Early childhood is a critical period that lays the groundwork for lifelong health and well-being. Recognizing this, Family Connects Oregon employs a proven nurse home visiting model, inspired by Family Connects International, to ensure every family receives the support they need. This initiative focuses on building strong family connections within communities by providing a personalized and respectful pathway to essential resources.
Family Connects Oregon distinguishes itself by offering universal access to nurse home visits. These visits are designed to understand each family’s unique strengths and challenges. A key aspect of the program is to foster family connections with local support systems. Nurses work collaboratively with families to identify their specific needs and preferences, then facilitate connections to a comprehensive network of services. This network includes referrals to specialized home visiting programs, as well as vital health and social services such as obstetric and pediatric care providers, childcare solutions, mental health support, housing assistance, and lactation consultants.
Research consistently demonstrates the positive impact of home visiting programs. When families are effectively connected to the right services through a trusted home visitor, significant improvements in family health outcomes are observed. However, traditional targeted programs often fall short of reaching all families, limiting their ability to create widespread positive change in critical areas like reducing low birth weight and postpartum depression. Family Connects Oregon addresses this gap by striving for population-level impact through universal family connections.
Key Aspects of Family Connects Oregon
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Family Connects Oregon acts as a crucial family connector, complementing, not replacing, intensive home visiting programs. Nurse visitors specialize in understanding family needs and creating individualized links to community resources, including more specialized programs and broader social supports.
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Working closely with hospitals and birthing centers, Family Connects Oregon aims to engage with all new parents shortly after birth. Ideally, this initial contact is face-to-face to arrange a home visit. Families who choose to participate receive one to three home visits, providing them with essential support right from the start and establishing valuable family connections to needed services.
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Family participation in Family Connects Oregon is entirely voluntary, respecting family autonomy and choice.
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Implementation of Family Connects Oregon is being strategically rolled out in phases, starting with early adopter communities across the state.
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Family Connects Oregon is committed to serving all Oregon families with newborns, regardless of income. The program leverages federal Medicaid funding and collaborates with commercial health plans to ensure broad accessibility and strengthen family connections throughout the state.
