It's my favorite parts of nursing.

This is teaching moms what they want to know, adding an extra layer of support that extends far beyond the hospital.

You know, pregnancy is one of those things that people just kind of assume is just a normal, healthy thing that happens and it's easy, but what people don't understand, it really can be a very risky time in a woman's life.

It's really important, particularly in states like Alabama, where the maternal mortality rate is really high.

The expression is it takes a village and not everyone has a village.

It's just a fact.

So, it's nice to be a member of this mom support team and lift some of that loneliness or isolation on her motherhood journey.

[Announcer] Funding for this program comes from The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, strengthening communities and improving the quality of life for all regions of Alabama, the Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation, supporting organizations and providing leadership that responds to challenges and creates positive change, and Maynard Nexsen Law Firm, deploying innovation and efficiency in legal services across the country and around the world.

(upbeat music) Ever since launching "Buzz" in 2020 in my adopted state of Virginia, I always dreamed about bringing my TV show to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

Highlighting nonprofits and helping them achieve more buzz made Birmingham a natural fit, given its hundreds of charitable organizations, and ranking as one of the most philanthropic cities in the United States.

As inspiring as these missions are, it was a personal cause that finally brought me home.

In June of 2023, my mother was diagnosed with an aggressive and usually fatal type of thyroid cancer.

Foreseeing that I'd be spending a lot of time helping my sisters navigate her care, I decided to try and bring "Buzz" to Birmingham.

In summer of 2023, I reached out to my alma mater, Birmingham Southern College, may she rest in peace, and recruited a media studies instructor and some of his former and current students.

And together, we got to work, producing four episodes for Alabama Public Television.

Thanks to the marketing professionals we invited to our shows, the nonprofits we featured got a lot of new buzz.

For Children of Slain Police Officers, Swell Fundraising raised nearly $10,000 and helped to rebrand the wordy organization to Beyond the Line.

For Studio by the Tracks, which helps the autistic become more artistic, Swell raised thousands of dollars more for many new donors.

Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama got new video marketing assets to help better tell its inspiring story, and Martin Advertising donated $35,000 in assets to give Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank more marketing buzz.

Despite her dire diagnosis, Mom is now cancer free, but I am infected by a new love for my hometown.

So now, we are bringing six new episodes of "Buzz" featuring the incredible diversity and heart of nonprofits.

Small Magic's early childhood literacy program, United Ability, which helps people of all ages and disabilities, College Choice Foundation, which guides high achieving, under-resourced students into college, a variety of organizations supported by the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, and the incredible story of Nurse Family Partnership, which we feature in today's show.

Hi, I'm Candace Knight and I'm the executive director for Nurse Family Partnership of Greater Alabama that's administered here at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing.

We started this program here in Jefferson County in 2017, really due to the dismal infant mortality rates that we were seeing.

So, in pockets of Jefferson County in Alabama, we were seeing infant mortality rates that really rivaled developing countries.

Not all of Jefferson County, but pieces of it.

And so there were a couple of really important funders who got together and decided that, you know, we really need to do something and had seen that Nurse Family Partnership had worked in other places, because that's one of the things that's really important to the UAB School of Nursing, is to impact our community in a positive way.

We enroll them during their pregnancy and we follow them until the child's second birthday, so it's about two and a half years.

They come into our program oftentimes as a first time mom.

They're scared.

They don't really know what to expect.

Sometimes, this is planned and sometimes this is a surprise.

And so, just to get to go in with them and talk to them about their pregnancy, how to have the healthiest pregnancy, what their dreams are for themselves and their babies, and then get to see them walk that out and accomplish their goals and dreams, and then when they graduate in two and a half years, to just see them blossom into being the best moms.

That is such a rewarding part of this job.

We partner a nurse with these moms and they start going out and doing home visits during pregnancy, and they continue to do those home visits from pregnancy through baby's second birthday.

And it really establishes a trusting relationship between this family, not just the mom, but between this family and a trusted healthcare provider or a nurse who advocates for that family, who is there to coach, to make sure things are going well and to be a listening ear for that family when they have needs.

We are gonna go see a mama whose baby is coming up on five months of age, and that baby is thriving.

Her family is mostly in Georgia, so I check on her, especially being in this area where the weather tends to be severe and tornado heavy because it's just her and baby most times.

Her family is either on travel assignments for work or they're just living outta state.

This work is really important to me because my mom was a teenage mom.

