Project Summary

This study tests the effectiveness of multi-sector financing and delivery strategies in expanding the reach and impact of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program across the U.S. Despite rigorous evidence of its ability to improve health and social outcomes for low-income pregnant women and their children, the NFP home visiting program currently reaches only a small proportion of the communities and families who could benefit from it. The study will use national, longitudinal data on NFP sites across the U.S. to estimate how alternative forms of multi-sector community collaboration influence program implementation and outcomes, including comparisons between healthcare-financed sites and social service-financed sites.  Researchers at the University of Colorado are collaborating with the NFP National Service Organization, Illuminate Colorado, and Children's Hospital Colorado to conduct the study.  Findings will be used in case studies of high-performing NFP sites and best practice models that community stakeholders can use to enhance NFP implementation and financing. 

Principal Investigators

• Gregory J. Tung, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH) in the Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy
• Mandy A. Allison, MD, MSPH, MA, Pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver – Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine (SOM), and co-director of the Prevention Research Center for Family & Child Health (PRC)

Methodology

Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design, the research project will build upon recent descriptive knowledge of the extent of collaborative activities between NFP and healthcare and social service providers as well as the relationship between cross-sector collaboration and program outcomes like client retention.