JAMA Pediatrics Reports Nurse-Family Partnership Reduces Preventable Death among Mothers and Children

July 18, 2014

SOLANO COUNTY – A study published by JAMA Pediatrics—a leading, peer-reviewed journal of the American Medical Association—found that Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP), a national, nurse home visiting program, reduces preventable deaths among low-income mothers and their first-born children living in disadvantaged, urban neighborhoods.  This is the first randomized, clinical trial of an early intervention program conducted in the nation to find evidence of reductions in maternal and child death.

Solano is one of 21 counties in California operating the NFP program.  The NFP program is a national home visiting program for low-income women having their first child.  Solano County Health and Social Services' NFP program has provided services to more than 250 families since 2010, helping first time moms have healthy pregnancies, improving child health and development, and aiding families to become economically self-sufficient.  Each woman is paired with a registered nurse who provides home visits throughout a pregnancy until the child’s second birthday.

Beginning in 1990, the study enrolled low-income, primarily African-American mothers living in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee, and assessed maternal and child mortality for more than two decades.  Clients in the NFP program had fewer preventable child deaths from birth to age 20 when compared to the control group.  Children in the control group, not receiving nurse-home visits, had a mortality rate of 1.6 percent for preventable causes, including sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries and homicide. The NFP Program had no child deaths.

Additionally, over the same two-decades, mothers who received nurse-home visits had lower rates of death for all causes when compared to mothers not receiving nurse-home visits.  Mothers in the control group who did not receive nurse-home visits were nearly three times more likely to die than were nurse-visited mothers.

"Solano County NFP is pleased to participate in a program with positive health outcomes for babies and moms," said Nancy Calvo, MPH, NFP administrator for Solano County.  “Over the past four years, Solano County NFP has demonstrated impressive outcomes, and in many cases exceeding the California and National NFP objectives for full-term births; babies born at healthy weights; breastfeeding and immunization rates; and fewer infants admitted to neo-natal intensive care units.  The program recognizes and thanks the Solano County Board of Supervisors and County Administrator for investing in NFP.”

To learn more visit www.nursefamilypartnership.org or contact Solano’s program supervisor, Shari Garger at 707-784-8780 or [email protected]