In October 2023 Connecticut launched Family Bridge, a state pilot program providing at-home nurse and community health worker visits to the families of newborn babies. An update on April 29 in the courtyard of Bridgeport Hospital highlighted both the need for the service and the value it has already provided for growing families.
“Since [Family Bridge’s] inception in late October of last year, we have served 465 patients, 65 percent of whom live in Bridgeport, and 41 percent list Spanish as their primary language,” said President of Bridgeport Hospital Anne Diamond. “Other towns served by this program are Trumbull, Milford, Monroe, Easton, Fairfield, Stratford, and Shelton. “This integrative program brings nurses and community health workers into the homes of new moms and infants to assess the physical and psychological wellbeing of the mother and child, and while in the privacy of a home setting, the integrative team can evaluate environmental safety, address socioeconomic barriers to health and wellbeing, and connect families to community resources and services to improve overall health outcomes.”
Diamond noted that the program, sponsored by a grant from the state of Connecticut, also helped mothers of newborns access supplies of diapers and formula, and gain referrals to health centers, lactation consultants, diaper banks, and nutritional assistance programs.
Executive Director of the Office of Health Strategy Deidre Gifford called the update an exciting occasion, as the Family Bridge program was on the verge of providing 500 visits to new families.
“This is a program, as you heard, that stemmed from the challenges that families met during the pandemic. One of the things we learned was that families with young children, in particular, had a very difficult time during the pandemic with a number of issues,” said Gifford. Family Bridge has worked to build resilience in young families and coordinate access to the different agencies that can provide vital assistance.
Other speakers pointed out that the program has proven lifesaving, catching early signs of health complications in mothers and babies such as high blood pressure, or signs of post-partum depression.
Bianca Charles, holding her newborn son Juno, described how valuable the program proved for her.
“Although I’m not a new mom, Juno is our third, from the very beginning while I was still in the hospital the nurse came from Family Bridge and I understood immediately how beneficial it will be for myself and for our family,” Charles said.
“I was appreciative that there was an appointment set up for me that didn’t require me to leave the home,” she said. “It was nice to know that someone was going to care and think about me.”
Charles praised both the professionalism and consideration of the Family Bridge Nurse who worked with her, particularly given the disparities in health outcomes and maternal mortality faced by Black mothers, even in Connecticut.
“It’s another example of the reassurance that comes from being a resident of this state and the standard of excellence that this administration continues to strive for,” Charles said, concluding she planned to stay in Connecticut for a long time to come.
Governor Lamont thanked Charles and noted that he was anticipating the birth of his first grandchild within the next 30 days.
“I always say that we are the most family friendly state in the country, and it starts with giving every single kid the very best opportunity in life,” Lamont said. “That starts right at birth, making sure that moms like Bianca know the support that they have.”
Beth Bye, commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood also provided an update on the state of the program which expanded to also cover every child born at Saint Vincent’s hospital as of May 1. It is presently funded throughout 2026 with a combination of funding from federal agencies and American Rescue Plan Act funds. There are also plans to launch the program in Norwich in 2024 in order to provide a comparative study of the effects on different populations.
Bye did not have access to projections about the overall economic impact of the program, but she stressed that there were obvious short-term advantages.
“There’s like a 40 percent reduction in referrals to child welfare, and a 59 percent reduction in emergency room visits, “Bye said. As families are healthier and they get connected to needed services earlier they are better able to participate in our economy and get back to work after getting connected to that care.”
