OhioHealth’s Maternal Home Visiting Program Makes Positive Impact on Mothers in Marion
When Makenzie Smith looks at her almost two-year-old daughter, Harper, you can tell right away that she has that “mama bear” instinct.
On a recent hot summer day, Smith pulled little Harper in for a big snuggle on the couch and started kissing her cheeks. You could hear every smooch, even over the air conditioning unit blasting cold air from a nearby window.
“She’s a happy little girl and that makes being a mom a lot easier,” said Smith. “The thing that I would say I love the most is her laughter.”
Smith said she believes becoming a mother has changed her life, for the better.
“As much as I’m teaching her, she’s also teaching me,” Smith said. “She’s teaching me patience. As much as I’m learning, she is too.”
Smith wants to provide more for her little girl than what she had growing up. It’s undoubtedly a desire that all parents feel.
“I would say I didn’t grow up in the best area so teaching her coping mechanisms that I was not given, that’s a little challenging at times but she’s really making progress with that,” she said.
Fortunately, she’s had significant support every step of the way, thanks to Amber Robinson.
“Not only did she help me during pregnancy, but she also extremely helped me during the first two years of Harper’s life,” Smith said. “Amber has improved my life in every way I could have imagined. I just wish I could have Amber around forever.”
Robinson is a nurse at OhioHealth and helps support the Maternal Home Visiting initiative. For this program, OhioHealth partners with other healthcare systems, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, to offer what’s known as a Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP).
“I have the unique privilege of walking alongside mothers during one of the most transformative periods of their lives,” Robinson said. “One of the most rewarding parts of working with Nurse-Family Partnership is seeing the transformation that takes place over time. We see firsthand how our support can help families overcome challenges, make informed choices, and build healthier, brighter futures — not just for themselves, but for generations to come. Every home visit is an opportunity to empower, educate, encourage and celebrate small victories that add up to lifelong change.”
“It’s an evidence-based community health program that pairs specially trained nurses with first-time, low-income mothers,” explained Rebecca Barbeau, director of OhioHealth’s Community Health Partnerships. “The program begins early in pregnancy and continues through the child’s second birthday, with the goal of improving maternal and child health outcomes, fostering economic self-sufficiency, and strengthening families.”
This work is supported by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, a federally funded initiative administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in partnership with the Administration for Children & Families (ACF).
The program’s purpose is to:
• Improve maternal and child health
• Promote early childhood development
• Support family well-being
The NFP program expanded to Marion in fall 2022. Since then, the program in Marion has gone from a total of 44 home visits a year – to more than 300 in 2024.
“We’re excited to share that the first Marion clients graduated in January 2025—an incredible milestone after more than two years of engagement,” said Barbeau. “We anticipate several more graduations this summer and fall.”
It’s been nearly three years now since Makenzie Smith first met Amber Robinson, as part of the NFP program in Marion. Robinson started seeing Smith when Smith was 12 weeks pregnant and at that time, visits were made weekly or bi-weekly. Once Harper was born, Robinson visited immediately – and now the visits take place every three to four weeks.
Over the last two years, Robinson has helped Smith work through concerns about Harper’s weight gain and developmental delays in a supportive and non-judgmental way.
“Referrals were made to local early childhood intervention services for a formal developmental assessment. I also shared resources, developmental activities, parenting apps, and community-based programs during our visits that help promote child development,” Robinson explained. “Not only was I able to refer Harper to early intervention services but I was able to support her and Makenzie throughout the entire process and watch Makenzie build confidence in her role as her child’s first and most important teacher.”
“I had heard about this program and decided to give it a shot,” Smith said. “I thought it would be beneficial to have extra support. I did have a very good support system around me, but it was nice to have clarity in areas that my support system was not knowledgeable about or didn’t know about as many resources as Amber did. This program provided additional outlets and resources for me to help progress my daughter’s life in every way possible. It’s a very personal experience.”
Robinson said it has been a privilege to be able to support Smith from early pregnancy through the first two years of Harper’s life.
“The growth and progress I’ve witnessed over our time together has been truly inspiring. Through our regular visits, I’ve seen her become more empowered, confident, and knowledgeable. She has developed strong parenting skills, is engaged in her child’s development, advocates for her family’s needs, set and achieved personal goals, and created a more stable and nurturing environment for her child. Being an NFP nurse challenges you, changes you, and continually reminds you why you became a nurse in the first place.”
To learn more about Home Visiting through the Nurse-Family Partnership, please call 844-637-6667 or visit: Maternal Home Visiting | OhioHealth.
