New York City Will Now Provide Home Visits to First-Time Parents

Being a first-time parents is hard. Not only are you likely questioning every decision you make in terms of it being the best for baby, but, often, parents also struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, and serious sleep-deprivation. Now, to combat this, New York City is rolling out a new program, New Family Home Visits, to help.

According to the American Psychological Association, an estimate of up to 1 in 7 women experience postpartum depression or worse after giving birth. The program, announced on February 5 in a news release, aims to combat that. The $43 million initiative will allow first-time parents to be entitled to up to six home visits from a health care or social services professional.

According to the city’s first lady Chirlane McCray, the program will match families with mental health services and offer other support. “All parents in our city should have the support they need at the start of their most important journey, and we are taking an exciting new step to make that happen,” McCray stated in the release. “Home visits are proven to strengthen bonds between parents and their babies, lower the risk for maternal anxiety and depression, and support healthy brain development during a crucial time.”

The program will start as $9 million effort in Brooklyn before expanding to the rest of the city by 2024, officials state in the release. While Chicago, Illinois and Durham, North Carolina have similar initiatives, the New York Times reports that city officials believe New York City’s will be the largest in the country once it’s built up.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.