Massachusetts proposes nurse home visits for all new parents

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is proposing a $2 million program to provide voluntary nurse home visits to all families with newborns, a move aimed at strengthening postpartum care in the wake of the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The proposal, announced Tuesday at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, would be the state's first investment in a federally funded program that currently serves about 3,000 families annually. Under the plan, nurses would visit new parents to answer questions about infant care and monitor the mother's health, including screening for depression and other mental health concerns. Participation would be voluntary, but the program would be available to all families welcoming one of the roughly 68,000 newborns in Massachusetts each year. "To every mom who has struggled with her mental health before, during or after pregnancy, I want you to know we see you," Healey said. "We need to talk more openly about this.