Michelle White became a single mom at the age of 19, but she credits Goodwill Industries' Nurse-Family Partnership with helping her develop as a parent and a person.
"I think that I've grown so much as mom," White said. "I know that I felt like I was going to be so nervous to have a child and kind of not know what was going on or not know how to handle everything. I feel like now they can throw anything at me and I'm able to handle it as a parent and as an adult, just from Nurse-Family Partnership."
White, an Indianapolis resident, is one of more than 1,200 mothers who have benefited from NFP since it was launched in 2011 in Marion County to help improve health outcomes for mothers and their new babies. Nurses conduct home visits every few weeks to answer questions on having a healthy pregnancy and child development milestones, which White has considered invaluable.
"It's been amazing to be able to talk to a nurse, and I didn't have to go to ER for information," White said. "My son Bradyn is 2 years old now and he's so mature and ahead of his age group."
The program will expand soon to assist 400 families in Lake County, after receiving $2 million in funding from the Indiana State Department of Health to complement area services. The program will be implemented by Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana with support from Goodwill Industries of Michiana.
Betsy Delgado, vice president of mission advancement at Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, said the Department of Health informed the expansion of the program into Lake County due to its troublesome numbers in terms of infant mortality.
"They told us this was where the next highest need was," Delgado said.
Indiana as a whole ranks 39th nationally in terms of infant mortality with 6.7 deaths for every 1,000 live births in 2012. But Lake County's number is much higher — at 9.8 — and statewide the number of black infant deaths — at 14.85 per 1,000 live births — is more than double the state statistic.
The state launched its Labor of Love public awareness campaign to make a serious dent in those troubling statistics. Some of the leading causes of death for children under age 1 include unsafe sleep positioning, serious birth defects, prematurity and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), pregnancy complications, and injuries.
In order to be eligible for NFP, a woman must be pregnant with her first baby, at less than 28 weeks in her pregnancy, and be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which means a two-person household could earn up to $31,460 annually.
Goodwill is currently recruiting 16 registered nurses to participate in the program; they will visit the mom's home regularly until the child's second birthday. In 2014, Indiana's first group of 100 NFP moms completed their participation and graduated. Delgado said the program has had many success stories so far, including 88 percent of infants born at a healthy weight, 92 percent of babies are up-to-date with immunizations as 1 year, and 60 percent of moms who self-reported as smokers quit prior to delivery.
"Our moms are really sad when they finish because a large population don't have a role model in their lives," Delgado said. "Two and a half years is a long time to spend with a professional, so graduation will get very emotional when they have to say goodbye. The program allowed them to get what they need. Being able to advocate for myself and my child — that's what a lot moms walk away with."
Beyond health measures, 24 percent of households saw an increase in income and benefits and more than half of clients with 12 or fewer years of education experienced an increase in educational attainment.
Delgado said the program will likely kick into gear in the late summer as Goodwill is working with hospitals, agencies, schools to create referral processes.
Craig Bolda, Chief Operating Officer of St. Catherine Hospital, said the hospital will reach out to eligible women about the program, help refer women, and serve on the NFP's Community Advisory Board.