Partnership With Healthy Families Loudoun Celebrates Lasting Effects

David Robinson displays a painting that twins Alex and Christian Marquez made to thank the Foundation

February 15, 2005 — MotherNet/Healthy Families Loudoun, one of 10 sites that the Freddie Mac Foundation helped open in the metropolitan Washington, D.C. area, recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and partnership with the Foundation. David Robinson, director of Community Relations Operations; and SVP and COO of the Freddie Mac Foundation, accompanied the organization’s executives to visit a family in Leesburg that has benefited from our support. This was a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation to interact with a family, and observe how our investment is making a profound difference in the region. The family’s story also demonstrates how the Foundation works to reach families with the greatest needs.

The Marquez family story begins when the Loudoun County Health Department referred Deysi Marquez to Healthy Families Loudoun after she had given birth to very premature twin boys, Alex and Christian. Deysi was overwhelmed with seemingly insurmountable challenges: everything from the medical condition of her children to financial difficulties to transportation issues to language barriers to inadequate housing. But most troubling among these pressures was her inability to develop a real bond with her children, and absence of parenting skills.

Healthy Families Loudoun Outcomes

This organization has achieved nearly 100 percent on all key objectives:

No reports of child abuse or maltreatment reported in any cases
99 percent of children in families enrolled in program have a primary health care provider
91 percent of children in families enrolled in program are immunized on schedule
87 percent of enrollees completed all recommended prenatal care visits
96 percent of teen mothers enrolled did not have an additional birth within two years
98 percent of children in enrolled families were healthy birth weight
98 percent of children in enrolled families demonstrated normal child functioning

Source: MotherNet/Healthy Families Loudoun

Healthy Families Loudoun pursued Deysi’s special case to assist this young mother cope with her children’s health issues and help her bond with them. Four years later, Deysi is a loving mother who has developed parenting skills and an understanding of child development expectations. Healthy Families Loudoun helped her family when no one else in the community could, and continues to ensure the family’s health and progress.

In late January Healthy Families Loudoun professionals evaluated the family as part of the home visit and the Foundation’s Robison met the family and played with the boys. Ellen Crosby, a Washington Post reporter also took part in the home visit with the family and wrote an article about the experience that ran on February 10, 2005.

David told the family how impressed he is with their success, and presented Deysi and the boys’ father Sebastian with a $1,000 savings bond from the Freddie Mac Foundation in each of the twin’s names. The bonds will help the boys continue to reach their dreams. Healthy Families Loudoun gave David a painting that the twins made to thank the Foundation.

The Freddie Mac Foundation has invested more than $16 million to help expand Healthy Families America at the national, state and local levels since 1992 – and $1.1 million in the Loudoun program alone. That’s because the home visitation program virtually eliminates child abuse and neglect before it ever starts. The demand for child abuse prevention services is especially great in Loudoun County, Virginia – the fastest-growing county in the nation. Countywide, Loudoun has documented an explosive increase in the number and severity of Child Protective Services complaints. Yet, the 17,000 families helped by Healthy Families Loudoun over the years have demonstrated strong and positive outcomes. Through programs like Healthy Families Loudoun, the Freddie Mac Foundation will continue to reach the children in this region who most need assistance.