CHICAGO - The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) joined healthcare partners, Family Connects nurses, community-based organizations and dozens of participating families at Malcolm X College on Thursday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Family Connects Chicago, the city’s free visiting nurse program for new families.

The milestone gathering highlighted the program’s rapid growth over the past five years, shared stories of hope and impact, and outlined ambitious goals for the future. Elected officials and representatives from city, state, and federal offices attended to show their support and underscore the need to protect and expand maternal and infant health programs at a time when funding for such services faces increasing threats.

Keynoting the anniversary meeting, CDPH Commissioner Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige, MD, MS, MPH, reminded attendees that while welcoming a new baby is a joyous occasion, it can also be overwhelming.

“The arrival of a baby is a beautiful time, a time of celebration. But it is also a time of great anxiety for many new parents,” Dr. Ige said. “Our Family Connects nurses are a vital bridge between families and the community resources they need. They are bridges between questions and answers. Our nurses have brought hope, light and joy to families.”

Family Connects Chicago began as a pilot program in 2020 with four hospitals and 774 home visits. It is modeled on an evidence-based program developed by Duke University in North Carolina, which demonstrated medical benefits to in-home nursing support for new parents. From the Duke research, after receiving home visits by nurses, primary caregivers of infants were 30 percent less likely to have clinical depression or anxiety, they were more likely to have a six-week postpartum health check, child maltreatment investigations were reduced by 44 percent, and infant emergency room visits and hospital admissions were reduced by 35 percent. The Family Connects program is operational in 16 other states.

Today, the program partners with 11 Chicago hospitals and has completed more than 13,400 home visits citywide – including over 4,100 visits in 2024. The nurses offer in-home postpartum health checks, newborn care support, breastfeeding guidance, mental health screenings and connections to community resources. The program is offered free of charge to any family welcoming a new baby at a participating hospital, including foster and adoptive parents and families experiencing a loss.

In 2024 there were over 8,000 need-based referrals to diapers (diaper availability is a significant concern to families with new babies), WIC, housing, car seats, breastfeeding support, childcare and healthcare from Family Connects Chicago nurses. While available to all families, Family Connects prioritizes communities facing the greatest health inequities, aiming to close Chicago’s maternal and infant health gaps and reduce preventable deaths.

“Family Connects has done great things over these five years,” Dr. Ige said. “The program has saved lives and eased the worries of new parents, but we know our work is far from done. Maternal and infant health inequities still disproportionately impact Black and Latino families in Chicago, and Family Connects is a cornerstone in our mission to change that.”

As the program looks to the next five years, CDPH and its partners are committed to continuing to bring Family Connects to even more families in every corner of Chicago.

“In just five years, Family Connects has grown from a small pilot to a citywide program that is changing lives every single day," said CDPH Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Vidis. "As we look to the next five years, our vision is clear: every family, in every neighborhood, supported from the very start.”

To learn more about Family Connects Chicago visit chicago.gov/family-connects.

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