Three community health centers and two local Healthy Start Coalitions were awarded state funding to expand or establish Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) programs to serve first-time mothers living in low-income communities.
Brevard Health Alliance, Community Health of South Florida, Citrus Health Network in Miami; and, Healthy Start Coalitions in Hillsborough and Orange Counties received support following a competitive application and review process.
NFP is designed for first-time, low-income mothers and their children. It includes one-on-one home visits by a trained nurse to participating clients who enroll voluntarily. The visits begin early in the woman’s pregnancy and conclude when the woman’s child turns 2 years old.
The funding was included in the 2016 state budget and is administered by Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions under a contract with the Florida Department of Health. Per legislative proviso, eligible applicants included local Healthy Start Coalitions and /or Federally Qualified Community Health Centers. Proposals were reviewed and scored by an expert panel established by the NFP National Service Office. Twelve applications were submitted by local agencies.