Secured Increased Funding for Maternal Home Health Care Program
Problem
In 2022, a national coalition of maternal home visiting health organizations needed to create awareness of and urgency for renewing federal funding to support nurse home visits. These programs had grown out of the Affordable Care Act and provided low income mothers around the country with in home visits from nurses and other medical professionals.
Solution
Vincent led a team tasked with generating earned media coverage on this issue in key states. Stories about the program's success were viewed by million on NBC’s The Today Show that aired on September 29, 2022 and online on the NBC website. Editorials and letters to the editor appeared in newspapers in targeted states after thoughtful connections made with editors at each newspaper to explain the value of the program, and how many local mothers and families were served. In addition, collateral was designed to inform lawmakers and other stakeholders about the program. These high quality “suit pocket” handouts were widely used in state capitols and in Congress to help tell the story of how valuable this program was to infant health.
Results
The multi-pronged effort led to a successful vote in Congress to renew the program and increase funding. The nurse and mother who were profiled were delighted and the organizations representing home health care workers viewed the media campaign as an overdue vindication of their work. The program is widely credited with helping to reduce infant mortality and helping to identify and treat postpartum and other issues after childbirth.