This Force for Good Award recognizes Pennsylvania’s governor for making a difference for families in poverty
DENVER, CO (December 10, 2018) — Nurse-Family Partnership ® (NFP) – a national program serving first-time moms and their children living in poverty – has awarded Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf with the Force for Good Public Policy Award. His staunch advocacy for maternal and child health will enable Nurse-Family Partnership to expand home visiting services to communities hardest hit by the opioid epidemic.
Gov. Wolf helped increase state appropriations for NFP’s evidence-based services by $1.2 million this year, which will enable network partners in recruiting and retaining nurses in an increasingly competitive market in Pennsylvania.
“I’m honored to receive the Force for Good Public Policy Award because it calls attention to the important work we are doing as a commonwealth to fight the opioid epidemic and to support mothers, families and our nurses, who do incredible work in improving the lives of so many in Pennsylvania,” said Governor Tom Wolf.
“Gov. Wolf has been visionary in his efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable mothers and their children across Pennsylvania in the face of a persistent epidemic of opioid addiction, and we are grateful for his support of Nurse-Family Partnership,” said Kelly Headrick, national director of advocacy and state government relations at Nurse-Family Partnership. “We look forward to continuing to work with him as he serves his second term as governor.”
Nurse-Family Partnership, which began in Pennsylvania in 1999, and will be celebrating 20 years of implementation in the state in 2019, now offers services to more than 3,500 families in 50 counties across the state.
The Nurse-Family Partnership Force for Good Public Policy Award recognizes elected officials for making a difference for more families in poverty. Dr. David Olds, founder of Nurse-Family Partnership, describes the impact of Nurse-Family Partnership as a force for good that changes the future for two generations.
Over 40 years of evidence show that Nurse-Family Partnership improves birth outcomes, child development and school readiness, reduces child abuse and neglect and juvenile crime, among other outcomes.
According to the RAND Corporation, every $1 invested in Nurse-Family Partnership can yield up to $5.70 in return for the highest-risk families served.