Category: FCI News

Are you a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing maternal mental health care services? If so, The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health invites you to get on the map by joining the Maternal Mental Health Nonprofit Nation listserv to connect, ask each other questions about any issue (from service delivery to nonprofit governance), learn about funding opportunities, and more. Joining the listserve also places your non-profit on the Community-Based Organization map.

Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IGR6Q5vPRbyUD9m7V8lnQQ#/registration

November 6 – 8, 2023
The Center of Excellence for Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation invites you to join our upcoming free virtual conference: Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: Equity from the Start

This FREE, virtual conference is specifically geared towards IECMHC consultants, supervisors, managers, consultees, parents, leadership, and funders, but all are invited to attend. Join us to access a range of presentations related to implementing infant & early childhood mental health consultation and promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion for infants, children, families, and the workforce.

Join us for:

• Over 50 professional learning sessions
• Opportunities to connect with other individuals in the field of IECMHC
• On-Demand access through February 6, 2024.
• Register today! Spots are limited.

The Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance is offering a free four-part webinar series entitled Delving Into Maternal Mental Health. The first part of the series is now live – Birth Trauma and Maternal Mental Health – and the other three webinars will go live monthly over the next three months.

Click here for more information on NHVRC

Family Connects is designed to support whole-person, integrated health for all families of newborns at a moment of life-changing transition. Family Connects nurses are trained to carefully assess newborns and mothers and to discuss concrete next steps to address opportunities and concerns, including seeking immediate medical care when necessary. They work together with families and build from identified strengths to connect them to community resources that meet their needs and preferences. Family Connects nurses also keep the whole family in mind, recommending appropriate mental health services or medical care for other family members as needed—and they follow up to make sure families’ needs are met. Family Connects aims to reach at least 60 to 70 percent of families with newborns in each community it serves.

What is the model’s approach to providing home visiting services?

Who is implementing the model?

Home Visitors
Family Connects was implemented by 129 full-time equivalent (FTE) home visitors in 2022. Home visiting providers are Registered Nurses with up-to-date professional licenses, who function within the state’s Nurse Practice Act and are trained to provide newborn, caregiver, and family health and psychosocial assessments. Full-time home visitors typically enroll six to eight new families per week.

Supervisors
Family Connects was implemented by 29 FTE nurse supervisors in 2022.
Where is the model implemented?

Family Connects operated in 35 local agencies across 16 states in 2022.

The NHVRC is a partnership of James Bell Associates and the Urban Institute. Support is provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation and previously was also provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the foundations. For a detailed methodology, see the 2023 Home Visiting Yearbook.

Families Served Through Evidence-Based Home Visiting in 2022

18,879

home visits provided
including 7,529 virtual visits

17,696

families served

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The Community and Clinical Connections for Prevention and Health Branch (CCCPH), Division of Public Health is excited to announce the official launch of www.breastfeednc.com, a new,  equity focused website designed to provide comprehensive information and resources to support breastfeeding mothers, fathers, and their families across North Carolina.

Breastfeeding is a crucial aspect of maternal and child health, offering numerous benefits for infants and mothers alike. With the launch of www.breastfeednc.com, our aim is to create a user-friendly platform that empowers and educates mothers, fathers, families, and healthcare professionals on the importance of breastfeeding and the resources available to facilitate successful breastfeeding journeys.

The website offers a wealth of valuable features and resources. Visitors will find evidence-based educational content covering a wide range of breastfeeding topics, including benefits, techniques, common challenges, and overcoming barriers. We have also made sure to include information specifically tailored for fathers, highlighting the significance of their involvement in breastfeeding and providing guidance on how they can support their partners throughout the breastfeeding process.

Additionally, www.breastfeednc.com features a comprehensive directory of breastfeeding support services and lactation consultants throughout North Carolina. This local support directory allows users to easily find nearby support groups, clinics, and professionals to access the assistance they need. We have also provided downloadable guides, brochures, and infographics that offer practical information and tips to expand knowledge and understanding of breastfeeding.

