COVID-19: How We’re Responding

As a public health organization grounded in science, Nurse-Family Partnership is actively monitoring and responding to the COVID-19 emergency and doing all we can to protect the health of our families, workforce and the communities in which we live and work. We understand the stress that this emergency brings, and our focus remains on the health and safety of our families, nurses and employees as we weather this crisis together.

the impact on families

We know that our families, now more than ever, need our support and services. In fact, given the risks and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, the connection between a mom and her NFP nurse has never been more important. Beyond the impact on individual and family health, this will affect the economic security of families whose jobs, income and livelihoods are threatened. As businesses, workplaces and schools continue to close, families who may already be struggling to pay the bills, find affordable childcare or secure stable housing – including many families that we serve – will feel the effects of these disruptions most acutely. We are here to support them.

NFP nurses are on the front lines of public health and are uniquely positioned to help families and communities navigate this uncertainty day by day. Our nurses play a critical role in helping families stay informed, prepared and empowered to protect themselves and advocate for their health. As always and in response to COVID-19, our nurses provide much-needed guidance on where to find current and relevant information, when and where to seek medical care and when to reschedule routine appointments, as well as how to access additional community resources, such as food or housing assistance, to support them during this crisis.

maintaining continuity of care through telehealth

As always, we are committed to providing the highest level of clinical care and support to families. We know that in some communities, NFP nurses are being pulled into their local COVID-19 response, which may reduce their capacity to serve families or enroll new mothers in NFP. In at least one state, in-person home visits have been temporarily suspended. However, NFP is in an excellent position to be responsive to the stress of this emergency. We are committed to maintaining continuity of services for families with as little disruption as possible while ensuring the safety and health of our nursing workforce.

As such, our guidance is for nurses to exclusively use telehealth in place of in-person visits for the duration of this crisis. This protects the health of both our families and our nurses. Further, the NSO’s Nursing Team is in regular communication with our partners across the country, and we are ready to assist them in managing staffing issues, reductions and other challenges that may arise as a result of COVID-19 illnesses and response.

moving forward

In responding to COVID-19 as an organization, we will continue to follow the lead and expert guidance of our partners in the medical community, as well as our own value of basing action on sound medical evidence. As always and above all, we will keep the needs of our families and our nurses front of mind as we navigate this unprecedented situation together.

Finally, we are immensely grateful to our fellow health care workers in the US and worldwide who are responding to COVID-19 and selflessly working each day to protect the public’s health. Thank you for all that you do. We will successfully navigate this crisis together by maintaining calm, exercising thoughtful caution, and keeping compassion one another at the center of all we do.

In this rapidly evolving situation, we strongly urge everyone to access information about COVID-19 directly from vetted public health sources that are updated regularly, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). For further updates on Nurse-Family Partnership’s response, please visit our website, which will be updated regularly.