NEWS RELEASE
Albert
Hawkins
Executive Commissioner
Date: July 8, 2008
Contact: Stephanie Goodman (512) 424-6951
Texas Nurse-Family Partnership Program Awards First Grants
AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has awarded $7.8 million in grants for a new program that will pair nurses with low-income, first-time mothers to improve prenatal care and provide one-on-one child development education and counseling.
“The Texas Nurse-Family Partnership is based on a national model that provides intensive services in the setting most comfortable for a new mother – her own home,” said Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins. “Studies have found that this program reduces emergency room visits, leads to declines in abuse and neglect cases, and improves a child’s readiness for school.”
Nine organizations have been awarded funding for the Texas Nurse-Family Partnership program, which was authorized by Senate Bill 156 during the last legislative session.
- Any Baby Can of Austin, $756,725
- The Children’s Shelter in San Antonio, $875,822
- Healthy Family Initiatives in Houston, $1,522,800
- Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas, $806,284
- City of Port Arthur Health Department, $548,130
- Tarrant County Health Department, $860,720
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, $854,835
- University Health System in San Antonio, $808,154
- YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas, $795,409
The local programs will receive referrals from a variety of sources, such as WIC clinics and health-care providers. A nurse will visit the mother-to-be to see if she wants to participate in the program. If she agrees, a nurse will continue to make home visits throughout her pregnancy and until her child is 2 years old. The nurses provide support, education and counseling on health, parenting, developmental issues and life skills.
The program will begin Sept. 1. Pregnant women are eligible for the program if they meet the requirements for Medicaid services – including having a family income at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.
###
|
