A free, in-home nurse visit program for new parents expanded in the Dayton area.
Help Me Grow Brighter Futures, which serves Montgomery County, has launched the Family Connects Ohio home visiting program, expanding access to in-home nurse visits for new parents no matter their insurance status, income level or where the baby was born.
"This just ensures that home visiting is available for everybody and that all parents are getting education and support that they need after they get home with their baby," said tif Huber, director of Help Me Grow Brighter Futures.
During a visit, often three months after birth, a registered nurse checks on the health of both baby and mother, provides guidance, and connects families to local support.
The program serves all families including adoptive, foster, and bereaved families.
Huber said she hopes the increased access to the program will help address some of the troubling statistics around maternal and infant mortality in Montgomery County, which is ranked among the worst in Ohio for maternal and infant deaths, according to a 2023 study by Harman, Reisinger-Kindle and Maxwell at Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine.
The study compared maternal and infant deaths across three zip codes in the county. The mortality rate for Black women and babies were consistently worse, compared to other races.
"What we know is that there are disparities related to maternal and infant health related to Black moms and babies and that they have worse health outcomes," Huber said. “So this program provides an additional level of support for families and addresses some of the disparities as far as access to education and health care.”
The Family Connects model began in Durham, North Carolina in 2008, as a partnership with Duke University. It has been tried in communities across 20 states.
In 2024, when Gov. Mike DeWine first announced the universal home visit program, he said that, in places where these programs have been implemented, rates of child protective services investigations have decreased by 44%, and mothers showed a 30% drop in postpartum depression and a 50% reduction in emergency room visits.
The program funding was in jeopardy in 2025, when Ohio House Republicans tried to slash $22.5 million from the governor's expansion plan from the state's biennial budget, but funding was ultimately restored in the final budget.
Elisa Williamson, who recently used the home visit and therapy programs when she came home with her daughter, offered advice to other new and expectant mothers.
"Fear is a powerful thing, do not wither alone," she said. "You have resources to help, so reach out, ask questions. If you feel like you're being annoying, just be annoying. They're kind, they are your resource and they are in your corner."
Families expecting a baby or who have recently welcomed a newborn can sign up for a visit online or call 937-208-GROW. Help Me Grow Brighter Futures is a program of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association.
