Removing the Veil

Bail outs, stimulus plans, and budgets...Oh my!

I must say I was pleased to see the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) is a high priority in President Obama's 2010 budget. I'm sure others would be quick to ask for an ROI on that one.

$5.70 to $1.00

That is the ratio of favorable economic return to communities for every public dollar spent on the Nurse-Family Partnership.

Why is it that we so often need to see issues in terms of dollars and cents in order to care? Obviously, tangible and quantitative measures serve a practical purpose when it comes to budgets, ROI, etc. Yet I can never understand why we so often overlook the human factor. Even when it comes to the current economic crisis, AIG bonuses, and stimulus funds, we seem to think of the people behind the numbers just a little too late.

One of the greatest challenges with programs like the NFP is connecting with the individuals who need these services. Poverty is often a faceless affliction. It coexists with a multitude of interwoven factors, such as social isolation, joblessness, lack of education, lack of healthcare, homelessness, language barriers, and more.

22,000 versus 650,000

That is the number of families NFP serves annually versus the estimated number of eligible first-time mothers in the U.S. that would benefit from the program. It is more than justifying the "dollars and cents" to the public. It's about removing the veil over poverty. It's about the human factor.


About Nurse-Family Partnership
The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office (www.nursefamilypartnership.org) is committed to producing enduring improvements in the health and well being of low-income, first-time parents and their children by helping communities implement and sustain an evidence-based program of home visiting by registered nurses. It is the most rigorously tested program of its kind. Randomized, controlled trials conducted over 30 years demonstrate multi-generational outcomes that benefit society economically and reduce long-term social service expenditures. Nurse-Family Partnership is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.