She had me when she was 16, and we struggled, you know, as I was growing up.

And she, you know, went back to school and became a nurse.

And as I became a nurse, a labor and delivery nurse, and I saw other women like my mom who were struggling, this really became a passion for me to make sure that these women felt respected and that they had what they needed to be the best mom that they could be.

(door slams) (footsteps crunch on walkway) Pregnancy is one of those things that people just kind of assume is just a normal, healthy thing that happens and it's easy, but what people don't understand, it really can be a very risky time in a woman's life.

And so, it's really important, particularly in states like Alabama, where the maternal mortality rate is really high, that these women have easy access to healthcare, and the nurse really helps to make sure that that happens.

You know, for a lot of these women, you know, they may not be able to get in touch with their provider easily.

You may call and you may have to wait 24 hours to get an answer back.

And so, when you have a nurse with Nurse Family Partnership, you can call your nurse, you can text her, and you've typically got an answer back within an hour or two.

Just because the caseload that these nurses carry, each nurse carries a caseload of about 25 clients.

And so, we have a lot more time to be available to these moms and make sure that their questions are answered.

We go generally biweekly to do these visits.

I love seeing her visit.

She's been with me since I was what, 20?

[Treanna] It was right after your birthday last year.

So I was about three, four months pregnant.

She's been with me since then.

I love her.

You know, we're checking.

We're doing blood pressures, vital signs, weighing mom, making sure things are going well.

We're also checking on her mental health because that's one of the things that we know nationally and in Alabama, that's one of the key drivers for maternal mortality is poor mental health.

And so, we also have mental health providers on our team so that we can make sure if they can't access mental health care the way most folks typically would, and maybe the waiting list is six weeks long, if we've got a mom who's really in a crisis, we can make sure that she has access to care immediately.

We look forward to these visits.

I love T. [Treanna] Aw, you know, I love coming to see you guys.

You're my favorite person 'cause I really don't have family out here, so she's been basically my family.

Like, I stay with my grandmother, but she travels, so it's just been me and the baby and T. [Treanna] Me.

This has been like my sister.

You know, the impact that we see in these women's lives is daily, and it's not always a big thing.

At the end of all of our team meetings, we have all the nurses go around the table and we always talk about our successes.

And sometimes, those successes with our moms are, you know, well, so and so decided that, you know, she was gonna enroll in a high school finishing program or something of that nature.

And sometimes it's, you know, so and so finally got a new apartment.

But sometimes it's, you know, something really small that is very meaningful to that client and that nurse.

You know, it may be that, you know, she decided and really took steps to do something to protect her health.

That might be something like she switched juice with water, you know, something little like that.

But it's a very meaningful job.

I really wouldn't even call it a job.

It's just a privilege to be able to get to be a part of these families' lives in the way that we are and to get to watch these families grow and change and reach their goals and dreams.

[Michael] Can you imagine what your life would be like without her?

No, and I'm not looking forward to it.

'Cause I know once the baby turns two, I won't have her no more.

I'm not looking forward to it 'cause she's become such a big part of our lives.

Don't start crying.

[Treanna] We got time.

We have time.

I know we have time, but still.

We have a year and a half, and there is not a hard stop.

I don't want you to go nowhere ever, like, I just wanna keep you forever.

This, the relationship that we've built will not be a you've graduated and clean break, so you're gonna have to plan to be at the picnics.

[Shameka] Of course.

And we can go do lunch.

[Shameka] Sounds good.

It is interesting.

The dynamic is special and casual.

She sends me pictures of the baby on just like regular days.

[Michael] Yeah.

So it's not always like a dressed up holiday photo.

Sometimes, it's that sweet girl in her bathrobe, just fresh and clean, and she'll text me after a doctor's appointment to say she did so good and we're sitting up or we're rolling now, the little milestones.

She's so good at keeping me kind of looped in on where baby is.

[Michael] Yeah.

And what she wants to know more about.

(footsteps click on steps) Hi.

Hi.

No, I tell, Catherine is my home girl.

I keep telling her that.

(Anesia laughs) [Michael] And what do you mean by that?

Like, she helped me.

When I was pregnant, I was very, very depressed.

-I was- -[Michael] Why?

I was in a bad place.

Well, because I was nervous about being a mom.

I never wanted to have kids and I felt like my goals and plans that I had for myself because I owned a business, had to be pushed aside for me to become a mom and I just thought it was the end of the world.

