Sometimes statistics prove too jarring to ignore, and maternal morbidity is heartbreaking.In Illinois, an average of 75 women die each year during pregnancy or the following year. Four-fifths of these deaths are preventable, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s 2021 Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report.
In response, community-wide efforts to reduce maternal morbidity through the Sangamon County Nurse Family Partnership have positively impacted the lives of mothers and their babies for the first time. It is funded by community groups including private donors through the Community Foundation for Land, the Sangamon County Health Department, the SIU Medical School Foundation, and grants through the National Nurse Family Partnership Organization.
Lindsay Sleade, RN, BSN, works as a program coordinator for Sangamon County Nurses and Family Partnerships through the SIU School of Medicine’s Office of Community Care. The program uses specially educated nurses to build relationships and schedule regular visits with a young mother-to-be for the first time from pregnancy through her child’s second birthday. .
Goal? Using her one-on-one relationship with nurses and families to empower first-time mothers to transform lives and create better outcomes for themselves and their babies.
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“Our nurses work with families as partners to achieve their individual goals, address their individual needs, and take small steps toward improved health,” said Sleade. . “It also connects families to community resources and provides information that supports each family’s individual goals.”
This personalized support is making a difference in the lives of 25 families served in Sangamon County. The nurse will go wherever the family agrees to meet. Together they determine the number of weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly visits.
Nationally, the NFP is evidence-based and relies on 45 years of research showing significant improvements in the health and lives of first-time mothers and their children affected by social and economic inequalities. increase. A black woman is three times more likely than a white woman to die from a pregnancy-related condition.
The data-driven focus has attracted Community Foundation staff and local philanthropists, including Anne and Ray Capestrain, who have donor-advised funds for the Community Foundation. The Capestrain-Tracy Family Fund, in partnership with the SIU Foundation, has supported her NFP program in Sangamon County for the past five years. They were particularly impressed with the evidence-based model showing improved outcomes for children and first-time mothers.
“NFP was a perfect fit for Ray and me,” said Anne Capestrain. “Prior to retirement, we were both in the healthcare field. We are pleased to support proven programs that improve the lives of women and children. We hope to prove to policymakers in Illinois that this is the right investment to incorporate into early childhood development programs statewide.”
Nationwide, the median age of NFP mothers is 20, and more than a third of them earn less than $6,000 a year. The need is great and one of the challenges of this program is to promote its availability. Women enrolled in the program must be less than 28 weeks pregnant. For registration information, please call 217-545-0175.
Initial funding for the Sangamon County NFP for the first three years came from Community Foundation, Memorial Health, St. John’s Hospital, and the SIU School of Medicine Foundation, with additional donors joining the effort.
“We are very excited that the NFP will make a significant difference to Sangamon County,” said Sleade. “We look forward to growing a sustainable program that will make a difference now and in the future, with measurable results for first-time families.”
For more information on the Nurse-Family Partnership, please visit: www.siumed.edu/communitycare/nurse-family-partnership.
