A Game Changer for New Jersey – Universal Newborn Home Visiting
A Game Changer for New Jersey – Universal Newborn Home Visiting
“Whether it’s your first child or your third child, whether you have Medicaid or private insurance, all moms need help during the postpartum period.”
– Family Connects Nurse Manager Grysmeldy Gonzalez, RN, BSN in NJ Spotlight News
Welcoming a baby is a momentous occasion, one that comes with many joys and challenges. In New Jersey, families can now receive crucial support in the days, months and weeks following a new arrival.
In January of 2024, New Jersey launched the nation’s second statewide free universal newborn home visiting initiative, Family Connects NJ, supported by the Burke Foundation. Through this program, families can receive a free home visit from a nurse within a few weeks of their child’s birth. During visits, nurses can evaluate both mom’s and baby’s health, screen for potential complications, answer questions about welcoming a newborn, address any unexpected changes families are experiencing, and make referrals to community resources based on a family’s specific needs. Visits are offered to all families at no cost, regardless of income, insurance, or immigration status.
Family Connects NJ is operational in Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer, and Middlesex counties and is expanding across the state.
“I can’t fathom that a mother could die due to maternity-related complications, or the baby won’t live past its first birthday and that’s because of the color of somebody’s skin. We signed up to try and move the needle here in New Jersey, and make New Jersey a safer, more equitable, and a fairer state for everyone.”
– New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy
Meeting an unmet need
New Jersey is ranked 27th in the nation for maternal deaths and has one of the widest racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality.
Health problems that lead to maternal mortality, such as hemorrhaging or pulmonary embolism, can emerge during the period directly following birth. Yet approximately 40% of new mothers do not see their health provider for a postpartum visit, where they can receive crucial support and services.
The risk of death from pregnancy-related complications is seven times higher for Black women than white women, and a Black baby is nearly three times more likely than a white baby to die before their first birthday. Hispanic women similarly experience significantly higher maternal mortality rates than their white counterparts.
In families served by Family Connects, infants had 50% fewer emergency room visits and hospital overnight stays in the first year of life.
Families enrolled in Family Connects had 44% lower rates of Child Protective Services investigations for suspected child abuse or neglect.
Mothers reported significantly more positive parenting behaviors like hugging, comforting, and reading to their infants.
A pilot program expands
In July of 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed landmark legislation that made New Jersey the second state in the nation to establish a statewide universal newborn home visiting program.
To ensure the success of the effort, the first-ever Family Connects pilot program in New Jersey was launched by Trenton Health Team and Central Jersey Family Health Consortium that same year, with funding and support from the Burke Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. The model offered a no-cost home visit from a registered nurse to all Mercer County families who deliver 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%) were satisfied with the program.
Building on this pilot, New Jersey allocated $44 million for expansion in five counties beginning in January 2024. In July of 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed landmark legislation that made New Jersey the second state in the nation to establish a statewide universal newborn home visiting program. To ensure the success of the effort, the first-ever Family Connects pilot program in New Jersey was launched by Trenton Health Team and Central Jersey Family Health Consortium that same year, with funding and support from the Burke Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. The model offered a no-cost home visit from a registered nurse to all Mercer County families who deliver at Capital Health Medical Center.
Growing the workforce
A robust supply of nurses that match the rich diversity of New Jersey’s population is critical to the success of the state’s universal newborn home visiting program. But how can we ensure an adequate workforce?
New research by EY-Parthenon’s Healthcare Strategy team highlights the best approaches to recruit nurse home visitors and potential pathways to hire and retain nurses of color. The market research and strategic roadmap, sponsored by the Burke Foundation in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF), will guide recruitment efforts for the home visiting program.
