Spotlight Interview: Mary Iosbaker BSN, RN, PHN

Mary Iosbaker has almost 30 years of experience as a nurse. She has been with Hennepin County’s Family Home Visiting Program (FHVP) since 2013, starting as a Public Health Nurse providing direct home visits. In 2019, she transitioned into her current role as the Referral Source Liaison Public Health Nurse for Hennepin County Public Health and FHVP. In this role, Mary builds and maintains connections with the county’s major health system partners, including Hennepin Healthcare, Allina Health, and M Health Fairview, as well as with community clinics and organizations that support families and children. She works closely with medical personnel such as providers, nurses, and social workers who serve the same families and populations supported by the FHVP.

The Hennepin County Public Health Family Home Visiting Program’s mission is to advance health and racial equity through science, prevention-focused, inclusive public health policies, practices, and services. Hennepin County prioritizes supporting healthy pregnancies, ensuring children are born healthy, helping them remain healthy, and promoting their development to reach their fullest potential.

The Family Home Visiting programs provide services to families during pregnancy and the postpartum period that will help them adjust to a new baby in the home, provide nursing assessments, assist in accessing resources, ensure children are meeting developmental milestones, and so much more! Families that would like to enroll in this program must be living in Hennepin County (minus Bloomington, Richfield, and Edina, which are served by the Bloomington Public Health Department). All services are free of charge and families do not need insurance. Bilingual staff or interpreters are available for families who do not speak English. To get connected to the county’s Family Home Visiting services, there is an easy, online referral form available for medical professionals to make a referral or families have the option to self-refer.

Hennepin County’s Family Home Visiting Program (FHVP) serves families from pregnancy, birth, and through age 4 ½. Services are delivered using either evidence-informed interventions or one of four evidence-based home visiting models, each designed to meet families where they are at in their journey. The providers of these Family Home Visiting (FHV) services include a public health nurse team and three contracted organizations, including St. David’s, the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, and Youable Emotional Health Services. After receiving a referral, FHV staff contact the family by phone, text, or email to schedule an initial visit. The Home Visitor will meet families in a location where they feel most comfortable and during these visits, the home visitor builds a trusting relationship, helps identify the family’s strengths, needs, and interests, and collaborates with them to determine which services will be most beneficial, including how frequent visits can occur.

Short-Term Visits:
When families are unsure of the specific support they need, Public Health staff offer an initial visit, establish rapport, and assess immediate needs. This approach may also include one-time or limited visits, such as prenatal or postpartum support provided in the home.

Long-Term Model:
Families may enter these evidence-based models through a direct referral or transition from short-term services once ongoing needs are identified. The long-term model offers a more structured and consistent visit schedule tailored to the family’s goals and program requirements. Families can remain enrolled for as long as services are beneficial or up to the end of their program guidelines.

Family Connects: Family Connects is a short-term, evidence-based postpartum program offered in partnership with Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC). This universal program is available to all families who deliver at HCMC and reside in Hennepin County (minus Bloomington, Edina, and Richfield). This inclusive program provides an initial postpartum visit with a public health nurse with a particular focus on connection to resources, with the option to have another visit or transition into longer-term services if additional support is needed.

Teen Hope & Pathways Program: Teen Hope & Pathways is a program that supports youth (under the age of 20) who are pregnant or parenting and have not yet earned a high school diploma or GED. Services are provided by a multidisciplinary team and include nursing support, social work services, and parenting education, with a focus on both health and educational outcomes.

Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP): Nurse-Family Partnership is a long-term program for individuals who enroll during pregnancy. The program provides ongoing, nurse-led home visiting services from birth through age two.

Healthy Families America (HFA): Healthy Families America is a long-term program available to families who enroll during pregnancy or within the first three months after birth. This is a four-year comprehensive program that is delivered by the public health nurse team, St. David’s, or Youable Emotional Health.

Parents as Teachers: Parents as Teachers is a long-term, parenting support program delivered through FHVP’s contracted community partners, including St. David’s and the Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery. Services are provided by trained professionals and are available from pregnancy through age five with a focus on child development, school readiness, and strengthening parenting skills.

Pediatric Nurse Specialists: The Pediatric Nurse Specialist team provides specialized pediatric support for families with children who have complex medical needs. They help families better understand their child’s health conditions and connect them to appropriate resources and services. Areas of focus include conditions such as asthma, lead poisoning, and other chronic health concerns. Services are available to families with children from birth through age 17.

Mary shared several powerful and inspiring stories from her experience with Hennepin County’s FHV. One that stood out was about a public health nurse who, as part of her routine postpartum visits, brings a blood pressure cuff and a baby scale. During a visit with a new mother—who had no history of hypertension—the nurse took her blood pressure and noticed it was dangerously high. With that moment of care and attention, the mother was connected to her doctor and readmitted to the hospital, a decision that ultimately saved her life.

This story highlights the importance of being present, building trust, and catching concerns early. It’s about making sure families are connected to their healthcare providers and supported in taking the next best steps for both mom and baby.

Mary highlighted an impressive achievement within Hennepin County’s FHV through the Family Connects program. The program has reached an 85% success rate across the full continuum of care—from receiving a referral, to successfully connecting with the family, completing a home visit, and delivering services tailored to their needs.

Nationally, Family Connects programs require a 60% population reach. Our nurses average a 75% population reach. At any visit, our nurses complete about 90% of what is required within the Family Connects program. The program goal is 75%, making Hennepin County’s performance a strong example of what’s possible with consistent outreach and family-centered care.

Hennepin County’s Family Home Visiting Program is referred to as “home visiting,” as this is the standard terminology used at both the state and national levels. However, the program prides itself on meeting families wherever they feel most comfortable, whether that is in their home, at a friend’s home, a public library, in a park, or at a coffee shop.

Over time, the program has continued to adapt to meet the changing needs of the community. During COVID-19, services shifted to include virtual visits to ensure families could still access support. More recently, during increased immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis, the program further adapted by enhancing services, such as incorporating midwife-informed training for Public Health Nurses to support routine check-ins with pregnant clients.

Mary emphasized that this flexibility is at the core of public health. The ability to continuously evolve and respond ensures that families are supported in ways that are accessible, relevant, and grounded in where they are in their journey.

Hennepin County’s Public Health Department and Family Home Visiting Program can be followed on Facebook. Their Family Home Visiting program also has a Community Advisory Board, which gathers input from other family home visiting, early childhood professionals, and parents. The Advisory Board is always looking for new members!

Mary’s biggest advice is to volunteer. Volunteer at food shelves, farmers’ markets, community events, and other local initiatives, and encourage others to get involved as well. Share opportunities with those who may benefit. Word of mouth can go a long way and is incredibly meaningful when building connections in the community.