Looking Back & Moving Forward with Veronda Durden
Category: News
September 12, 2023
This blog post is authored by Veronda L. Durden, President and CEO of Any Baby Can.
As is the case for many nonprofits, August 31 marks the end of our fiscal year. Over the last 12 months, we explored new opportunities, embraced partnerships, and found ways to innovate our traditional approaches. We worked to enhance our efficiency, expand our presence in Central Texas, and overcome challenges presented by the evolving landscape.
We fostered meaningful relationships throughout the year, such as strengthening connections with pediatric providers and local childhood support services. Our efforts extended to Austin Independent School District, People’s Community Clinic, Travis County Correctional Facility and the University of Texas Project LAUNCH, along with other established partnerships.
Our Impact, By the Numbers
Our focus remained firmly on the well-being of the families and children we serve. Through 47,904 in-person and 13,870 telehealth visits, we provided crucial support to 3,334 clients. We are proud to have offered over $498,572 in basic assistance, addressing essentials like food, medical equipment, gift cards, childcare and transportation for 1,283 families. Our front desk has triaged 2,000+ calls from the community and received 6% more program referrals from doctors, schools, and other partners. We also made sure 194 of our families received holiday gifts last year.
What Others Say About Any Baby Can
While those numbers give a glimpse of the scope of our impact, we know we’re making a difference in many people’s lives because they tell us!
Our clients report that:
- 98% are better able to handle stress.
- 99% feel more prepared to plan for their family’s future.
- 100% feel more confident in their ability to care for their child.
From our broader audience:
- 79 Net Promoter Score across all audiences, indicating that most clients and supporters would recommend Any Baby Can to others
- 96% of staff are proud to work at Any Baby Can
- 99% of staff say Any Baby Can is a great place to work
- Nearly 80% of audience surveyed agree that Any Baby Can is the first organization they think about for services that support parents and children.
Highlights and Key Successes
Throughout the last year we took the opportunity to share our work with our network and community. In case you missed it, here are some key highlights:
Innovations in Maternal Health – This video highlights the innovations funded by a grant with United Health Foundation, including increased mental health screenings and support, and providing blood pressure cuffs to clients and educating them about preeclampsia. These program innovations are saving lives!
Process Automation Project – This year we made progress on a Robotics Processing Automation (RPA) project. This project allowed us to automate duplicative Nurse-Family Partnership data entry into three separate databases. We’re seeing successes in staff efficiencies, reducing costs, and allowing our trained nurses to do what they do best: tend to clients! We’ll expand this automation project to other departments in 2024.
Baby Formula Shortage – In the midst of a post-pandemic world, many new moms found themselves without critical resources for their babies: formula. Due to a massive recall, parents couldn’t find baby formula, in particular those who need special types of formula. We played a role in securing and distributing formula to moms in need.
Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act – Congressman Lloyd Doggett championed home visiting programs like our Healthy and Fair Start and Nurse-Family Partnership programs before the House Ways and Means Committee, successfully advocating for the Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act. This doubles the funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, which supports several programs at Any Baby Can. Families who receive support from MIECHV are 34% less likely to need infant emergency care, and mothers are 28% less likely to report symptoms of anxiety.
Our Work in the 88th Texas Legislative Session – This year we effectively advocated for expanded Medicaid services for pregnant women, spotlighted in an article by The Texas Tribune. Our efforts led to HB 12, extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months post-partum. Our nurses were at the capitol for TX NFP State Education Advocacy Day, as stated in House Resolution 280. We engaged in impactful partnerships, exemplified by our collaboration with TexProtects, Texans Care for Children, The National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership and the Texas Tour among others.
A Legacy Lives on Through Giving - Harvest Classic European and Vintage Motorcycle Rally was organized by Central Texas Motorcycle Charities, a group run by the Dukes family and others who have had their lives affected by pediatric cancer. Through hard work and a dedicated community, they were able to reach the $1 million dollar mark, donating $1,010,000 to Any Baby Can over the last 20 years.
Ready Families Collaborative – Any Baby Can has been a part of the Ready Families Collaborative for more than 5 years, with dedicated partners like AVANCE, The Jeremiah Program, Communities In Schools and others. This collaboration allows us to coordinate services for families in multiple programs, increasing efficiencies and allowing us to be more strategic about service areas. Just last month we met with Austin City Council to advocate for early childhood services. As we reapply, we’re looking at increased funding to support the next stage of the collaborative.
A Force That Cannot Be Stopped
As I look ahead to the next year, I am focused on even greater successes in pursuit of our mission and vision of strengthening families so all children can succeed. We look to increase our impact and find opportunities for growth that are fiscally sound and sustainable. We know that our community needs more services, and so we continue to get up every day and do as much as we can for our neighbors here in Central Texas.
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