Press release
From the Buncombe County Health Department
Mother’s Day is a time to say thank you. This Mother’s Day, Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) and The Boppy Company have joined forces to celebrate an extraordinary group of mothers in our community who have overcome difficulties to become incredible moms and accomplish their goals.
The moms, who are participants in the Buncombe County NFP program, have made a 2½-year commitment to building healthier families. Through in-home visits with a registered nurse, these women work toward the program’s goals of improved pregnancy outcomes, improved child health and development, and economic self-sufficiency. Since 2009, the nationally recognized, evidence-based program has been active in our community, serving over 280 vulnerable families and welcoming close to 200 babies.
As a way to thank these moms, The Boppy Company, maker of the Boppy® Feeding and Infant Support Pillow, has donated 100 Boppy Slipcovered Pillows to the Buncombe County NFP program as a part of the company’s Get One, Give One program. Nationwide, the company has pledged to donate up to $250,000 worth of support pillows to NFP moms.
Locally, this donation will remind NFP mothers – many of whom are working to escape poverty, difficult family situations or abusive relationships – that their dedication to the success of their families is backed by a nationwide support network.
“The dedication and strength of our moms, combined with the support of their nurses, is leading to healthy pregnancies, which puts their children on a path toward success and helps them achieve their goals of finishing school or getting a job,” said Jennings Garry, MS, CNM, BSN. “We celebrate their accomplishments daily, but The Boppy Company’s donation provides an extra reward during this special time of year.”
–more–More than 35 years of research have proven the NFP program’s effectiveness. In Buncombe County, accomplishments include:
Over 90% of babies are born full term and 92% at a healthy weight for birth. Program moms work hard to learn about their infants and how to successfully bond with their babies. This prevents child abuse and neglect.
More than half of Buncombe NFP clients are less than 19 years old. With the support of NFP and its community partners, these girls stay in school, graduate and/or participate in the work force.
84% of mom’s initiate breastfeeding and almost half continue to breastfeed at 6 months postpartum. This helps keep both mom and baby as healthy as they can be and supports attachment early in infancy.
Nurse family partnership in Buncombe County has successfully partnered with many different human services to support families to make healthy, safe choices for their babies and their future well being.“We are proud to partner with a meaningful organization like Nurse-Family Partnership on The Boppy Effect: Get One, Give One program,” said Nancy Bartley, CEO of The Boppy Company. “In honor of Mother’s Day, we are supporting moms who need it most.”
For every Boppy Slipcovered Pillow purchased at Babies“R”Us stores and Babiesrus.com during the month of May, The Boppy Company will donate a Boppy Slipcovered Pillow to NFP agencies, which will distribute them to NFP clients. Consumers can also donate directly to the effort through the HYPERLINK “http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/”Nurse-Family Partnership website. Buncombe County is one of five NFP programs in North Carolina chosen to participate in the program.
Across the state, NFP serves families in Buncombe, Cleveland, Columbus, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Halifax, Hertford, Gaston, Guilford, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Pitt, Polk, Robeson, Rutherford and Wake counties.
In Buncombe County, the program is implemented by Buncombe County Health and Human Services.
In North Carolina, the program is supported by a public-private partnership that includes The Duke Endowment, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, the North Carolina Partnership for Children Inc. and Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina.
About Nurse-Family Partnership
The Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office 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 public health program of home visiting by registered nurses. Nurse-Family Partnership is the most rigorously tested maternal and early childhood health program of its kind. Randomized, controlled trials conducted over 35 years demonstrate multigenerational outcomes that benefit society economically and reduce long-term social service expenditures. Nurse-Family Partnership is headquartered in Denver, Colo.About The Boppy Company
The Boppy Company makes the award-winning Boppy® Feeding and Infant Support Pillow, which has received the most votes in American Baby magazine’s Best of the Year (Baby Best) contest 10 times from 2002 to 2012. Created by mom inventor Susan Brown, the Boppy Pillow has become a “must have” in today’s nurseries. The Boppy Company is based in Golden, Colo., and is dedicated to providing comfortable support for moms and babies. For more information, visit http://www.boppy.com
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