Vancouver resident Isabella Lippelgoos didn’t know where to turn when she found out she was pregnant two years ago.
A friend pointed Lippelgoos to a local program that supports mothers of all ages throughout their pregnancy. Now 21 years old, Lippelgoos said she can’t imagine what her life, or her daughter’s, would be like without Clark County Public Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership.
“It was scary. I felt like my life completely changed. I felt like I was kind of giving up my early 20s and taking on a huge responsibility really young,” Lippelgoos said. “Being in a completely different state than my family, I feel isolated, and just having a baby so young, I didn’t know what to do. The support every week has helped me so much.”
The partnership pairs mothers with public health nurses for one-on-one home visits throughout pregnancy and until the child’s second birthday — an important period for early childhood development.
Lippelgoos met Public Health Nurse Ariel Magram two years ago when she was about 28 weeks pregnant with her daughter, Rosemary Luna. Since then, the three have met weekly in person, ensuring Lippelgoos feels supported as she navigates motherhood.
The sun shone brightly on Lippelgoos, Magram and Rosemary as they gathered Monday at Vancouver’s Jaggy Road Park for their weekly one-on-one visit. Rosemary cooed and clung to her mother. Then, the 14-month-old waddled around the blanket on the grass, holding on tight to a sprig of rosemary that Magram brought for her.
Lippelgoos, who works as a tattoo artist, said she’s found her community in Vancouver through her job, the program and friends, one of whom is also a young mother.
Magram said over the two years working with Lippelgoos and Rosemary, they’ve built a bond. The program is client-centered, meaning the nurses are constantly curating visits and resources to ensure they’re relevant and valuable to the mother, Magram said.
Nurses also guide mothers through emotional, social and physical challenges of pregnancy and parenthood. The support doesn’t stop after birth; nurses continue to meet with mothers, often teaching them parenting and life skills that foster positive growth.
“For some of our clients, they really do not have that support, so this can be an opportunity to really learn what’s important to the client and reach whatever parenting goals they may have,” Magram said. “In the program, they always try to emphasize that the client is the expert in their own life. I always say Isabella is wise beyond her years.”
The Nurse-Family Partnership is an evidence-based, free community health program for low-income, high-risk moms. The national program began more than 40 years ago and serves about 50,000 pregnant women in the United States annually. Clark County started its Nurse-Family Partnership program in 2007 and serves about 120 families.
Clark County Public Health has nine nurses in the program, who each serve about 25 parents between Clark and Cowlitz counties, Nurse Supervisor Elise Stills said.
“It’s a client-centered program. We don’t have to go with a set agenda,” Stills said. “It’s really about partnering with them: ‘What do you want help on? And what do you want to learn?’ ”
The Nurse-Family Partnership in Cowlitz County is fully supported through grant funding. Services in Clark County are supported by a combination of the county’s mental health sales tax, the Maternal Child Health Block Grant and other state level fund sources, Stills said.
Previous studies have proven that the program is linked to improved prenatal health, better socioeconomic outcomes, fewer child injuries and less criminal activity. Research has also shown the program has a return on investment of more than $3.40 for every $1 spent, according to the Nurse-Family Partnership’s state analysis.
Magram said the transition at the end of the two-year period is not easy because of the bond she’s built with clients like Lippelgoos and Rosemary. But the Nurse-Family Partnership works to make sure families are still supported for years through education, housing services and mental health care.
“She’s really become like family to us,” Lippelgoos said of Magram.
