Aubrey Whelan The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

PHILADELPHIA — When Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital began offering new mothers who gave birth there a follow-up visit with a nurse at home, Ebony Durant worried that the idea would be a hard sell for patients.

“I thought that families would not be receptive — they wouldn’t want us in their homes,” said Durant, a city health department employee who manages the program, known as Family Connects.

“But mothers have been really open, allowing us to come into their homes, meet their families — and allowing us to serve.”

About 40% to 50% of Philadelphia parents who have given birth at Einstein have opted in since Family Connects launched last summer, with 581 families receiving more than 1,000 home visits from nurses.

The visits start wi

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