NJ Family Connects - Universal Home Visiting

Every state. Now!

So important! Congrats.
This brilliant and proven program needs to be everywhere.

Many advanced nations have home visitors as a matter of course in support of new parents and caregivers, and as an investment in their newest citizens.

The U.S. needs to do the same. Everywhere. Visiting nurse programs were proven in the 1990s  as a protection in decreasing the incidence of justice involvement, child abuse, so much more.

https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/172875.pdf

Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation
David Olds, Ph.D., Peggy Hill, and Elissa Rumsey
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To prevent youth crime and delin- quency, it is important to understand how antisocial behavior develops and design programs to interrupt that developmental pathway. The most serious and chronic offenders often show signs of antisocial behavior as early as the preschool years (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Three important risk factors associated with early development of antisocial be- havior can be modified: adverse maternal health-related behaviors during preg- nancy associated with children’s neuro- psychological deficits, child abuse and neglect, and troubled maternal lifecourse.
The Prenatal and Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program, devel- oped by David Olds and his colleagues (Olds, Kitzman et al., 1997; Olds, 1988; Olds and Korfmacher, 1997), is designed to help low-income, first-time parents start their lives with their children on a sound course and prevent the health and parenting problems that can contribute to the early development of antisocial be- havior. Several rigorous studies indicate
The original research on this program was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Robert Wood Johnson, the W.T. Grant, the Ford, and the Commonwealth Foundations. The most recent research has been supported by HHS and the National Institutes of Health. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is currently funding a demonstration and evaluation of the project in six sites.
that the nurse home visitation program reduces the risks for early antisocial be- havior and prevents problems associated with youth crime and delinquency such as child abuse, maternal substance abuse, and maternal criminal involvement.
Recent evidence shows that nurse home visitation even reduces juvenile offending (Olds, Henderson et al., 1998). Beginning in the mid-1970’s, a series of randomized clinical trials was designed to develop and test the program model (Olds, Kitzman et al., 1997; Olds,… )

https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles/172875.pdf

Please copy paste link above to read the entire report published in a Department of Justice publication in November, 1998.

As so many say, we know what to do. Why the heck don’t we do it?

This program alone could save so much pain, sorrow, abuse; could help foster secure attachment.
We know secure attachment is vItaly important; helps people enjoy healthier, happier relationships as adults.

And yet we sit in the midst of a mental health CRISIS, with known preventives, and don’t have this as a federal mandate?

Let’s trade myopia for action and send this story to leaders of our respective states in hopes of seeing more states follow the lead of NJ!