Justice Matters pushes nurse home visits for first-time mothers in Douglas County

A nurse at the front door after a first baby could mean help with feeding, recovery, sleep and stress before a small problem becomes an emergency. That is the kind of support Justice Matters wants Douglas County to add for low-income, first-time mothers through a Nurse-Family Partnership program.

The coalition of faith-based groups will press that case at its annual assembly Sunday, April 26, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 200 McDonald Drive, in Lawrence. Justice Matters is asking the county to start with four nurses and use the home-visiting model for mothers who are expecting their first child and then raising a baby through age 2.

The group says the proposal is meant to confront childhood trauma in Douglas County, where members say thousands of children and more adults are living with adverse childhood events, or ACEs. Justice Matters argues that poverty can help drive that trauma from one generation to the next, and that a nurse home-visiting program would give families a steadier start before crises pile up.

The model it wants already exists in Kansas. State home-visiting materials say Nurse-Family Partnership is currently available only in Johnson County and Shawnee County, and it serves low-income first-time mothers from pregnancy until the child turns 2. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment describes home visiting as a longstanding strategy that brings information, guidance, risk assessment and parenting support directly into the home.

Justice Matters says the program could also pay off in measurable ways for the county: fewer emergency room visits, less child abuse and neglect, fewer youth arrests, and better employment and earning opportunities for mothers. The coalition says the plan fits with the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Plan, which was presented publicly on October 17, 2024, and includes access to health services and birth outcomes among its focus areas.

Douglas County Public Health already offers family-support programs including Healthy Families Douglas County, Baby Steps and Mi Apoyo Prenatal, but those services are not the same Nurse-Family Partnership model Justice Matters is seeking. The new proposal would add a nurse-led option aimed squarely at first-time mothers in the county.

Justice Matters has used its annual assemblies before to push county leaders on youth trauma, elder care, chronic homelessness and restorative practices. This year, the ask is narrower and more personal: bring trained nurses into homes so new parents in Douglas County do not have to navigate those first months alone.