“Family Connects NJ is the most robust universal nurse home visitation program in the nation, providing the support new mothers need to ensure they and their families are healthy and thriving in the crucial weeks post birth.”
— New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy
In January 2024, New Jersey launched the Family Connects NJ statewide free universal newborn home visiting initiative with key support from the Burke Foundation.
Through Family Connects NJ — only the second such program in any state — every family can receive a free home visit from a nurse within a few weeks of welcoming a newborn. The nurses evaluate moms’ and babies’ physical and mental health; screen for potential complications; answer questions on such common topics as breastfeeding, safe sleep, and newborn care; identify challenges, and make referrals to community resources as needed. Visits are offered at no cost, regardless of families’ income, insurance, or immigration status.
Family Connects NJ is operational in:
As of November 2025, Family Connects NJ is operational in these counties: Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson, Bergen, and Ocean. Expansion continues, with all 21 counties expected to be served in 2027.
Meeting a serious need
New Jersey is ranked 28th in the nation for maternal deaths and its racial disparities for maternal/ infant mortality are among the widest.
The risk of death from pregnancy-related complications is seven times higher for Black women in New Jersey than white women. And a Black baby is nearly three times more likely than a white baby to die before its first birthday. Hispanic women also experience significantly higher risk of pregnancy complications compared to their white counterparts.
Though health problems that lead to maternal mortality, such as hemorrhaging or pulmonary embolism, can emerge during the period directly following birth, 40% of new mothers don’t see their health provider for a postpartum visit. They miss the lifesaving opportunity to catch potentially dangerous complications early.
A pilot program expands
In 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed landmark legislation making New Jersey the second state to provide nurse visits to families of newborn babies.
His action followed the success of the first-ever Family Connects pilot program in New Jersey. Launched by Trenton Health Team and Central Jersey Family Health Consortium that same year, with $3 million in funding and support from the Burke Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, the initiative offered a no-cost home visit by a registered nurse to all Mercer County families who delivered at Capital Health Medical Center.
From the start of Family Connects Mercer County nurse home visits in January 2022, through the end of the pilot in January 2024, nurses served 1,054 families and made over 3,200 referrals to community resources, many of which addressed such basic needs as food and diapers.
Nearly all mothers (97.9%) were screened for postpartum depression and intimate partner violence, and most families (97.8%) expressed satisfaction with the program.
Building on this pilot, New Jersey allocated $44 million for expansion in five counties beginning in January 2024.
Family Connects NJ today
As of 2025, over $94 million in public funds have been dedicated to this innovative and life-saving program for New Jersey families. Family Connects NJ continues to bridge the service gap between the delivery room and critical medical follow-up visits. It enables qualified nurses to meet families where they are most comfortable — their homes — to potentially life-saving checkups during a vulnerable time for new parents and babies.
