Victory! Montefiore Nurses Save Nurse-Family Partnership!
The life-saving Nurse-Family Partnership program at Montefiore has served hundreds of Bronx families each year with amazing results. There is no place where the NFP is more needed than the Bronx where maternal and infant mortality rates are the highest in the state and where child poverty rates are the highest in the nation: 40% of Bronx kids live in abject poverty!
However, management once again attempted to end it at the end of 2023. Nurses and community members organized to stop the closures of this life-saving program! NYSNA nurses collected hundreds of letters from community members that included personal stories of the program’s positive impacts. In addition, Modern Healthcare published a national news article highlighting the role nurses played in saving the program during their January strike and contract fight.
On Wednesday, Nov. 29, nurses gathered letters of community support and marched to Montefiore CEO Dr. Philip O. Ozuah's office to deliver a petition demanding Montefiore honor their commitment to continue funding the life-saving program Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP).
The very next day, NYSNA received an e-mail from the CEO announcing that Montefiore will be continuing the program!
NYSNA has once again successfully pressured Montefiore leadership to commit to keeping the Nurse-Family Partnership program open so Bronx moms and babies can get the care they deserve.
This is a huge victory for health equity and maternal and child health in the Bronx. Congratulations, NFP nurses!