Family Connects strengthens connections for families with newborns by linking them directly to supportive community care resources. Research shows this model:
Improves child health outcomes by decreasing the likelihood of emergency medical care use as well as overall utilization of emergency medical care.
- Family Connects decreases total per-child emergency medical care use. [Goodman, W. B., Dodge, K. A., Bai, Y., Murphy, R. A., & O’Donnell, K. (2021). Effect of a Universal Postpartum Nurse Home Visiting Program on Child Maltreatment and Emergency Medical Care at 5 Years of Age: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network, 4(7), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.16024]
- Family Connects decreases children’s overall number of emergency medical care episodes, emergency department visits, and overnight visits in the hospital. [Dodge, K. A., Goodman, W. B., Murphy, R. A., O’Donnell, K., Sato, J., & Guptill, S. (2014). Implementation and Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of Universal Postnatal Nurse Home Visiting. American Journal of Public Health, 104(S1), S136-S143. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301361]
- Family Connects reduces total child emergency medical care utilization as well as emergency medical care billing costs. [Goodman, W. B., Dodge, K. A., Bai, Y., O’Donnell, K. J., & Murphy, R. A. (2019). Randomized Controlled Trial of Family Connects: Effects on Child Emergency Medical Care from Birth to 24 months. Development and Psychopathology, 31(5), 1863–1872. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419000889]
Increases access and utilization of community resources by assessing family needs and connecting them to corresponding services to improve infant health and well-being.
- Family Connects increases access and utilization of community resources, including professional, paraprofessional, and informal resources. [Dodge, K. A., Goodman, W. B., Murphy, R. A., O’Donnell, K., Sato, J., & Guptill, S. (2014). Implementation and Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of Universal Postnatal Nurse Home Visiting. American Journal of Public Health, 104(S1), S136-S143. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301361]
- Family Connects increases the number of connections families make to community resources. [Dodge, K. A., Goodman, W. B., Bai, Y., O’Donnell, K., & Murphy, R. A. (2019). Effect of a Community Agency–Administered Nurse Home Visitation Program on Program Use and Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network, 2(11), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14522]
Improves quality of the home environment and decreases the rate of child protective services (CPS) investigations for suspected child maltreatment by engaging families with resources associated with safety.
- Family Connects improves the quality of the home environment in terms of physical safety and household relationships. [Dodge, K. A., Goodman, W. B., Murphy, R. A., O’Donnell, K., Sato, J., & Guptill, S. (2014). Implementation and Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of Universal Postnatal Nurse Home Visiting. American Journal of Public Health, 104(S1), S136-S143. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301361]
- Family Connects decreases the rate of CPS investigations for suspected maltreatment. [Goodman, W. B., Dodge, K. A., Bai, Y., Murphy, R. A., & O’Donnell, K. (2021). Effect of a Universal Postpartum Nurse Home Visiting Program on Child Maltreatment and Emergency Medical Care at 5 Years of Age: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network, 4(7), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.16024]
Family Connects serves families in Philadelphia County.