Healthy You Healthy Hennepin

Sharing a common bond with their work 

After Kelil worked as a nurse at Abbot Northwestern Hospital for 13 years, she became a public health nurse and began working for the family home visiting program in Hennepin County. A public health nurse does many things, and Kelil's role includes visiting families at their home, while they are pregnant and during the early years of parenting. Her work includes health assessments for parents and kids, education on parenting, and more. That’s a service that she says she wishes she’d had when she became a parent.  

“I had my first child and didn’t know how important it is to have that support system,” Kelil said. “It didn’t matter that I was a nurse before, it was still a challenge to be a new mom. I wish I had this service when I was a new parent. I didn't have anyone; it was me and my husband. My friends didn't have kids.” 

Worku has a similar story. She immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia for college where she studied family studies. Worku has been at a few different organizations, and when the position at Minneapolis Public Schools opened for an instructor who speaks Amharic and Oromo, she explains that she “was so excited to get this job because I wanted this for so long for my community.”  

Having two adult children now, and raising them in the U.S., Worku is also familiar with the challenges of raising children in an unfamiliar culture, language, and landscape, away from family and everything she knows. She too said she wished she’d had similar classes when her children were young.  

How family home visiting meets the needs to its patients

Kelil works with clients in their homes, doing health assessments, teaching parenting curriculum and helping them during the first few years of their child’s life. Going into someone’s house is an intimate and vulnerable experience. Sometimes clients — especially those who are still pregnant — are hesitant with her being there. “Once they have a baby, they are usually less hesitant and start asking when I’m coming, because they really need your help,” Kelil says.

Regardless of your background, getting the hang of parenting usually comes with a very hard learning curve. “You are clueless when you have a new baby. It doesn't matter if you are an educated person or not, you are clueless” says Kelil.

Kelil recalls visiting a first-time mother who is a doctor and how the new mother said she felt clueless. “Imagine, regardless of your background, being a first-time mom, it’s really hard and challenging. Mainly you don’t have a lot of support or help, unless you have family nearby, but most people don’t.”

Once Kelil has established a relationship with her clients and they feel comfortable, she does an intake with them.

“We really get to know them, their strengths and weaknesses. They stay with you [on your caseload] for 3-4 years.” Kelil says, she always starts with where the mom is at, sometimes following curriculum, sometimes doing work before that if the mom is not ready. She sees part of her role as someone who “fills in the gaps between the healthcare system” and builds trust.

Kelil is there every step of the way. She recalls a story of a mom who had given just birth and began crying and breaking down during a visit. The mom was struggling with not sleeping and feeling very anxious. Kelil supported her and offered resources such as therapy, however this client was not yet interested. She then offered exercise, as the new mom was very active prior to pregnancy.

As the new mom started working out again, Kelil encouraged her to try more things to help her health.

“I see what you did back then, now I can see you doing this [next step],” Kelil said. She is always working to match the patient's pace to be supportive. “You are my cheerleader” expressed the new mom, who also shared, “I know you work this as a job, but you don't know how much this means to me.”

Early Childhood Education and its impact  

"I am sometimes the only one supporting a family,” says Kelil. “I want them to know they are not struggling alone, and I try to provide them as many resources as possible.”    

This is why she encourages her clients to go to Amharic and or Oromo language Early Childhood Family Education classes that Worku teaches at Minneapolis Public Schools. In addition to Amharic and Oromo, the schools provide this education in many other languages.  

In these classes, the students are in a group setting and can bond with one another In addition to group classes, Worku also goes to their homes to provide one-on-one education and to answer questions from clients. 

“Parenting in the U.S. is different than back home for us,” Worku says. “The families have a lot on their shoulders and plates... some are struggling with poverty - figuring out where they will sleep, eat, etc.” 

Culturally, mental health is discussed differently in Ethiopia than in the U.S. While the classes discuss different childhood development topics, such as screentime use and discipline, they also have discussions on general life topics and participants have opportunities to open up about things they are going through, such as isolation. These classes help provide mental health support in a way that aligns with their culture. Worku also creates group messages for class attendees to continue conversations outside of class to and get to know one another. There are a variety of options for parents to attend these classes, such as online and classes tailored to specific needs. 

Worku says the multi-cultural family educators at Minneapolis Public Schools have worked hard to maintain the cultures, and languages of the diverse communities of their students. She explains that along with the curriculum, the students get to be themselves, speak their language, and practice their culture and religion. The classes are not meant to have students give up these things, but instead to embrace them.  

“It is helpful to be rooted in who you are,” says Worku. One of these practices is to have coffee and tea in a traditional Ethiopian coffee pot, called a jebena. This is special to the classes and helps the families feel at home.  

The partnership between family home visiting and early childhood education  

The partnership between Hennepin County Family Home visiting and Minneapolis Early Childhood Family Education has been helpful for both programs. Both programs reinforce the topics discussed both at home visits and in the classes. For example, Kelil also educates new parents about screentime use and appropriate discipline strategies. It’s helpful for the participants, who receive consistent information across different programs they are involved in. Worku states that participants will say, “Sofia said to read a book!” “Atale said to read a book!” Worku and Kelil talk frequently to one another about each of their programming. With this partnership and success, the classes have grown since Kelil began referring her clients to these classes.  

“You really see the growth in parenting, you see a difference,” says Kelil.