"It helps them navigate a new world": Denver mom commends home visiting program

Every two weeks, Kimberly Teske gets a visit to her Denver home from her nurse Jennifer Scholl, checking on her and her baby boy Kamrynn. As a new mom, she's undoubtedly had her moments of joy and triumph.

"I struggled due to things that happened as a child… I think I had post-partum depression," Teske shared. 

"And it can be a very isolating time," said Scholl, a nurse home visitor for Tri-County Health. She's a mother, herself, and has been in the role for 13 years, as part of Nurse-Family Partnership Colorado.

It's an evidence-based community health program that serves 459 Colorado families, specifically in Denver and Adams counties.

Scholl tells CBS News Colorado's Mekialaya White the visits are a privilege. "To be able to support moms and families in the first two years, which research tells us is critical brain development."

The program is federally funded. Lisa Hill, executive director of Colorado nonprofit Invest in Kids, says some of its funding could be in jeopardy. That's as Congress reauthorizes its Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program.

"MIECHV is set to be improved upon as well as expanded and extended by Congress," Hill said. "That must happen before December 16, 2022, and we're hopeful that Congress will return and take action on this piece of legislation that will be part of a year-end package."

Teske says, frankly, she'd be lost without the program. She hopes other moms-to-be can benefit as well.

"To have the resources and support and backup - because a lot of moms don't have backup. And it's nice to know that you have that there," said Teske. "It helps them navigate a new world."

If you'd like to learn more about at-home visits yourself, click here: https://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/locations/colorado/