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Helping New Mothers in Delaware

Stanislaw Wyspianski
/
creative commons

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - State officials are highlighting progress in a program aimed at helping first-time mothers to ensure they have healthy babies.

Gov. Jack Markell and Lt. Gov. Matt Denn planned to discuss the state's Nurse-Family Partnership program Friday at Children and Families First, a Wilmington nonprofit that is implementing the program with the help of federal funding.

The program involves nurses making home visits to first-time, low-income mothers to teach them how to care for themselves and their newborns.

Each mother is partnered with a registered nurse early in her pregnancy and receives ongoing home visits through the child's second birthday.

Delaware has historically had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.