Local Women’s Group Donates to McLeod Nurse-Family Partnership

McLEOD REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER 5 MAY 2016

The Lake City Junior Women’s Club recently donated $1500 to the McLeod Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program. The funds raised will help the program continue meeting the needs of at-risk mothers and their young children.

“The NFP team and I feel completely blessed to have been given this amount of money from the Lake City Junior Women’s Club,” says Kristen Miller, McLeod Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse Manager. “We appreciate any amount or donation, but to have been given this amount is amazing, and we feel so honored and grateful.

“These funds support our NFP moms who are working diligently to make positive changes in their lives, yet find themselves in need,” explains Kristen.

Nurse-Family Partnership, a nationally recognized, evidence-based program for low-income, first-time mothers, serves mothers in Florence, Darlington, Dillon, Chesterfield and Marlboro Counties. NFP has three primary goals: to improve pregnancy outcomes, enhance child health and development and strengthen the economic self-sufficiency of the families it serves. The program is being implemented in this area by McLeod Health.

The Lake City Junior Women’s Club hosts two main fundraisers each year and gives to local programs based on need. This is the second year the club has donated funds to McLeod Nurse-Family Partnership.

“Last year, Kristen attended one of our meetings to show how our donation was used and how it impacted the mothers in the program,” says Lindsay Love, President of the Lake City Junior Women’s Club. “We were deeply moved by NFP’s impact on our community, and this program has become close to our hearts. We simply wanted to take part in making a difference.”

Founded in 1960, the Lake City Junior Women’s Club strives to promote their community through service and growth and places high value on living beyond one’s self.

About McLeod Nurse-Family Partnership
NFP is one of the oldest and most thoroughly evaluated nurse home visitation programs in the nation. Through regular in-home visits, nurses work with enrolled mothers to improve maternal health, promote healthy child development and support mothers with issues such as continuing school, finding work or establishing adequate housing. Home visits start early in pregnancy and continue until the child’s second birthday. The program also encourages participation from the father and other members of the family.

In South Carolina, initial results from the Nurse-Family Partnership have shown that:
• 90 percent of babies were born full term and 89 percent were born at a healthy weight (at or above 2,500 grams/5.5 pounds).
• 73 percent of NFP mothers had no subsequent pregnancies at program completion (2.5 years). Comparatively, in a national study of low-income mothers, 39 percent of pregnancies occurred within 18 months of a previous birth.
• 48 percent of mothers who entered the program without a high school diploma or GED are working to obtain one.
The expansion of NFP to Florence, Darlington, Dillon, Chesterfield and Marlboro Counties is supported by a public-private partnership that includes the Children’s Trust of South Carolina, the McLeod Health Foundation, Boeing South Carolina and the Marlboro County General Hospital, a private foundation.

NFP now serves families in 27 South Carolina Counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Barnwell, Berkeley, Charleston, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Edgefield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Greenwood, Horry, Lexington, Marlboro, McCormick, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and Williamsburg.

The program is supported statewide by The Duke Endowment, South Carolina DHEC, the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, the Children’s Trust of South Carolina and the NFP National Service Office.