{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-and-whitehouse-announce-85-million-to-support-family-health-programs", "Reed & Whitehouse Announce $8.5 Million to Support Family Health Programs", "2024-09-03", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse today announced that Rhode Island is being awarded over $8.5 million in federal funding to support the state\u2019s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Originally created as part of the Affordable Care Act, these federal funds help families voluntarily receive home visits from nurses, social workers, trained educators, and other service providers to improve maternal and child health, boost healthy development, school readiness, and economic self-sufficiency.\n\nThe MIECHV program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Rhode Island\u2019s home visiting program is overseen by the Rhode Island Department of Health and provides free assistance to women during pregnancy and for families with young children, with an emphasis on connecting vulnerable families with information on health insurance, early education opportunities, parenting skills, nutrition programs, and other supports that promote healthy development.\n\n\u201cRhode Island\u2019s home visiting program helps expectant mothers, new parents, and their babies get off to a healthier start by connecting them to nurses, social workers, other service providers, and information on key programs that have been proven to promote healthy development. These types of evidence-based home visiting programs for families in need are a smart investment in improving the health and well-being of our communities and ensuring families have the support they need to help their children thrive. I will continue to work with my colleagues to strengthen supports for Rhode Island families,\u201d said Senator Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m committed to ensuring Rhode Island families are supported right from the start,\u201d said Senator Whitehouse. \u201cRhode Island\u2019s home visiting programs have been a success, and I am so pleased that this federal investment will help more kids grow up healthy and ready to learn.\u201d\n\n\u201cRIDOH extends its sincere thanks and appreciation to Senators Reed and Whitehouse for working to secure this funding for RIDOH\u2019s Family Visiting Programs,\u201d said Director of Health Jerome Larkin, MD. \u201cWe know that these programs provide critical supports for families and children and help to assure that children enter school ready to learn and grow. In addition, we know that for every dollar we invest, there is a savings in future medical costs.\u201d\n\nThe fiscal year 2023 consolidated appropriations law, which Reed and Whitehouse helped pass, doubled the funding available for MIECHV programs over the next five years. This was the first expansion of the federal home visiting program in nearly ten years.\n\nSince its creation in 2010, Rhode Island has received over $20 million in MIECHV program funding to support evidence-based home visiting programs throughout the state. Through the program, visiting health professionals meet with at-risk families in their homes and connect them to information and services that can make a real difference in the health, development, and education of children.\n\nAccording to HRSA\u2019s fiscal year 2023 fact sheet on Rhode Island\u2019s MIECHV program, the program serves 2,650 participants throughout 1,338 households across the state and provides over 15,500 home visits. The program has demonstrated significant benefits, including improved school readiness and achievement of children, improved health for women, increased health insurance coverage, and prevented child injuries, abuse, and neglect.\n\nUnder the leadership of the Rhode Island Department of Health, the state provides funding to four voluntary, free home visiting programs:\n\nFirst Connections: This program serves families statewide. It is a short-term program that addresses families\u2019 needs and links them with resources in their community. Pregnant women and families with young children, birth to age three may request visits.\n\nHealthy Families America: This long-term, evidence-based program provides services across the state. Pregnant women and families with young children, birth through three months of age may enroll. Home visitors continue to work with a family until the child is four years old.\n\nNurse-Family Partnership: This long-term, evidence-based program serves families in Central Falls, Newport, Pawtucket, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket. All home visitors are nurses. First-time mothers may enroll before their 28th week of pregnancy. Home visitors continue to work with a family until the child is two years old.\n\nParents as Teachers: This long-term, evidence-based program serves pregnant women and families with young children across the state. The Rhode Island Department of Health funds some sites in Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket.\n\nFamily visiting services offered by the Rhode Island Department of Health are free and available to all expecting parents and those with children under age three. Rhode Islanders wishing to enroll may do so online or by calling 401-222-5960.\n\n-end-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-and-whitehouse-announce-85-million-to-support-family-health-programs"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0849121026694775, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}