Touro program delivers vital postpartum care to new mothers and babies at home

Through Family Connects, Touro offers free in-home nurse visits to help families thrive after birth. 

In a state with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, what would it take to close the maternal health gap? One answer: care that starts at home. 

In Louisiana, Black women are four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related complications — a longstanding disparity linked to broader gaps in access, support, and care. The weeks after childbirth are especially vulnerable for both mother and baby. Yet too often, families leave the hospital without the follow-up care they need to stay safe and healthy. 

Now, that care is coming directly to their homes. Family Connects New Orleans, a partnership between Touro and the New Orleans Health Department, offers free in-home nurse visits to families who give birth at Touro and reside in New Orleans. The program is part of a broader effort to reduce maternal and infant mortality and promote family well-being across the city. 

How it works: what to expect from a Family Connects visit 

Eligible families are offered an in-home visit from a registered nurse, typically scheduled around three weeks after birth. This timeframe reflects a critical window for identifying and addressing physical, emotional, and environmental health concerns. 

During home visits, nurses provide compassionate, personalized care focused on the well-being of the whole family. Each visit is designed to offer: 

1. Health screenings for both mom and baby: Nurses check vital signs, monitor postpartum healing, assess infant growth, and screen for conditions such as high blood pressure and postpartum depression. 

2. Support with infant care and feeding: Families receive guidance on breastfeeding or formula feeding, safe sleep practices, skin-to-skin contact, and early developmental milestones. 

3. Environmental safety assessment: Nurses check for working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, lead exposure risks, and other home safety concerns. If any issues arise, they help connect families to local support services. 

4. Referrals and resources: Based on each family’s unique needs, nurses coordinate handoffs to trusted community partners for medical, emotional, or practical support. Nurses also offer guidance on bonding, emotional well-being, and managing common newborn challenges like excessive crying or sleep disruptions. 

“Family Connects gives us a unique opportunity to meet families where they are — physically and emotionally — during an especially delicate time,” said Katherine August-Autry, RN, Clinical Manager, who leads the program at Touro. “By bringing care directly into the home, we’re able to identify and address disparities early and help ensure every new mom and baby get a healthy start together.” 

Advancing health equity for every family in New Orleans 

No two families have the same needs after childbirth, and Family Connects is built with that in mind. In addition to health checks and safety screenings, nurses take time to understand each family’s unique situation and provide them with personalized self-care plans to guide their health and recovery in the weeks ahead. 

Support doesn’t stop after one visit, either. Families are eligible for up to three free nurse visits, each one tailored to help families ease the transition into parenthood and answer any questions they may have in a private, one-on-one setting. 

Since its launch in October 2023, Family Connects nurses have completed more than 500 home visits across New Orleans. Many families have shared how much they value one-on-one, judgment-free care, the chance to ask questions in a private setting, and the peace of mind that comes with having a trusted Touro nurse available during a critical time. 

By meeting families where they are, Family Connects is helping build a more equitable postpartum care system in New Orleans. For many participants, the program fills a much-needed gap in support, particularly for those who have historically faced barriers to high-quality maternal and infant care. 

Rather than placing the burden on new mothers to seek out help, Family Connects reduces the risk of complications and reinforces each family’s right to a healthy start by bringing trusted support directly into the home.  

“When nurses can assess and detect issues early, they can step in before something escalates into a bigger health challenge,” said August-Autry. “Early intervention during these visits has helped prevent unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital readmissions, offering families reassurance when they need it most.” 

Family Connects builds on the broader care experience offered at Touro’s Family Birthing Center, where families receive personalized support before, during, and after delivery — including prenatal education, lactation services, and postpartum nurse follow-up. For more than a century, Touro has been known as the place “where babies come from” in New Orleans. 

Appointments are offered to eligible families before hospital discharge. To learn more, visit the Family Connect website, email FamilyConnects@LCMChealth.org, or call (504) 897-8889. 

You can also watch this brief video to hear directly from families and nurses about the impact of Family Connects.