Nova Scotia Health has launched a new nurse and family partnership program in the eastern zone of the province.
The program will be available in Antigonish, Guysborough, Cape Breton, Inverness, Richmond, and Victoria counties, according to a news release from Public Health.
“We all know how important it is to have a strong support system during pregnancy, and especially in those early days, weeks and months after welcoming a new baby,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson.
The Nurse-Family Partnership program is free and voluntary. It plans to pair a trained Public Health nurse with a person who is pregnant for the first time. Nurses will visit participants’ homes to provide additional support because of “overlapping challenges” the participants may face, the health authority says.
The program will begin before the child is born and continue until the child’s second birthday.
Pregnant people can refer themselves to Public Health Early Years if they live in the available counties. A health-care professional or a community organization can refer people as well.
The goal of the program is to improve pregnancy outcomes and to help children’s health and development.
“Studies show that a (Nurse-Family Partnership) reduces hospitalizations, (Emergency Department) visits, language delays, behavioural and intellectual challenges, among other benefits for the child and parents,” Public Health says in the release.
To determine how best to help the client, the nurse will work with them to identify personal and parenting goals. The nurse will help the client develop skills to continue working on those goals even after the partnership program ends.
“As part of the program we focus on what clients do well and help use those strengths to work toward their goals. It’s all about empowerment, confidence-building, and giving people the tools to be successful in parenthood and other parts of their lives,” writes Jen MacDougall, Public Health manager for Early Years in the eastern zone.
Eight countries use the Nurse-Family Partnership program, the health authority says. Nova Scotia is the third Canadian province to implement it, after British Columbia and Ontario.
For more information on the Nurse-Family Partnership program, people can visit the Nova Scotia Health website.