What Is The Nurse-Family Partnership?

Becoming a mother for the first time, while incredibly exciting, is often a challenge. The rewards are great, but learning how to care for a new life can be hard without the proper support system in place. MFHS recognizes this, which is why we’re proud to offer the Nurse-Family Partnership in Luzerne, Wayne, Susquehanna and Lackawanna counties. The Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) teams nurses with low-income, at-risk women during their first pregnancy. Eligible women can get free at home visits with their nurse to help them prepare for their baby.
Since the 1970s, the NFP program has been growing across the United States, helping first time mothers succeed in raising happy and healthy babies.  Our goals with the NFP program include improving pregnancy outcomes by helping women make healthier life choices, improving child health development, and improving families overall economic self-sufficiency.
Whenever a young woman becomes pregnant before she’s ready, the risk factors can quickly escalate and leave her entire family in a dire situation. Nurse-Family Partnership was designed to intervene with a solution. An experienced and compassionate registered nurse is paired with the soon to be mom from pregnancy until the baby turns two years old. This relationship allows the nurse to advise on improving diet, general health practices, and good parenting skills. In some cases, it also gives pregnant women in unstable homes a trusted partner that can help them break the cycle of violence and poverty and start a better life for their new family.
If you’re a first time mother (or know a first time mom) between the 14th and 24th week of pregnancy who would like to learn more about the NFP program, you can read about it on the MFHS website, or you can call either of our Nurse-Family Partnership locations or the main MFHS line at 1-800-FOR-MFHS.