“The bond I have with my daughter is something I never imagined, thanks to my nurse from Public Health Solutions’ Nurse-Family Partnership®program. The program taught me how to be a good parent and empowered me to move forward in my life and set a good example for my daughter.”
Mother’s Day is a time we celebrate the bonds we have with the women in our lives who personify wisdom, strength, love, and joy. But for many first-time low-income mothers, this day brings about feelings of fear and hopelessness.
Kiara faced some tough challenges growing up in Queens, New York. Kiara, originally from Ecuador, was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age, forcing her mother to stop working in order to take care of her. Later, in college, Kiara’s hopes for a career in education were put on hold. She had to drop out to get a job in a shoe store to pay rent on a one-bedroom apartment she shared with her mother, sister, and niece.
When Kiara found out she was pregnant at 22 years old, she felt scared and anxious. While she was happy about having a child, she was worried how she would manage financially and emotionally. Her doctor referred her to Public Health Solutions’ Nurse-Family Partnership® to get help.
Nurse-Family Partnership® is an evidence-based, community health program that serves low-income women pregnant with their first child. Public Health Solutions provides the Nurse-Family Partnership® program in Queens and Staten Island. Each vulnerable new mom is partnered with a registered nurse early during her pregnancy and receives ongoing nurse home visits for two and a half years. It is a life-transforming partnership, for the mom and her child.
Kiara’s nurse, Ella, prepared her not only for having a child, but also presented her a path forward as an individual. She showed her how to breastfeed, encouraged her to go back to school, and altered her whole perspective on what her future could hold. Kiara’s outlook changed in a positive way. She became a confident and caring mother, returned to school to get her bachelor’s degree, and set long-term goals including pursuing a career in education. Her now two-year-old daughter loves to sing her ABC’s and is ahead of the curve in development and progress.
Public Health Solutions (PHS), the largest public health nonprofit serving vulnerable families in New York City, helps thousands of women through maternal health programs like Nurse-Family Partnership®. PHS has improved health outcomes and helped hundreds of thousands of families thrive by providing services directly to the city’s most vulnerable populations, publishing groundbreaking research that moves public health policy and practice forward, and supporting over 200 community-based organizations through our long-standing government partnerships.
Nurse-Family Partnership® is validated by extensive research to be effective in improving the life course of low-income mothers and their child’s health and development. Short term, mothers get jobs, their babies are born healthy, and their children thrive. Long term, Nurse-Family Partnership® improves childhood development and school readiness, reduces child neglect, and prevents crime.
As Mother’s Day approaches, we hope you will consider making a gift to honor strong women in your life. By helping a young mother in need, you are helping to build healthier communities for generations to come.
Your support will allow us to expand programs like Nurse-Family Partnership® and assist more women in need. Consider making your gift today. Your unrestricted contribution supports our work in helping vulnerable families and communities in New York City.
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