Posted: | January 9, 2020 11:30 AM |
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From: | Representative Bridget M. Kosierowski |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Helping Kids, Helping Moms, Building a Better Future – the Universal Maternal Home Visiting Act |
Having a baby is one of the happiest moments a family can experience – and also one of the most stressful. It’s even harder on families or single parents who have babies facing medical issues, or parents struggling with limited resources, a safe place to live and just plain not being ready. Maternal Home Visits bring in professionals like nurses and social workers to give new parents the tools they need to help their kids grow up happy and healthy. It’s time we expand this program to help kids and save money in the long run with better health outcomes, improved child development and academic success and parents who are better prepared to handle the toughest job in the world. My Universal Maternal Home Visiting Act will expand the existing program by at least 20 percent each year, leverage federal dollars to support the program, and charge the Department of Health to create a plan to make these visits available to every parent who needs them. The plan also invests state dollars in the visits and sets up strict accountability and evaluation so we know we’re doing the right thing. It’s time to prove we’re really helping those who need it the most with smart investments to help kids. It’s time for the Universal Maternal Home Visiting Act. I hope you’ll join us. |
Introduced as HB2335