Force for Good Award recognizes policymakers for making a difference for families in poverty
DENVER, CO (April 30, 2019) — Nurse-Family Partnership ® (NFP) – a national program serving first-time moms and their children living in poverty – has awarded the Force for Good Public Policy Award to Pennsylvania State Senator Pat Browne (R-Lehigh).
Browne has long been a leading advocate for Nurse-Family Partnership and for investing in home visitation. In 2005 he authored legislation that created “The Ounce of Prevention Program” in Pennsylvania. This legislation established a grant program for not-for-profit organizations or public entities to provide home visitation services and referral services to low-income, at-risk, expectant first-time mothers and their newborn children and families.
Senator Browne, who is chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, has played a significant role in encouraging funding for Pennsylvania’s appropriation for Nurse-Family Partnership, including the increase of $1.2 million it received last year, bringing the level of state funding to $13.1 million for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Through Browne’s leadership and support of Childhood Begins at Home the 2018-2019 budget also saw an additional $5.5 million to support the growth of home visiting in state.
As a result of Senator’s Browne’s efforts on behalf of home visiting, Nurse-Family Partnership has been able to retain and recruit quality nurses to provide home visiting services that have been shown to improve health outcomes for moms and babies living in poverty.
Senator Browne also co-chairs the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Early Childhood Education Caucus, which works to protect and preserve state support for quality programs which promote health and educational development for at-risk children.
“Senator Browne has shown a keen understanding of the benefits of investing in services for vulnerable families through his support for Nurse-Family Partnership,” said Kelly Headrick, national director of advocacy and state government relations at Nurse-Family Partnership. “As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Browne is a leader in fiscal management for the state. In that position, he has continued his long-standing support and has been instrumental in expressing the value and need to financially support Nurse-Family Partnership, a nationally-recognized model of a successful cost-effective, evidence-based program.”
Nurse-Family Partnership was established in Pennsylvania in Berks, Luzerne and Erie counties in 1999. As Nurse-Family Partnership celebrates its 20th anniversary in the state, the model is now implemented in 50 of the Commonwealth’s 67 counties and has served more than 32,000 families.
“As a long-time advocate for early intervention programs to help with the development and growth of our at-risk young children, I am pleased to continue to work and support Nurse-Family Partnership and its mission to help first-time mothers and their young children with prenatal and early childhood home visitation services in an effort to achieve healthier pregnancies and births and stronger child development,” Senator Browne said. “It is widely recognized that early home visitation programs provide significant benefits to young families and help to ensure families’ social and medical needs are met and that children grow in a safe home that prepares them for success in school. I applaud Nurse-Family Partnership for its leadership in providing these important services to help with the healthy development of these young children.”
The Nurse-Family Partnership Force for Good Public Policy Award recognizes elected officials for making a difference for families in poverty. Dr. David Olds, founder of Nurse-Family Partnership, describes the impact of Nurse-Family Partnership as a force for good that changes the future for two generations.
Over 40 years of evidence show that Nurse-Family Partnership improves birth outcomes, child development and school readiness, reduces child abuse and neglect and juvenile crime, among other outcomes.
According to the RAND Corporation, every $1 invested in Nurse-Family Partnership can yield up to $5.70 in return for the highest-risk families served.