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DURHAM -- Two-year-old Chijul Tripathy was the picture of health and happiness Tuesday, and that's no surprise.
After all, she has a high quality of life, thanks to loving parents and another bonus -- Durham Connects, a program that sends nurses to the homes of newborns to support the family.
Chijul has benefited from the program, which is expanding this year to reach all newborns delivered in Durham hospitals whose parents live in Durham County.
Chijul may not have understood what the speakers were saying at Tuesday's press conference at the Durham County Main Library, but her bright eyes and constant smile said she was a happy child.
That's exactly what the program aims for: helping families of newborns attain the highest possible quality of life.
Since the program began in 2008, Durham Connects nurses have visited 1,713 families, checking the health of the newborns and mothers, giving them support and referring them when necessary to agencies such as social services and mental health.
Cjijul's father, Chittu Tripathy, said the nurse who visited his home soon after his daughter was born helped connect the family to a volunteer with the Grandparent Network, a program that matches senior volunteers who want to make a difference in the life of a child and family.
For the Tripathy family, that person is Carol Murray, who started visiting Chijul when she was 2 months old and continues to visit them in their home at least once a week.
"They have really brought a lot of joy into my life," Murray said. "I don't have grandchildren, but I've always loved babies. And so it's been a very, very pleasant experience."
The Durham Connects nurses are from the Durham County Health Department, including Jenny Mauch, who finds the work rewarding.
"I love it," she said. "I love it so much. They are so appreciative of you coming to their home and being a part of their lives."
Mauch does a lot of education for first-time mothers, and spends up to three hours per visit. She visits each family up to six times.
Gayle Harris, director of the Durham County Health Department, said she often encounters families that credit the program for improving their lives.
"Too often, parents with newborns may be isolated after all the extended family has gone away, and there may be needs there," she said. "And so our program is able to go in, help assess the situation, provide educational sessions about caring for a newborn, and identify those areas where they might need more help."
Durham Connects is funded by The Duke Endowment, a Charlotte-based nonprofit that supports health care and child welfare organizations in North and South Carolina. The program is a partnership of the Durham County Health Department and the Durham Family Initiative, which is collaboration between Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy and the Center for Child and Family Health.
