Abstract
Purpose Home visiting programs for new families in the United States have traditionally served high-risk families. In contrast, universal home visiting models serve all families regardless of income, age, risk or other criteria. They offer an entry point into a system of care for children and families, with the potential to improve population health. This paper describes lessons learned from the first three years of implementing a universal home visiting model. Description Welcome Family is a universal home visiting program in Massachusetts that offers a one-time visit by a nurse to new mothers up to eight weeks postpartum. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) is piloting Welcome Family in four communities with the goal of expanding statewide. Assessment Welcome Family served over 3000 families in its first three years. Program performance measures provided a framework to examine successes and challenges related to outreach and enrollment, program operations, and linkages with community resources. Early challenges included increasing referrals to a new program and limited capacity to serve all women giving birth. Local implementing agencies tested innovative strategies and MDPH made program modifications, such as developing quarterly data reports and establishing a learning collaborative, to address identified challenges. Conclusion MDPH is committed to the success of Welcome Family and uses continuous quality improvement to maximize the impact of the program on families and the system of care in Massachusetts. Lessons learned from the Massachusetts pilot can inform other states’ efforts to enhance their early childhood systems of care through expanding universal home visiting.
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Acknowledgements
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The authors wish to acknowledge the support of Ron Benham, MDiv, Beth Buxton, LCSW, Claudia Catalano, MPP, and Snaltze Pierre, MPH.
Funding
Funding was provided by Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Grant No. X10MC29474).
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Stetler, K., Silva, C., Manning, S.E. et al. Lessons Learned: Implementation of Pilot Universal Postpartum Nurse Home Visiting Program, Massachusetts 2013–2016. Matern Child Health J 22, 11–16 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2385-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-017-2385-x