News & Observer: Funding deadline looms for program that matches nurses and new mothers

But this critical program is in danger. In less than a week, federal funding for Nurse-Family Partnership will discontinue unless Congress reauthorizes the MIECHV program, which has served just under 1,000 families in the state since 2010. And if elected officials in Washington don’t reauthorize or appropriately fund the program by Sept. 30, communities across North Carolina may no longer see the program’s long-term benefits. To change health outcomes for more families, we need stable, predictable funding that allows our state to meet the growing demand of these services. We need reauthorization now.