PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Gina M. Raimondo today joined with U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse in announcing that Rhode Island is being awarded more than $10.2 million in federal funding for the expansion of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program.  Originally created as part of the Affordable Care Act, and temporarily extended last year, these federal funds are designed to help at-risk families voluntarily receive home visits from nurses, social workers, and trained parent educators to improve maternal and child health, child development, school readiness, and economic self-sufficiency, and to help prevent child abuse and neglect.  

The MIECHV program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA), and the state’s home visiting program is overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health.  The program is free and available to all families, with an emphasis on home visiting programs geared toward helping those most vulnerable, including very young mothers, those experiencing poverty, family risk for domestic or substance abuse, maternal mental-health issues, and joblessness.

“These federal funds help expectant mothers, new parents, and their babies get off to a healthier start.  The home visiting program connects nurses and social workers with families in need and offers them free, customized assistance.  These types of evidence-based home visiting programs are a smart investment in improving health outcomes for families and promoting the health and well-being of communities throughout the state.  Congress should not let this important program expire, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to strengthen support for Rhode Island families,” said Senator Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“These services are a big help to Rhode Island families,” said Senator Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  “By providing parents and young children access to nurses, educators, and social workers, our state’s home-visiting programs boost health outcomes and address the unique problems Rhode Island communities face.  I am proud of the successes of Rhode Island’s home-visiting programs, and will fight to keep them going.”

“I applaud our federal delegation for their work to secure essential funds for Rhode Island’s MIECHV program,” said Governor Raimondo. “As the Governor and the mother of two young children, my top priority is creating opportunity for all families. MIECHV is an investment in our state’s most vulnerable communities, and an important step in promoting greater opportunity and security in the homes of families all across our state.” 

Rhode Island had already received over $13 million to date through the MIECHV program since its creation in 2010 to support evidence-based home visiting programs across the state.  Visiting health professionals meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect families to the kinds of information and services that can make a real difference in a child’s health, development, and ability to learn - such as health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition.

The MIECHV program is set to expire next month without action from Congress.  Last year, Senators Reed and Whitehouse helped successfully save the MIECHV Program by providing $400 million to extend the program from October 2014 to March 2015 as part of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-93).  Senators Reed and Whitehouse are actively working to reauthorize the program again, and the President’s fiscal year 2016 budget proposal included a request for $500 million for the expansion and extension of MIECHV.

Under the leadership of the Rhode Island Department of Health, the state now provides funding to four voluntary, free home visiting programs, some of which serve families statewide:

First Connections: This program serves families statewide. It is a short-term program that addresses families' needs and links them with resources in their community. Pregnant women and families with young children, birth to age three may request visits.

Healthy Families America: This long-term, evidence-based program provides services in Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket. Pregnant women and families with young children, birth through three months of age may enroll. Home visitors continue to work with a family until the child is three years old.

Nurse-Family Partnership: This long-term, evidence-based program serves families in Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket. All home visitors are nurses. First-time mothers may enroll before their 28th week of pregnancy. Home visitors continue to work with a family until the child is two years old.

Parents as Teachers: This long-term, evidence-based program serves pregnant women and families with young children across the state. The Rhode Island Department of Health funds some sites in Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket.

According to researchers at the Brookings Institution, a variety of home visiting programs can have positive impacts on child and family outcomes, including benefits such as fewer injured children, higher test scores, and less reliance on programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Family visiting services offered by the Rhode Island Department of Health are free and available to all expecting parents and those with children under age three.  Rhode Islanders wishing to enroll may do so online, or text the word baby to 444999.  To refer a family in need, call a Resource and Referral Specialist at: 401-222-4609 who can help families choose the program that is right for them.

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