Columbus Regional Health Foundation is pleased to announce that it has received a substantial gift to establish the Nurse Family Partnership Endowment Fund dedicated to support the local Nurse-Family Partnership program, facilitated through Healthy Communities. The generous $1.5 million gift from Christine and Tom Vujovich will encourage and enable the local NFP program to be expanded within 5 years.  

NFP is an evidence-based home visitation program connecting a registered nurse with first-time at-risk moms and families to provide support from the pre-natal period through the child’s second birthday. NFP has a lasting impact for families.  More than 40 years of evidence in other communities shows that families that engage with an NFP nurse have better maternal and child health over their lifetimes, higher educational attainment, lower rates of substance use disorder, lower smoking rates, and lower incarceration rates.  It’s one of the few behavioral interventions with families that has a demonstrable short- and long-term impact. Bartholomew County currently utilizes one NFP Registered Nurse.  The goal of this philanthropic gift is to assist CRH Foundation in efforts to expand the number of NFP nurses serving Bartholomew County.

Tom and Christine Vujovich shared, “The NFP nurse is a trusted healthcare resource embedded in our community whose influence can be felt beyond those directly cared for by the nurse as the supported mother shares her experience with friends.”

Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County has partnered with CRH Foundation for the 6 year pilot NFP project. Outcomes from the NFP program have already demonstrated its value as an investment to donors. The pilot allowed CRH Foundation to share progress and provide the case for long-term, donor funded support via an endowment fund maintained by the Foundation. An endowment is a permanent fund invested to provide financial resources from its annual investments and additional gifts to support the program selected by the fund donor. 

“Our community continues to benefit immensely from the pilot created through the partnership with the Heritage Fund as well as now through the generosity of the Vujoviches,” said CRH Foundation President Julie Abedian. “As a nationwide program, Nurse Family Partnership has been changing the lives of vulnerable new mothers, their children and families for many years. This endowment fund will significantly boost an already great local program. We are hopeful that our partnership model of a hospital foundation, community foundation and generous philanthropist can be replicated to spread NFP nurses through the state and nation.”

For more information on Nurse-Family Partnerships and to learn how to support the endowment visit: www.crh.org/nfp