Health

Being born healthy and reaching critical developmental milestones are vivid predictors of future success. Research indicates that, in efforts to address problems like poverty, low education levels, crime rates, teen pregnancy and more, the greatest long-term benefits will come from starting with babies in low-income households – even before they are born.

Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership® pairs mothers pregnant with their first child with a registered nurse for ongoing home visits aimed at supporting mothers and families in providing the very best start for their children during the earliest, most developmentally critical years. NFP is a national, community health program, widely researched and recognized for increasing health care access and improving health outcomes.

Goodwill’s NFP implementation, which began in November 2011, was recognized by the Indiana Business Journal as a 2018 Health Care Hero for Community Achievement in Health Care.

In the summer of 2021, NFP reached a milestone of supporting 3,500 babies born throughout central and southern Indiana, which means their moms learned how to bond with their baby; keep their baby safe; were counseled on the benefits of breastfeeding; received resources, support, and guidance, as needed, for housing, education, employment and child care; and had their physical status regularly assessed to help them achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth.

To date, the program has served more than 5,500 families and provides nurse home visitors for the following counties:

Bartholomew	Grant	Johnson	Tippecanoe
Blackford	Harrison	Madison	Tipton
Carroll	Hendricks	Montgomery	Washington
Clark	Henry	Marion	Wayne
Clinton	Howard	Morgan	White
Crawford	Jackson	Randolph
Delaware	Jefferson	Scott
Floyd	Jennings	Shelby

The program supports the Indiana State Department of Health’s Labor of Love campaign to reduce infant death, providing prenatal care and teaching parents about and encouraging smoking cessation, breastfeeding and safe sleep.

Positive NFP outcomes in Indiana

%

of babies were born full term

%

of mothers initiated breastfeeding

(2021)

%

at 24 months were fully immunized

%

were born at a healthy weight at or above 5.5 lbs

HOW TO QUALIFY

To qualify for Nurse-Family Partnership, a woman must:

Be less than 28 weeks (7 months) pregnant
Have no previous live births
Be at 200% of the poverty level or below (equivalent to the Medicaid eligibility requirement)
Live in one of the 29 Indiana counties where we currently offer services

PROVIDERS

A health care or other service provider may refer a woman who meets the program’s qualifications.

Providers: Make a Referral

FIRST-TIME MOMS
(SELF-REFERRAL)

You may also refer yourself, called a self-referral.
Check the list above to see if you qualify.
For questions, contact us at nfp@goodwillindy.org or 317-524-3999.
Self-refer by calling 317-524-3999 or fill out our online form.

Moms: Self-Refer

“I’m proud of where I am now. I would most definitely recommend Nurse-Family Partnership to friends and family.”

Dominique Daye

Dominique Daye – NFP Success Story

Although a teenager at the time, when Dominique Daye learned she was pregnant, her priorities became her son and planning for their future. She faced obstacles, but advocated fiercely for herself and her son to overcome them, including traveling four-hours round trip to The Excel Center to earn a high school diploma. Now a graduate, she is living independently and earning more from her employer.

Goodwill is committed to supporting quality child care for employees, students and our Nurse-Family Partnership mothers. Childcare Answers offers help with finding licensed, quality child care.