We invite you to explore the newly launched www.breastfeednc.com. We believe that your support and collaboration are essential in promoting the importance of breastfeeding and ensuring that families have access to the resources they need.

In addition, we have put together a toolkit to support the promotion of the new site and support for families.

• The Resource Toolkit has a summary of important resources available on the site. Please feel free to download and print or share as needed.
• The Media Toolkit has ready-made images and copy points for newsletters, blog posts, or text messages to make it easy for you to cut and paste. Please share it widely!

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What: A webinar on the basics for advocating for increased investments in the universal newborn nurse home visiting model Family Connects.

Who: Melea Rose Waters, MSW, is the Senior Policy Director at Family Connects International.

When: July 12, 2023 – 2PM EST. Open to Community Partners Within the FCI Network.

The time to plan for sustainability of your Family Connects program is today. One strategy to sustainable funding is through advocacy with policymakers. Advocacy is the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal by influencing policymakers on the local, state, and federal levels of government. Effective advocacy is focused, informed, and strategic.

Join us to learn about the fundamentals of advocacy. We will discuss the difference between advocacy and lobbying, effective advocacy strategies, engaging policymakers, developing your messaging, and taking action.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:
1. Define three key differences between advocacy and lobbying;
2. Recognize and apply the four parts of developing messaging for policymakers; and,
3. Select at least three action steps you can take to advocate for your Family Connects program.

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Melea Rose Waters, MSW, is the Senior Policy Director at Family Connects International. Through her role at FCI, she aims to increase investments in the
Family Connects Universal Newborn Home Visiting Model by influencing policymakers, actively collaborating with stakeholders, and building the capacity of partners to advocate for resources on the local, state, and federal levels of government. She has over a decade of experience advocating for children and families on the local, state, and federal levels of government, in addition to nearly ten years of working directly with families who were involved with child welfare.
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Greetings Community Partners!

Thank you so much for attending our 3^rd Roundtable Discussions on Medicaid on April 5^th, 2023. A special thanks to our amazing guest speaker, Gretchen Hammer from the Public Leadership Group. It was exciting to hear all our partners great questions around Medicaid! If you have any more questions about Medicaid reimbursement or would like to inquire about services, feel free to reach out to Gretchen Hammer at gretchen.hammer@publicleader.org.
See below for for the recording and the visual slides that were shared during these discussions.

Video Recording


Visual Slides (PDF)


Visual Slides (PPTX)

I wish you wonder, joy, and a bit of your OWN childhood folded into your everyday.

For me, tree climbing has been a fun way to get a fresh perspective, literally, and share one of my favorite pastimes with my kids.

Embrace these days,
Sherika

Sherika Hill, PHD MHA
Executive Director, Family Connects International

FCI is launching our first Family Connects Nursing Awards, and we will announce one winner each day in honor of Nurses Week!

Monday May 6th

The award for “Good Catch” goes to Shannetta Barnes from Family Connects Chicago! For identifying an infant with respiratory distress during the constraints of a virtual visit and directing the family to the Emergency Department, where the infant was hospitalized for RSV. Your assessment and advocacy resulted in a good catch that may have saved this child’s life.

Tuesday May 7th

The award for “Leader of the Year” goes to Kathryn Kaintz from Family Connects Chicago! For ensuring the success of the Family Connects Chicago program at Rush University Medical Center, supporting nurse education and professional development, and role modeling exemplary patient care.

Wednesday May 8th

The award for “Preceptor of the Year” goes to Megan Wilkin from Family Connects Oregon. For providing an outstanding orientation experience and role modeling exemplary patient care for new Family Connects nurses.

Thursday May 9th

The award for “Rising Star” goes to Jessica Orozco from Family Connects Chicago. For providing outstanding patient care, supporting you teammates, and leading the design of a poster to present Family Connects scholarship at a national conference.

Friday May 10th

The award for “Lifetime Achievement Award” goes to Paula Wright from Family Connects Durham. For your lifetime of service to families as a nurse and foundational contributions to the Family Connects Model and Family Connects Durham as a nurse leader. We are proud to honor your achievements, which continue to impact families across the country.