I'm very particular person, so my life has always, I planned it out.

But when I got pregnant, I felt like I had no control over anything.

And so, the more I sat with Catherine and also Claire, who works with Nurse Family Partnership, as well.

She's a therapist.

It started to help me find myself again.

And also they made me realize that just because I thought that I had this one purpose doesn't mean that I still don't have that purpose.

I just added up being a mommy into that, so.

[Michael] And has the experience of being a mom?

Oh, it's the best thing I've ever done.

I'm so in love with her, it's actually scary.

[Michael] Have you already started thinking about what that life is gonna be like without her making regular visits?

No, because I'll still see her, even if I have to stalk her.

The car seats are, if somebody gives you a car seat, they usually have- [Anesia] Because like I said, when I first found out I was pregnant, I was really, really in a very dark place.

And every time Catherine would talk to me, she would always give me encouraging words and we would talk.

And not only that, I literally was pouring all my drama onto her.

Like, she was my journal and she listened and gave me advice from a professional and a friend point of view, which was very helpful.

So I feel like I know that Catherine being a part of my journey has helped me become the mom I am.

This has been a great relationship.

I really like her, as well.

[Anesia] I told her she was gonna like me.

(Anesia laughs) Right.

Yeah.

It's been very positive on both sides.

[Michael] Have you been with the program long enough to already have a mom and her child graduate from your services?

Not quite.

My oldest baby is 10 months old and he's got six teeth, and we're so excited for his first birthday.

But it will be bittersweet because then it feels like we're kind of on a countdown.

[Michael] Yeah.

Of our last 12 months together formally.

[Michael] Yeah, and so, have you even put yourself in that head space of what it's gonna be like when the child is two and no longer under your care?

I'm not ready to think about it just yet, but I have given it some thought.

Because you become more than a practitioner in their home.

You become someone that, you know, you remember that baby's birthday and their birth story.

You remember when they take their first steps.

And I think that bond, that relationship will extend beyond the second year.

[Michael] Yeah.

Of official program enrollment.

(bright music) [Michael] Nurse Family Partnership isn't the only University of Alabama at Birmingham outreach to low income individuals in need of quality healthcare.

Aspiring doctors in UAB's Heersink School of Medicine volunteer twice a week in a free medical clinic called Equal Access Birmingham.

Equal Access Birmingham, better known as EAB, is a student run free clinic.

Medical students, along with physicians and residents provide medical care to the uninsured in the Birmingham community.

We provide care from medical care for chronic conditions along with GYN care for our patients who need pap smears or any other preventative screenings, as well as dermatology and mental health care.

You know, modern medicine has made so many strides and I think sometimes, the people who need healthcare the most are unable to access it.

So if you think of some of our homeless patients or our patients with mental health disorders that can't access care and end up hospitalized, get discharged, and then maybe, you know, end up back on the street.

Well, we're serving those patients.

We're able to get them medications for free.

Our main goal obviously, is to provide care to those in the Birmingham community who are underinsured, but I think one of the things that's great about EAB is that it also provides medical students who have always been interested in helping the underserved and being a part of their community and making an impact.

It helps us learn more at an early stage of our medical career, how to best help our patients and see patients not just as their healthcare needs, but as a whole person.

The best part about our clinic is the trust that our patients have in us.

Some patients will qualify to go somewhere like Cooper Green because they live in Jefferson County, but they feel so loved and so cared for by our students, and I think that's our mission is for everyone to feel cared for.

We provide medications for patients, which is a huge barrier that a lot of patients face.

It's one thing to receive a diagnosis for diabetes or high blood pressure, but it's another thing of needing to be able to manage it.

And if you can't afford the medication, you know, no matter how hard you try to make sure that you're managing these conditions, it can be difficult if you can't afford the medications that's being prescribed.

And so, being able to see firsthand the barriers that we can help patients overcome is important to me to witness as a medical student.

And I think having this experience so early on in your career and seeing what can happen to patients, what preventable illnesses, you know, if they don't get treated, what can happen, I think that really brings in a different level of passion to go out and do good and to create trust in your patients.

You told me I was gonna cry and I am.

[Michael] Why are you crying?

I think it's just so, gosh, it's so beautiful the work that we do and being able to be a part of it early on in our careers as medical students.

But when we were applying to be fundraising officers at EAB, we had talked about how this is one of the first opportunities that we've had to really make an impact on our community in this way.

