
When we do a home visit, we get to spend 1.5-2 hours with families. We are fortunate to not be rushed like you often feel in a clinic environment, so there’s plenty of time for families to share their concerns and for us to do a very thorough exam. For example, I once detected an unusual heart sound during a Family Connects home visit and notified the baby’s pediatrician, who ended up referring the baby to a cardiologist. Family Connects nurses are also experts on community resources and benefits, like care coordinators for babies with complex medical needs and early intervention services for those with developmental delays. If families are interested, we will help them connect with these services.
How does FCI’s universal home visiting model contribute to equitable outcomes for every newborn?
Family Connects is available for every family. We know that everyone needs support when they bring home a baby, whether it’s help with physical recovery, breastfeeding, dealing with postpartum depression, or accessing practical needs like food and diapers. Family Connects support is tailored to the needs, priorities, and preferences of each family.
What is your vision for FCI and its community partners? Where do you hope to see FCI going to expand its universal care approach?
I want FCI to continue to develop innovative ways to provide high-quality support for our community partners. That is what helps to enable our partners to provide innovative and high-quality support for families and communities. I am incredibly proud of our organization and the ways that we are continually improving our matrixed support for partners. In just the past year we have enhanced our customized database, launched webinars and annual awards programs, developed a policy dashboard, and instituted regular nursing office hours. As we innovate, I am committed to being responsive to the requests and priorities of our community partners.
I think the next phase of universal care is to not only offer Family Connects to every family in a community but also offer Family Connects to every community! We are operating in a few dozen counties and cities across 19 states, but most Americans do not yet have access to Family Connects. We need policymakers, health systems, and payers to commit to a new system of care in the fourth trimester that provides access to evidence-based nurse home visits for all families.
Thank you, Jenny! Interested in launching a Family Connects Partnership? Visit FamilyConnects.org today to learn more!
This Friday, February 2nd, Jennifer Jensen will be presenting alongside Lori Sprecher and Pilar Olivo (Family Connects Frederick) at the 2024 National Home Visiting Summit! The 60-minute workshop session, “Redesigning Postpartum Health Care to Include Universal Nurse Home Visits.” Register today to attend!
Nurses Remain the Most Trusted Professionals in the United States for the 22nd Consecutive Year!
According to Gallup, nurses remain the most trusted professionals for the 22nd consecutive year. In Gallup’s 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, 78% of adults in the United States report that they believe nurses have high ethical standards and are honest. At Family Connects International we are committed to ensuring that every newborn receives equitable care. Our evidenced-based, universal, nurse home-visiting model offers support to families with newborns. Family Connects nurses visit the home approximately three weeks after birth and connect families with the community resources they need. Learn more about our universal model through our webinar series.
FCI Annual Community Meeting
FCI Annual Community Meeting
Thursday, January 30: 1:00pm EST
CLICK TO JOIN
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https://familyconnects-org.zoom.us/j/84208283634?pwd=SFtqfogGm1bW0BeS8Bz9L367avhhBd.1
CAAB Quarterly Meetings
The Community Alignment Advisory Board (CAAB) meets quarterly on the third Tuesday of the month.
If you are interested in sharing your site’s work with hospital engagement, volunteer to participate in the panel. Email EmilyRose@familyconnects.org to sign up to speak or for more information about the CAAB.
CAAB QUARTERLY MEETINGS
Tuesday, January 21: 3:00pm EST
Tuesday, April 15: 3:00pmEST
Tuesday, July 15: 3:00pm EST
CLICK TO JOIN
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https://familyconnects-org.zoom.us/j/87169435107?pwd=TloRkbX2vCf64zexkz7wbTLCoMX9X9.1
Meeting ID: 871 6943 5107
Passcode: 803649
FCI Voices: A Message from Pierce County
Universal Home Visiting for newborns and their families is our priority at Family Connects International. We have made it our mission to strengthen connections for families with newborns and link them directly to health and community care resources. Learn more about Family Connects International today!
Last November, Washington-Pierce County became a certified Family Connects Community Partner. In this post for our blog series “FCI Voices for Universal Newborn Care”, we will learn from Pierce County about the importance of certification in their own words.
