News and Events

Man 2 Man Fatherhood Program adds health component

JOctober 22, 2008   |   Back to News and Events

The Man 2 Man fatherhood program strives to help fathers provide financially, emotionally, spiritually and physically for their children. Thanks to a grant from the Duke Endowment, Man 2 Man is adding a health component to improve access to healthcare for low-income non-custodial fathers. The project’s overall goal is to improve men’s health through increased commitment to achieving and maintaining good health, access to health education, screening and referral for treatment services. 

Dawn Pender, a nurse practitioner, will work closely with the program to provide health education, health screenings, coordinate HIV/AIDS education and screenings and help fathers access health services for more serious conditions. Dr. Travis Novinger of Cheraw will also be playing an important role in the project.  Dr. Novinger will serve as Mrs. Pender’s local medical preceptor while she is performing services at Man 2 Man.  Dr. Novinger has been a doctor in Cheraw since August 2002, working for Chesterfield General Hospital.  He has been in his own practice since April 2004, practicing family medicine. 

This collaborative partnership with Dr. Novinger allows the nurse practitioner to see program participants for basic medical care and refer to local health care providers/facilities when necessary. This is a wonderful benefit to the program so that participants can have on-site access to health services. 

Low-income fathers often do not have health insurance and experience a high prevalence of chronic disease, illness and substance abuse problems.  Virtually none of the fathers receive government assistance, most work at low paying jobs without benefits, and very, very few have access to prevention and screening services or a medical home.  Many of the fathers’ jobs are physically demanding.  When fathers are sick they can’t work which means they can’t pay child support payments that are critical to their child’s well-being.

The heart of the Man 2 Man fatherhood program is to strengthen relationships between fathers and their children in Marlboro County by helping fathers nurture the emotional, spiritual and economical development of their children.  Realizing that the issues and barriers faced by the fathers are complex, the program involves multilayered components such as counseling, values assessment, parenting, employment, legal rights and responsibilities and "Alternatives to Incarceration" for non-payment of child support.