Justice Matters’ annual assembly will advocate to bring a program pairing first-time moms with home visiting nurses to Douglas County.
The nonprofit coalition of faith-based groups says this is a solution for childhood trauma in the community.
Justice Matters has been involved in public conversations about youth trauma in Douglas County, which was the topic of last year’s Nehemiah Action Assembly.
Members learned that thousands of children and more adults in the county are living with Adverse Childhood Events, or ACEs, which can include the impacts of poverty, according to a news release. Poverty can then drive trauma in an intergenerational cycle.
The group is advocating for the county to implement a Nurse-Family Partnership program. The NFP nonprofit focuses on low-income, first-time moms and their babies, pairing them with specially educated home-visiting nurses.
“We are called not only to respond to trauma, but to prevent it – to go upstream and care for families before a crisis begins,” according to the release. “This evidence-based program will provide early support that can change the entire trajectory of a child’s life.”
Per Justice Matters, NFPs can reduce ER visits, child abuse and neglect, and youth arrests, while increasing employment and earning opportunities for mothers. They are asking the county to start with four nurses, while aligning with the health department’s Community Health Improvement Plan.
Justice Matters is inviting the community to join them in discussing this proposal during their annual action assembly from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, 200 McDonald Drive. Learn more at this link.
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