Family Connects Novant Health program receives $125,000 grant from Hearst Foundations

Home / Family Connects Novant Health program receives $125,000 grant from Hearst Foundations

Funding supports nurse home visits for Forsyth and Davidson County families and newborns

The Hearst Foundations recently awarded a $125,000 grant to Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center Foundation to support Family Connects, a post-partum nurse home visit program in Forsyth and Davidson counties. The program provides free home visit services to all Forsyth County and Davidson County mothers and newborns who deliver at Forsyth Medical Center or Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center. Since 2016, the program has provided support for thousands of mothers and babies and connected families to nurturing community resources.

“Partnership with the Hearst Foundations will result in higher quality post-partum medical care, more positive parenting, reduced anxiety for families and less infant emergency medical care,” said Ann Caulkins, senior vice president of Novant Health and president of Novant Health Foundations. “We are grateful for the Hearst Foundations’ commitment to Forsyth and Davidson County families, and to a great start in life for newborns.”

“The Hearst Foundations are deeply committed to a safe, healthy start for children and their families, especially those who may not have access to the resources or services they need to thrive,” George Irish, Hearst Foundations’ Eastern Director, said. “We are pleased to partner with Novant Health to ensure the very best care for babies and their families from the earliest days of a child’s life.”

The program provides participating mothers of new infants with a home visit by a registered nurse (RN). During the visit, the RN completes a comprehensive assessment that examines health care, home safety, infant care and parenting. The health care assessment includes infant weight gain and age-appropriate feeding expectations. Safe home goals cover crib safety and environmental concerns. Infant care includes strategies for breastfeeding and management of infant crying. The parenting assessment evaluates emotional, practical and social parenting support. The RN provides referrals to partner support agencies as circumstances warrant, schedules office appointments with pediatricians or obstetricians, and schedules follow-up home visits or phone calls.

For more information about the program, visit NovantHealth.org/FamilyConnects.