Visiting nurse program works to help new parents

March 23--PEORIA -- Even for well-prepared parents, a new baby can be very stressful.

Julia Jakubowski took prenatal classes, but she still had questions for the nurses from Illinois Family Connects when they visited her Peoria home three weeks after the birth of her daughter. Marla Laugherty and Amanda Petty provided a bit of support.

"It was just nice to have someone come to my home," said Jakubowski, 24. "You go to the doctor's office, but those visits are pretty spread out."

Jakubowski had questions about breastfeeding and diaper rash. She learned that her headaches might be a symptom of postpartum depression. But the best part was when she learned her baby had put on almost two pounds.

"They weighed her and she was seven pounds, three ounces," said Jakubowski. "I was scared when she was born because she was so small -- and skinny, too."

Illinois Family Connects is a pilot program that began in June of 2017. Funded with a $650,000 grant of public and private funds, the program provides home visits from a nurse for every Peoria County resident who gives birth at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center. The program and another pilot program in Stephenson County were the subject conference in Peoria attended by Illinois' First Lady Diana Rauner, along with health experts and industry leaders from across Illinois.

"Every family needs some level of help and support when they bring a baby home," said Rauner, who has co-chaired the Illinois Home Visiting Task Force since 2009. "Family Connects has proven itself to be a tremendous resource to ensure healthy beginnings, and that is key to a healthy life."

In Peoria, OSF HealthCare reported that eight out of 10 families took advantage of the service. In Stephenson County, 321 referrals between April and December 2017 linked families to other resources in the community for not only medical issues, but also financial assistance, housing, food, clothing and daycare.

"A big part of the program is to help make parents aware of all the resources in the community," said Marianne House, clinical coordinator for the Illinois Family Connects program in Peoria. "WIC, Crisis Nursery, Child Care Connections, and we use 2-1-1 a lot."

What makes Illinois Family Connects different from other programs is that nurses, not social workers, do the visits, said House.

"We're doing an assessment similar to what they do in a doctor's office," she said. "We check reflexes, do head measurements, the length and weight, listen to heart and lung sounds."

Over the course of the pilot, nurses have spotted several issues which, left untreated, could have led to bigger problems.

"We've had several blood pressure issues. Our nurses were able to get them quickly back to their doctor. Two had to be admitted due to blood pressure issues," said House.

Catching issues before they turn into serious problems is a key goal of the program, said Rauner.

"It can be as simple as identifying a mom who is severely depressed and getting her help before anything happens," she said.

Because a new baby can stress anyone out, the home visits are available to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status.

"When I had my first child I was terrified -- and I have a lot of resources," said Rauner. "When I brought my baby home, I thought she was gonna know how to nurse, but that wasn't the case. She developed jaundice."

Rauner's sister, a doctor, noticed the baby was a bit yellow. She gave her little drops of water, a simple fix for an issues which, left unattended, could have led to a trip to the emergency room.

Over the past 10 years in Durham, N.C., where the Family Connects program was developed, emergency room visits for children younger than a year old have declined by 50 percent, said Rauner.

"That's enormous," she said. "And there's been a 39 percent decline in child welfare notifications."

Illinois Family Connects is a way for the community to support families, to make them stronger and more successful, said Rauner.

"The foundational relationship parents have with their children is the most important thing," she said. "The child's future success relies on the parent-child relationship."

While no firm plans have been made, Rauner would like to expand the program to other locations around the state.

"I would love to see everyone get a home visit. It's beneficial for the families, and it's also beneficial to us as a state," Rauner said.

Leslie Renken can be reached at 686-3250 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Twitter.com/LeslieRenken, and subscribe to her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.

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