The Family Navigator Program, housed in Heritage College’s Community Health Programs, was established in 2012 with the goal of improving maternal and infant outcomes in the region. More than a decade later, the program and its staff of Family Navigators–registered nurses providing compassionate guidance to new and expecting mothers in the region–are doing just that. By providing free intensive care navigation, education, support and linkage to social services, the Family Navigator Program helps each of its clients achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth outcome.

Emily Latta, CNM, is a nurse for Ohio Health’s obstetrics clinic. She’s typically the first provider newly pregnant patients will see, and the provider they will continue to see throughout their pregnancy and beyond. “I take care of them at their most vulnerable–like, I help them deliver their baby. That’s scary, that’s hard,” she said. “Through that, you really develop a bond, it’s a really personal relationship.”

Latta has served as both a midwife and a labor and delivery nurse in Athens for over a decade, making her no stranger to the challenges many women in this region face during their pregnancy–whether it’s financial struggles, food insecurity, substance use or unsafe or unstable living situations, she’s seen it all. “I don’t think people realize how many people in the world, pregnant or not, in your vicinity don’t have enough food, or even money in their bank account to just go buy more food,” she said.

Typically, addressing these issues as a provider would be incredibly challenging, but thanks to the Family Navigator Program–which has expanded the capacity for comprehensive care, meeting more than just the medical needs of qualifying patients–Latta has been able to see patients not only overcome their circumstances, but thrive. “The nurses come into our office multiple days a week, meeting our patients where they're at so patients don't have to make extra trips to town or make extra arrangements for childcare.”

“I’ve seen women who, on our first encounter, were actively using some sort of illicit substance,” but after being referred to a Family Navigator, Latta says, “they come back from that–they get clean, they have a job and they keep custody of their kids. These patients are, on a sustained level, better than when they started…for me, those are the things that are the measuring stick for success.”

The value of these outcomes for patients and providers are striking. According to the Social Return on Investment report, by making it possible for low-income women to receive access to comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care across providers and support agencies, the Family Navigator Program is creating an estimated $5 million in social value.

“It's really helped the providers out because when we identify a social need or an emotional need, we get a Family Navigator involved, and then she figures out what needs to happen,” Latta said. “I refer to them as ‘these are your friends who've done this before. They're going to get you in touch with resources that you didn't even know existed. They're going to be just an extra support for you,’ and I think that allows patients to immediately feel more comfortable.”

As a result, Latta says she’s seeing healthier babies and healthier, happier mothers–like Maria Thaheem.

Thaheem moved from Pakistan to Athens in 2021 with her husband and one-year-old son. They came here after her husband, Ahsan, received a scholarship allowing him to complete a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Public Policy at OHIO, a program that will take six years in all to complete.

Back in Pakistan, Thaheem put her MBA to use as a finance specialist working for a local bank. Upon coming to Athens, however, she found herself taking on a different role: “Now, I’m totally, fully like a housewife.”

But despite not having to juggle work and her family anymore, transitioning to the homemaker role was initially hectic for Thaheem. Before coming to Athens, she, Ahsan and their son–Huzifa–lived in a joint family household; their parents, grandparents and other family members all working together, supporting her as she began raising her family, “but here,” Maria said, “everything depended on us.”