It's so beautiful just to know that this is something that we can do for the rest of our career.

Gosh.

So, I'm excited that we get to start now.

While riding around with Nurse Family Partnership, I noticed another familiar nonprofit that was also supporting these at-risk moms, Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank, which "Buzz" featured in early 2024.

So I thought it was a good time to revisit my friend and Bundles of Hope Executive Director Lindsay Gray.

Lindsay.

-Michael.

-Oh my gosh.

-It's so good to see you.

-So good to see you.

When I heard that Nurse Family Partnership did a lot of work with Bundles of Hope, I had to come see you again.

Yeah, so you'll get this.

Since January when we aired- Yep.

One and a half million diapers.

-Wow.

-We've distributed.

-Wow.

-So a lot's going on, so- -I know, I know.

-Yeah.

Well, I would love to hear more about it.

-Yeah.

-We go in there?

-Let's go check it out.

-Okay, good.

(door creaks) Ah, lovely.

It's great to see the mural again.

-Does this look familiar?

-I love it.

I love it.

It been the highlight of many, many pictures.

-Love it.

-So we love our mural.

All right, so what has been happening since we last saw you?

Oh my goodness.

Well, we're still doing our direct service and then, of course, supporting our 70 partner organizations.

[Michael] Okay.

[Lindsay] You're obviously featuring Nurse Family Partnership, an amazing group- [Michael] Yep.

That is providing valuable service in the community.

Number one barrier to access to resources.

-Okay.

-Transportation.

-Yeah.

-So when we can meet a need but also eliminate barriers in the lives of families here in Alabama, that is where we see the fireworks go off- -Okay.

-So to speak.

-Yeah.

-And so, Nurse Family Partnership allows us to do that.

They are doing and using these diapers in their home visiting program, so literally driving these diapers, Michael, into the hands of families on their doorsteps when they're doing their in-home visiting with them.

Awesome.

So that's what they're packing up over here.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

All right, so, wow, that's a lot of diapers.

It is.

So how many diapers is a family typically using in a given day?

In a given day?

I mean, well, depending on how many children -are in the house.

-Sure, right.

Babies can use eight to 10- -[Michael] Okay.

-[Lindsay] A day.

[Michael] Yep.

So they can really go through a lot of them.

That obviously is dependent on the age of the baby.

Smaller ones, our Nurse Family Partnership, they're gonna be using the smaller sizes more.

-Sure.

Right.

-And so those families are going through more diapers than usual.

How many diapers are you providing for Nurse Family Partnership over let's say a month?

Yeah, they're getting probably 30,000 a month.

Just Nurse Family Partnership?

Just Nurse Family Partnership.

-[Michael] Oh my gosh.

-Yeah.

[Michael] 30,000 a month.

[Lindsay] And each of those families that they're supporting get a hundred diapers.

[Michael] Okay.

-[Lindsay] On their visits.

-[Michael] Okay.

[Lindsay] So it's essentially like a two week or so supplement.

[Michael] Got it.

Got it.

[Lindsay] To get them over that hump to the next paycheck, help them put gas in their car, help them buy their baby formula.

[Michael] Yeah.

[Lindsay] So really, really providing a lot of stability for families.

[Michael] Right.

Free diapers frees up money for them to be able to afford other household necessities.

[Lindsay] Correct.

-[Michael] Yeah.

-[Lindsay] About 84% of our families, Michael, report using the savings from participating in the diaper bank, utilities.

-[Michael] Wow.

-[Lindsay] On utilities.

-[Michael] Yeah.

-[Lindsay] So, it is very hot today.

We are July in the warehouse, so we are feeling the heat.

[Michael] Yeah.

And a lot of our families, they don't have an opportunity to go into an office space with air conditioning and a car- -Yeah.

-With air conditioning.

Their homes are not air conditioned.

So always tell donors, supporters of Bundles, you know, you think you're diaper and a baby, which you are.

-Yeah.

-But you could also very well be helping that family pay for air conditioning.

Right.

In the Alabama South summer Yeah, or gas to get to work.

-Absolutely.

-Or so many needs.

Yeah.

Well, it's great seeing you again.

-Yeah.

-Thank you so much for all the work you're doing for Nurse Family Partnership and all these other great partnerships throughout Alabama.

Thank you, Michael.

