Highlights From 2018
Last year, we set a BIG “Texas-Sized” goal to have 3,212 active clients enrolled across the state by 12/31/18. While we did not meet that goal, we had a great year and had 2,977 active clients enrolled on the last day of 2018. We could not have done it without each of you serving moms and babies in your communities. THANK YOU for finishing strong! We honored 47 nurses from across the state who had 25 or more clients enrolled across the state on 12/15/18 with a small token of appreciation. We want to say a very special thank you to each nurse who was serving at least 25 clients in December 2018!
2019 Enrollment Goals
2019 is off to a great start! This year, we will stay focused on serving more moms and babies in Texas to improve families’ health, children’s development and interrupt cycles of poverty. Our state- wide goal is to have 3310 active clients enrolled on December 31, 2019. We’ve met with each supervisor in our network to help develop your individual team goals that will contribute to this overall state goal for 2019. As you continue through this year, talk with your supervisor, teams, and moms to figure out what will it take to serve more moms. Think about the unique opportunity we each have to impact more lives over generations. We’re here to support you with education, consultation, and advocacy. We invite you to share your ideas on what you need to take care of yourselves and serve more moms in 2019. Each of you can help us reach more moms this year!
Nurse Home Visitors Support Setting Two-Gen Goals for Education and Workforce Development Opportunities
Lisa Dillard has traveled across Texas Nurse-Family Partnership communities for over 10 years and attended a number of team meetings and case conferences, 1:1’s, joint visits, Community Advisory Board and Nurse Supervisor meetings in addition to State and National Conferences. Nurse home visitors focus across all six domains to support NFP families over a two-year period and find it takes a lot of energy, time, education, creativity, reflection, coordination and planning for home visitors and their clients. Home visitors are tuned into pregnancy health, maternal role, and safe environments to promote optimal child growth and development as well as developing skills for healthy relationships. A two-generation approach provides opportunities for and meets the needs of vulnerable parents and their children simultaneously. The idea behind this structure is that when the needs of the family are addressed holistically, the benefits may be greater than the sum of the separate parts and the cycle of intergenerational poverty can be broken.
After a few years of monitoring 2-Gen approaches to serving families, Lisa drilled into Texas NFP data reports for Clients Age 18 or older reaching Child age 2 and found there is an opportunity for improving outcomes in our state. In fact, one in three NFP programs are below 50%. The Texas overall rate is 59% and the national rate for NFP is 61%. Lisa will be facilitating optional Focus Group calls through the summer and will invite home visitors from each team to join in the effort to support NFP moms to reach their education and career goals. Lisa will also gather some case studies to share with stakeholders in 2020. NFP families benefit as well when cycles of poverty are broken with the support of NHV’s.
If you are a home visitor that is interested in contributing to this project, please get in contact with Lisa Dillard. The project will demonstrate successful Life Course Development with improved workforce participation by 5% across our state. In the meantime, you can also take a look at the resources that Texas Workforce Commission offers to connect people with opportunities for gainful employment and career development.
Here are a few helpful resources:
- The Choices Program https://twc.texas.gov/programs/choices-program-overview can cover the cost of child care while moms work or go to school if they are receiving TANF cash assistance. First-time parents are usually exempt from the work requirement that comes along with TANF cash assistance so moms should only pursue this if they are very eager to work or go to school.
- SNAP E&T Employment and Training is similar to the TANF program. They offer child care assistance to anyone receiving SNAP. https://twc.texas.gov/programs/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-employment-training-program-overview
- This link shares more information about what jobs are “in demand” https://lmci.state.tx.us/
- Reality Check is an online tool to help teens think about what kind of life they want to live as adults and what educational opportunities and careers could help them get there. https://texasrealitycheck.com/
- This website shows you how much it costs to go to Texas colleges and Universities and how much you would get paid based on your major. https://www.txcte.org/resource/texas-crews
Let’s make a difference in 2019! For more information, email lisa.dillard@nursefamilypartnership.org
Legislative Update
The 2019 Texas legislative session started on January 8th. Nurse-Family Partnership is requesting an additional $12 million from the to serve 1200 more families in 2020 and 2021. Thank you to all nurses, staff, and advocates who have called, e-mailed, Tweeted, messaged, and visited with their elected officials to ask for increased funding. Your voices matter! We are optimistic that our state law makers will support increased funding so that we can transform more lives. If you want to receive up to date information and take action in support of our public policy efforts in Texas, please sign up to receive advocacy alerts by clicking or copying and pasting the link below into your web browser http://bit.ly/TakeActionTexas.
Check out the pictures from our recent Day at the Capitol on February 12th.
Thanksmas
Thirty-two mothers, twenty friends and family, eighteen babies, thirteen community donors, seven resource providers, six nurse home visitors, one mystery Santa . . . and a partridge in a pear tree! On December 7th, the UT-Tyler Ornelas Activity Center was rocking with the holiday spirit at the second annual “Thanksmas” event for families enrolled in the Nurse-Family Partnership program in the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Nurse-Family Partnership nurses make home visits to first-time pregnant women to encourage healthy, full-term pregnancies and to provide support and resources until the child turns two years old. The bonds and affectionate relationships formed between the nurses and the mothers are key in inspiring maternal confidence and giving infants a healthy start, and that was all on display as they shared a healthy meal, made Christmas ornaments, won raffle prizes, and connected with other moms and other family-serving agencies. The highlight was the arrival of Santa Claus, who sat for pictures of moms with babies. You probably wish you were there for the fun festivities.
Door prizes, food, and decorations, were all donated by local businesses. The event venue cost was covered through sponsored by the UT-Tyler School of Nursing.
Click this link to see news coverage of Thanksmas from CBS19 News in Tyler: https://www.cbs19.tv/video/news/local/thanksmas-celebration-gives-back/501-8374103
Click this link to see the internal coverage of the event: https://www.myuthealthnews.org/14298/nurse-family-partnership-celebrates-thanksmas
Save the Date! Texas Nurse-Family Partnership Conference
We can’t wait to see all of the nurses, supervisors, and staff from Nurse-Family Partnership in Texas on May 7th-8th in Gavleston at the Hotel Galvez for 2019 Conference: Riding the Wave of Nursing Excellence. Register to attend, present, or sponsor the conference by visiting the conference website at https://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/tx-nfp/save-the-date/