[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 55 (Thursday, March 29, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4184-S4185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SALAZAR (for himself and Mr. Specter):
  S. 1052. A bill to amend title XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act 
to provide States with the option to provide nurse home visitation 
services under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance 
Program; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I rise today to make the health of 
American children and families a top priority with the Healthy Children 
and Families Act of 2007, which I introduced earlier today with Senator 
Specter. I am honored that Senator Specter has co-sponsored this 
important legislation, and I thank Senator Specter for his leadership 
and commitment to children's health and to empowering families to lead 
healthy lives.
  The Children's Health Insurance Program has successfully improved the 
health of over six million low-income children, allowing them to grow, 
learn and reach their fullest potential. In the coming months, I look 
forward to working with my colleagues on the Finance Committee to 
reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program

[[Page S4185]]

so that it continues to fulfill its promise to provide quality health 
care to all low-income children.
  The reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program 
provides us with an opportunity to strengthen and improve it. The 
Healthy Children and Families Act does just that by allowing states to 
offer nurse home visitation services in their Medicaid and State 
Children's Health Insurance programs. The Healthy Children and Families 
Act models nurse home visitation services after the Nurse Family 
Partnership program.
  The Nurse Family Partnership program provides low-income pregnant 
women with trained, registered nurses who counsel their clients in 
their homes on prenatal care, child health and development, proper 
nutrition, life-coping strategies and skills, healthy family 
relationships, educational development and opportunities, employment 
training, family planning information, family support mechanisms and a 
variety of other services that children and families need to maintain 
healthy, economically stable lives.
  Nurse home visitation programs empower women and children to 
transform their lives, families and communities. The nurses provide the 
education and tools for pregnant women and their families to improve 
their health by getting early prenatal care, preventative healthcare 
and proper nutrition. In addition, the nurses provide help for pregnant 
women and families to change risky behaviors such as substance abuse, 
and also teach pregnant women parenting skills so that they can welcome 
their babies into households that are prepared to raise physically and 
mentally healthy children. Nurses in the program also help mothers 
continue their own education and obtain employment so that the family 
is able to be economically stable.
  We all recognize that the most critical time for childhood 
development begins in infancy. Nurse home visitation programs nurture 
the cognitive development of children during those critical early years 
so that children are equipped to learn.
  The success of nurse home visitation services is nothing short of 
inspiring. Statistics from multiple, controlled studies prove that 
mothers and children served by nurse visitation services have a: 79 
percent reduction in preterm delivery; 48 percent reduction in child 
abuse and neglect; 59 percent reduction in child arrests; 61 percent 
fewer arrests of the mother; 72 percent fewer conviction for the 
mother; 46 percent increase in father presence in household; 32 percent 
fewer subsequent pregnancies; 50 percent reduction in language delays 
of child age 21 months; 67 percent reduction in childhood behavioral 
problems at age 6.
  With these amazing, life-altering results, it is no surprise that 
nurse visitation programs have been found to save taxpayer dollars. The 
Rand Corporation conducted a cost-benefit analysis and found that for 
every dollar spent on Nurse Family Partnership services, a savings of 
$5.70 is yielded in diminished health care costs and governmental and 
social costs associated with child abuse and neglect, unwanted 
pregnancy, childhood developmental delays, and criminal justice costs.
  The life transforming impact of nurse home visitation programs led 
the Brookings Institute to recently publish a report in which it 
identified nurse home visitation services as one of the most cost-
effective returns on investment for children. The Center for the Study 
and Prevention of Violence has identified nurse home visitation 
services such as Nurse Family Partnership as a ``blueprint'' for 
violence prevention. At a time when youth violence is on the rise, 
these programs hold the key to reducing violent conduct.
  The Healthy Children and Families Act will allow states to offer 
nurse home visitation services to over half a million pregnant women 
annually. The Act will empower mothers and children to live healthy and 
economically stable lives that enrich their communities. Moreover, the 
Act will save scarce resources by improving prenatal health, birth 
outcomes, increasing intervals between first and subsequent births, 
reducing early childhood injuries and hospitalizations, reducing child 
abuse and neglect, reducing involvement in the criminal justice system, 
and improving maternal employment and economic self-sufficiency of 
families.
  I encourage my colleagues to support the Healthy Children and 
Families Act as cost effective, smart legislation that will transform 
the health and lives of children and families.
                                 ______