Through a $3.3 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Human Services, the Nurse Family Partnership program at ETSU takes a two-generational approach to breaking the cycle of poverty.
More than 40 years of evidence shows that Nurse Family Partnership has been successful in improving birth outcomes, child health and development, and the family’s economic self-sufficiency. It emphasizes providing the mothers with opportunities in four key areas — education, economic supports, health and well-being and social capital.
Registered nurses are assigned as case managers for each participant and make house calls every two weeks, and sometimes weekly, during the woman’s pregnancy. The program is designed for the nurse to work with the family for the first two years of the child’s life.