Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Maternal Child Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monterey County highlights Nurse Family Partnership home‑visiting program for first‑time mothers
Summary
The county’s public health director described Nurse Family Partnership, an evidence‑based home‑visiting program pairing nurses with low‑income, first‑time mothers from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday. Officials noted local expansion, referral paths through WIC and OB providers, and positive early outcomes.
Monterey County public health officials highlighted the Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) home‑visiting program on July 1 and encouraged providers and families to refer eligible pregnant first‑time mothers.
Ella Harris, director of public health nursing, said NFP "pairs a public health nurse with a low‑income first‑time mother during pregnancy" and follows the family through the child’s second birthday to support health, development and economic self‑sufficiency. Harris described the model as evidence‑based and noted it is a national program with decades of research backing it.
Harris cited national trial outcomes presented in the briefing: a 48% reduction in child abuse and neglect, a 56% reduction in emergency‑room visits for accidents and poisonings, reduced language delays at 21 months, a 79% reduction in preterm delivery for women who smoke, and an 82% increase in months employed for parents in some studies. She said the program has operated in Monterey County since 2018, and later in the briefing used the phrase "eight years" when summarizing local experience; the briefing did not reconcile that discrepancy.
Locally, NFP has expanded to cover South County and increased nursing staff from four to five public health nurses. Harris said eligibility requires being a first‑time mother who is pregnant when enrolled; referrals may be made through an electronic form on the county health department website and through WIC and OB providers. She named Loretta Franco Espinosa as the supervising public health nurse and noted that clients often learn about the program through graduations and word of mouth.
Harris described typical visits as client‑centered and about an hour long; nurses meet clients where they are most comfortable. She said local outcomes appear consistent with national trends (higher breastfeeding rates and healthy birth outcomes) and that local graduations numbered "several dozen," though an exact graduate count was not provided during the briefing.
For providers and members of the public wanting to refer someone or learn more, Harris said the health department maintains an online referral form and the public health nursing bureau as points of contact.