[Michael] "Buzz" isn't the first time that Nurse Family Partnership has been featured on video.

A few years ago, the program starred in the popular online series, "It's a Southern Thing," starring Tia Jackson, who had been cared for by Nurse Charlotte Walton.

We are proud to present this video for the first time on broadcast television.

(gentle music) I don't know where I would be right now if I have never met Charlotte.

I'm actually writing her a thank you letter.

I can't wait to see how she react because it's really a surprise.

(Charlotte chuckles) Okay.

(faintly speaking) Okay.

Our model in Nurse Family Partnership is that we follow first time moms through pregnancy until baby is two.

She's definitely made me feel like I've been the best mother I can be.

[Charlotte] Tia was my very first client.

She's always been very driven.

She works full time.

She's gotten back into school full-time, all while being just a fantastic mom to Chloe.

It has been just a privilege to walk alongside her.

These past two years have really exceeded our expectations.

We have grown a bond that's pretty tight.

I kinda consider her as like family that's not family.

Tia has become a dear friend.

(gentle music) I hope that she feels loved and cared about because this is something special.

(bright music) (Charlotte gasps) [Tia] Hi, Charlotte.

Tia, I'm so glad you're here.

I wondered if, they were trying to say you weren't coming.

All right, Charlotte, I have something to give to you.

Oh, Tia.

(heartfelt music) Thank you.

You're welcome.

[Tia] Dear Charlotte, you have made such an impact on my life.

Thank you kindly for being the best nurse to me and Chloe.

(heartfelt music) When we first met, I was in the first stage of my pregnancy.

I was so scared and nervous.

I was struggling, accepting the fact that I was about to be a first time mom.

I wasn't ready.

I was so excited to hear about this program and to meet you.

You made it so much easier and understanding for me.

♪ Now I know my A, B, Cs ♪ (Chloe cheers) Throughout this journey there were tears, there were heartbreaks and goals to be accomplished and you were there every step of the way.

[Tia] You helped.

You gave me advice and you supported me.

I'm grateful for everything you've ever done for me and Chloe.

Now I have a beautiful, healthy daughter and I'm back in school, working towards getting into nursing school thanks to your help.

I don't just consider you as a nurse.

I look up to you, as well, as a mentor, a leader, and a great friend.

You are truly an inspiration to me.

When I become a nurse, I wanna be just like you.

You are a wonderful person and I appreciate everything you've ever done.

Sincerely, Tia.

That's so sweet.

You're welcome.

You, too, have become such a dear friend.

Well, thank you.

It doesn't happen every day.

It's very overwhelming and very kind, and knowing Tia, I know that this is true and it's from her heart and I'm very grateful.

And if I was to have a child in the future, I would make sure I want Charlotte.

I don't want anyone else.

I want Charlotte, so.

Thank you, Tia.

Yeah, first grade.

So you just finished kindergarten.

Continue on your journey.

So, you had Chloe.

She kept coming for the first couple of years, but meanwhile you're also starting to think about other opportunities for yourself personally and professionally, such as?

So right now, I did get back in school.

I started classes in August.

I actually have five more courses left before I can apply for nursing school.

And I work for Nurse Family Partnership.

I do the outreach.

[Michael] Okay.

[Tia] So, I'm actually now the one that actually like, hey, this program is really good.

You know, basically giving my story- [Michael] Right.

Telling them the benefits of the program, how I can help them.

Just all of the good stuff about the program and why they need it.

Like, I don't like to take no because I feel like everybody deserves someone that wants to help.

Can you imagine your life without Nurse Family Partnership?

To be honest, no.

I don't know, honestly.

Like, I think it would be totally different.

I don't think I would be as successful just because I felt like I had people depending on me.

The fact that I can sit down with the nurse and we can talk about my goals and she's able to say, "Oh, my client actually achieved, you know, reached her goals," my client.

So I felt like that meant a lot to me, you know?

And also, I needed that for myself, as well.

I really don't know where, I don't think I'd be as successful.

-Right.

-If I didn't have Nurse Family Partnership, for sure.

(inspirational music) Thank you for watching our "Buzz" about Nurse Family Partnership made possible by The Daniel Foundation of Alabama and Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation.

Coming next on "Buzz," we feature the inspiring people serving and served by United Ability.

I'm gonna fall.

I got you.

(upbeat music) No.

You scared of the monkey bars?

(upbeat music) That's a healthy baby.

She's growing so good.