RFI 265025 Welcome Family Statewide Expansion

Background
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, through its Department of Public Health (DPH), is expanding the Welcome Family Home Visiting Program to serve all families across Massachusetts. This initiative is part of a comprehensive maternal health law signed by Governor Healy in 2024, aimed at promoting access to midwifery care and out-of-hospital birth options. The program seeks to create a network of service providers across all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, ensuring that families with newborns receive essential support and services.

Work Details
The Welcome Family program offers a universal, one-time nurse visit to all families who have given birth or are caring for a newborn within the program's defined catchment area. The visit lasts 90 minutes and can occur in-home or via telehealth, ideally conducted between two to four weeks postpartum. Nurses with maternal and child health experience will perform clinical assessments, screen for health and social needs, provide counseling and education, and make referrals to community services.

The visit includes the use of the Welcome Family Assessment Tool covering six core areas: clinical assessment of the parent and infant, unmet health and social needs, nutrition support, emotional health, substance use issues, and domestic violence screening. After the visit, follow-up calls will be made two to three weeks later to assess outcomes and address any new concerns. Additionally, families will receive a Welcome Family bag containing educational materials.

Period of Performance
The RFI responses are requested by February 27, 2026. The exact period of performance for the contract will be determined following the subsequent Request for Responses (RFR) that DPH intends to release.

Place of Performance
The program will be implemented statewide across all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

Bidder Requirements
Respondents are encouraged to provide information about their organization’s experience with home visiting programs. There are no specific set-aside certifications mentioned in this RFI; however, DPH hopes that existing Welcome Family agencies, home visiting agencies, Early Intervention agencies, WIC local agencies, municipalities, and other capable organizations respond.