McNamara bill to establish Rhode Island Family Home Visiting Act

Posted 6/21/16

The House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston)  to establish the Rhode Island Family Home Visiting Act.

The statement of …

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McNamara bill to establish Rhode Island Family Home Visiting Act

Posted

The House of Representatives has passed legislation sponsored by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston)  to establish the Rhode Island Family Home Visiting Act.

The statement of purpose contained within the legislation begins, “A child’s first experiences and relationships set the foundation for development and learning that lead to success in school and in life.”

“Voluntary, high-quality, evidence-based home visiting programs help build parenting skills and address challenges faced by many vulnerable families with young children,” the bill reads. “Children in at-risk families who participate in evidence-based home visiting programs have improved language, cognitive, and social emotional development and are less likely to experience child abuse and neglect. Families who participate are more likely to provide a safe, enriching home environment and become more economically secure through education and employment. Evidence-based home visiting programs can also improve maternal and child health, reducing long-term health care costs.”

The legislation (2016-H 7220) calls for the Rhode Island Department of Health to work with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to develop and coordinate the standards for a system of early childhood home visiting services that would meet the needs of the state’s most vulnerable families with young children.

“The evidence is more and more abundant that the earliest experiences of a child’s life have a profound impact on the development of life skills,” McNamara, chairman of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare said in a statement. “This legislation would establish a system to support improved language, cognitive, social, and emotional development in the state’s youngest children.”

In addition, vulnerable families would be referred prenatally or as soon after birth as possible to voluntary home visiting programs. Families would be prioritized based on risk factors such as adolescent parents, history of drug or alcohol abuse, history of violence or incarceration, or insufficient financial resources. The program would be completely voluntary for participants.

In Rhode Island in 2014, 97 babies were diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, which refers to the withdrawal and negative effects experienced by newborns born to mothers who use opioids and/or other drugs during pregnancy. That’s a rate of 92 per 10,000 births, up from 76 babies (for a rate of 72 per 10,000 births) in 2013 and more than double the rate of 37.2 in 2006.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recently awarded the Department of Health a competitive $10.2 million grant to sustain current family home visiting efforts and to expand evidence-based home visiting to serve an additional 500 families. In total, more than 1,700 Rhode Island families will gain support through the program.

McNamara’s legislation establishes standards and accountability for high quality home visiting programs, including through annual reports on the program’s effectiveness.

The bill, which is cosponsored by Representatives Gregg Amore (D-Dist. 65, East Providence), Robert E. Craven (D-Dist. 32, North Kingstown), William W. O’Brien (D-Dist. 54, North Providence) and Mary Duffy Messier (D-Dist. 62, Pawtucket), now moves to the Senate, which has passed similar legislation (2016-S 2096) that was sponsored by President of the Senate M. Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist. 13, Newport, Jamestown).

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  • richardcorrente

    Does Joe McNamara ever stop working?

    He has sponsored yet another piece of legislation to make Rhode Island a better place to live.

    Yes, I am flattering Joe McNamara.

    Yes, he is a Democrat and so am I.

    Yes, I want positive advertising out of this, but it also happens to be true.

    Great job State Representative Joe McNamara!

    Richard Corrente

    Democrat for Mayor

    Tuesday, June 21, 2016 Report this