A Message from Pierce County, WA
When we launched Family Connects Pierce County in March 2021, we really had no idea if the program would take or what impact we could truly have on families in our community. What we did know, is that we were confident in our local leaders’ decision to choose a reputable national program able to respond to Pierce County’s enduring child welfare crisis, and confident that our implementing agencies were capable and equipped to deliver the program effectively. Achieving certification means so much to us in Pierce County. As the only Family Connects site operating in Washington State, certification adds credibility to our program. When families feel like they can trust a program and trust our nurses, they will seek the postpartum care they need and deserve, and we can provide the most comprehensive wraparound support to them.
Our road to certification felt very much like a rollercoaster. As soon as we felt like things were moving along well, we would be humbled by a hiccup requiring a swift change in course to respond and redirect. Our implementation specialist was right there with us from the start, and we honestly could not have achieved as much as we did so early in implementation without her thoughtful feedback, knowledge of our unique community, attention to detail, and moving data. When FCI transitioned to a nonprofit and assigned a new implementation specialist, we felt equipped to pivot and continue to support our families with the best postpartum support knowing we built a strong foundation. We are grateful to FCI for their grace in answering our questions and supporting our team along the way.
I would encourage interested communities to first really center the community’s voice in deciding if this program is a right fit for them. Once you’ve achieved that decision, hop on the rollercoaster, and enjoy the ride. There is beauty in the journey, and for us, that beauty has been learning with and from other Family Connects sites, which has only bolstered our local Family Connects program. We have especially found beauty in the families we’ve served, who have trusted us wholeheartedly with a completely new way of thinking about postpartum and the fourth trimester. Without them, there would be no Family Connects Pierce County.
Thank you, Pierce County, for sharing your experience and for providing resources and home-visiting care throughout the year! Interested in launching a Family Connects Partnership? Visit FamilyConnects.org today to learn more!
Program in south Arkansas provides free nurse visits to mothers with newborns
Pictured: Family Connects Union County Director of Women’s Services, Alison Stone, and Family Connects Home Visitor, Heidi Klappenbach (Source: https://www.arcf.org/give-smart-blog/following-baby-back-home/) “They don’t really feel like just nurses coming out to your house,” Rosson said. “The way they speak is more encouraging, and they just make sure you’re OK,” Family Connects Union County participant Hannah […]
FCI Voices: The Importance of Universal Home Visiting for Newborns and Their Families
Universal Home Visiting for newborns and their families is our priority at Family Connects International. We have made it our mission to strengthen connections for families with newborns and link them directly to health and community care resources. This is made possible by our community partners across the county. But why is universal home visiting important for families and their newborns? We have asked one of the experts at Family Connects International to explain in their own words the importance of home-visiting care. In this post for our blog series “FCI Voices for Universal Newborn Care”, we will learn from our Nurse Manager and Acting Chief Nursing Officer about the benefits of home visiting for newborns and their families.
Here are Bonnie’s thoughts on postpartum home visiting for families with newborns:
"Postpartum home visiting plays a crucial role in supporting families and their newborns. In fact, most high-resource countries across the globe offer some form of universal, in-home support for families with newborns. These visits are invaluable in navigating the physical, emotional, and lifestyle adjustments that come with a new baby. A caring and knowledgeable nurse can help identify and prioritize referrals in collaboration with families as well as help normalize some questions people experience postpartum. From identifying respiratory distress in infants exposed to viruses such as RSV and flu to reminding parents they are doing a great job, every family deserves to feel supported, safe, and seen during the postpartum period".
FCI’s mission is made possible because of the support, dedication, and drive of both our community partners and the staff here at FCI. Bonnie is one of the many who share that commitment to newborns and families nationwide and utilizes her expertise in nursing to equip our FCI network to deliver quality care year-round.
"I am committed to ensuring that nurses in the FCI network embody excellence and equity in their clinical practice. My passion lies in ensuring that all of our nurses not only possess the knowledge to adeptly support the physiologic processes during the postpartum period but also embody a humble and supportive approach when interacting with families during home visits. It is my belief that a combination of expertise and empathetic care is pivotal in creating a positive and inclusive healthcare experience for every family. My hope is that we can provide nurses with the tools to ensure Family Connects interactions feel helpful and healing in a period that is often associated with trauma and uncertainty".
Thank you, Bonnie, for this insight! Visit our website to learn how you can help ensure essential connections for equitable outcomes for every newborn and stay up to date on the strides our community partners and FCI team have made to make our mission possible.