“Mannon works for Nurse-Family Partnership, a federally funded program that provides prenatal and postpartum support to first-time mothers until their baby’s second birthday. The Lubbock office that employs her is one of the state’s 23 local NFP programs, which operate both in the largest metropolitan areas and in sparsely populated communities.
Their clients are poor and nearly all on Medicaid. Often they’re teenagers. The program aims to help new mothers and their babies through regular visits by specially trained nurses. Such efforts are more vital than ever in Texas, where the maternal mortality rate is 20 percent higher than the national average and nearly three times greater than California’s.”