Three nurses from Family Connects Chicago at Rush have been recognized with national awards from Family Connects International, highlighting their extraordinary impact on postpartum care in the Chicago community.
Darlene Hepburn, BSN, RN; Maura Benson, MSN, RN; and Stephanie Flores, DNP, RN, have received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Rising Star Award and Good Catch Award, respectively.
Hepburn received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her leadership, mentorship and years of dedicated service helping to build and grow the Family Connects program at Rush.
Benson was named this year’s Rising Star, honoring her exceptional skill, cultural competence and commitment to supporting families through home visits and health education.
Flores earned the Good Catch Award for her swift action and attention to detail, which led to life-saving interventions and empowered new mothers during critical moments.
“These nurses are the heart of what makes Family Connects at Rush so powerful,” says Angela Moss, PhD, MSN. “Their compassion, clinical expertise and dedication to health equity are transforming care for families across the city.”
Family Connects Chicago began in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health in 2019. Nurses from Rush University College of Nursing visit Chicago families around three to five weeks after birth to provide in-home and virtual services.
Services are free to all families who deliver their babies at Rush University Medical Center and live in Chicago. Family Connects nurses provide families with well-baby and mother checks, feeding and fussiness support, swaddling, bathing, diapering, safe sleeping information, postpartum depression services and more.
“These awards are not only well-deserved but also serve as a reflection of the excellence our nurses bring to every home visit,” said Kathryn Bender, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager of Family Connects Chicago. “We are so proud to see their contributions recognized on an international stage.”
Interest in the Family Connects services have been steadily growing since the partnership began nearly six years ago. The number of eligible patients visited grew from 41% in 2023 to 52% in 2024 and is on track to be close to 60% by the end of the year.
In 2024 the program received the International Board of Certified Lactation Consultants Care Award recognizing the commitment to “promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding and the lactation consultant profession,” becoming the only organization in Chicago with the distinction.
The Family Connects model is an evidence-based approach to supporting families during the postpartum period and is delivered in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health.
