The Orleans Parish Program for Moms You Need to Know About
I am lucky to work with State Representative Stephanie Hilferty at my day-job. One morning in the kitchen around the coffee pot, she mentioned she was heading to Baton Rouge and had high hopes that an Orleans Parish program for mothers would soon be adopted by Jefferson Parish as well. As she began to describe the program to me, I couldn’t believe it was something I hadn’t heard of before.
Thanks to Family Connects New Orleans, Orleans Parish residents who give birth at Ochsner Baptist and Touro Infirmary have access to up to three free in-home nurse visits up to twelve weeks following birth. Jeanie Donovan, Deputy Director of Population Health for the New Orleans Health Department, says this program is a win-win not just for mothers, but our entire community. “I want people to know that this program not only benefits moms but the entire family. Until now, mom and baby have met individually with their individual pediatricians and OBGYN’s for follow-ups, but this is an opportunity to check on the health of mom and baby together.”
These in-home visits are an anxious mother’s dream come true, with nurses checking everything from fire and CO2 alarms to safe sleeping practices and lactation. The visits are meant to connect families with other parish programs and resources that can provide free services from detoxing and smoking cessation to legal representation to enforce the Healthy Homes Ordinance (ex: renters who are experiencing problems holding a landlord accountable for basic rights such as mold or asbestos levels and necessary utilities).
Louisiana has long struggled with high rates of maternal and infant mortality and still remains stuck near the top of nationwide rankings. This is an innovative program, currently adopted by other states such as New Jersey and Oregon.
Jeanie expects that in 2024, the program will have assisted almost 1,800 new mothers and babies. But she wants to make it clear, that this program is for everyone. “We don’t want mothers to feel like they are taking resources away from other families by accepting these visits. You aren’t taking any service away from anyone else.” Nurses provide support for postpartum anxiety and depression on each individual mother’s experience, lactation / breastfeeding, sleep, medication compliance, check blood mom’s blood pressure and provide a reassuring and supportive voice.
Jeanie also wants to make it clear that the program is not connected to the Department of Children & Family Services. They are not here to take children away from their mothers, but simply to connect families with free and necessary resources. If you decline the visits during your hospital stay, you can always reschedule by calling the hospital or the Home Health program directly. If families aren’t comfortable with a nurse in their home, they offer virtual visits or onsite visits at Allie Mae Williams Multi-Service Center located at 2020 Jackson Ave.
I think we can all agree that the postpartum experience is not for the faint of heart. As someone who struggled with extreme postpartum anxiety as a first-time mom, it would have been a saving grace to know I had someone coming to ease my mind and check on the safety of my baby. When I asked program manager Shelby Wynne how current mothers can help support this program, she said, “We need moms to pay it forward. Share the information with the women in their lives and reach out to their legislatures so we can expand this program regionally and statewide.”
