Nurse-Family Partnership NewsLink Winter 2018 | Page 6

Nurse-Family Partnership Nurses are Experts in Prevention

Nurse-Family Partnership is on the front lines of prevention efforts aimed at reducing maternal and child mortality and promoting healthier pregnancies and birth outcomes. NFP nurses use their skill and expertise in 2-generation assessments to detect early warning signs of health problems during pregnancy, postpartum, infancy and early childhood that can lead to adverse outcomes—even death. In addition to monitoring for risk factors, NFP nurses support mothers to bravely and boldly advocate for themselves and their children as they interact with the health care system.

Research on pregnancy-related mortality data has consistently concluded:

- The pregnancy-related mortality ratio in the U.S. has increased over the recent decades while health care costs continue to rise.

- Significant disparities exist in pregnancy and birth outcomes according to race, ethnicity, age, income and health insurance status.

- Approximately half of maternal deaths in the U.S. are preventable.

IMPROVing PREGNANCY AND BIRTH OUTCOMES

According to the Centers for disease control & Prevention,

in the U.S. an estimated 700 women die each year during pregnancy, childbirth or during the first year following

birth with leading causes being cardiovascular disease, hypertensive disorders, hemorrhage and infection.

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