The WELLcome Home program, a universal nurse home visiting initiative in collaboration with Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, is entering it second year of providing new moms with a home visit immediately after hospital discharge to provide critical post-delivery health education and referrals. The program launched in May 2020 for mothers delivering at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and will now expand to Baptist Beaches.

WELLcome Home is funded by Baptist Health to address the Jacksonville Nonprofit Hospital Partnership’s Community Health Needs Assessment priority of Maternal and Child Health.

Mothers who deliver at Baptist receive a complimentary follow-up phone call after discharge, and are then offered a voluntary home visit with a  registered nurse. During the home visit — which have been virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic — the WELLcome Home nurse home visitor provides information on infant and maternal care; breastfeeding and nutrition; safe sleep and other infant safety topics. The nurse home visitor also assists with follow-up medical appointments, additional lactation support and providing community referrals for any family needs.

Since the inception of the program, more than 300 women have been contact by Baptist, with more than 150 receiving a home visit by the Coalition nurse home visitor. Moms have also been referred to postpartum support and self care (emotional health services and care of physical symptoms related to birth) and home visiting services for longer-term support.