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Nurse-Family Partnership Connects Mothers with Vital Resources

Nurse-Family Partnership Connects Mothers with Vital Resources

What’s a low-income mom-to-be to do if she finds herself pregnant and without critical support—especially if she’s young, single, abused, addicted, or with medical or mental challenges?

Clark County’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program offers low-income pregnant women and their child the support they need to overcome emotional, social and physical challenges and thrive—for free.

One Vancouver Mom’s Story

Instead of feeling excited about her pregnancy, Lena Torres (not her real name) couldn’t drag herself out of bed to make it into work. When she did, she struggled. As a single mom, she worried—how could she support her child if she couldn’t support herself? She didn’t know how to balance motherhood along with work and completing the professional degree that could put her on a better growth path for financial security. She felt all alone in her pregnancy and in her journey as a mom.

After getting diagnosed with anxiety and depression, Torres’s obstetrician put her in touch with a social worker who then referred her to the Nurse-Family Partnership program.

“I didn’t know what to expect. Any sort of help makes me feel a little embarrassed,” Torres admits. “I was reluctant initially. A nurse coming to my house—do I really need this?” she asked herself. She thought, Other people need help more than I do, “but I was open to help, and knew I needed it. I was optimistic.”

Read the rest of this article in the full digital issue below.

Dana Greyson is a freelance writer and a frequent VFM contributor on health, travel and relationship topics. She’s writing her first memoir about her tropical sailboat escape, due out later this year. For a sample chapter visit DanaGreyson.com. She blogs about her sailing adventures on Galley Wench Tales.

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