Plans for the coming year to promote NPM 1 (Well Women Care) will include the continued implementation of HWHF and collaboration with families, partners, and stakeholders in the newly implemented State Maternal Health Innovation Program.

The activities of the HWHF initiative and BIM reducing activities of breastfeeding and fatherhood support, as well as the expansion of Centering Programs and the doula pilot program continue to be implemented.  Due to COVID19, progress of the Centering Programs (which are types of group prenatal and parenting care) has been on a pause with individual telehealth sessions continuing. Telehealth mini-grants have been awarded from the Centering Healthcare Institute to New Jersey’s Centering programs.  Virtual group visits are also being established and help to connect pregnant women and new parents who are likely more isolated due to the COVID19 crisis.  Doula visits have transitioned into virtual visits including virtual doula support through the birth as needed and possible.  At least 79 doulas have received their training in the Uzazi Village model and are serving women.  HWHF Doulas will continue to participate in Medicaid’s Doula Stakeholder meetings. The Fatherhood initiative has been tremendously successful in northern New Jersey with over 84 men having attended an evidence-based curriculum in 24/7 Dad.  A statewide Breastfeeding Strategic plan is also being developed for DOH review.

The MIEC Home Visiting Programs and Healthy Start Programs will continue to case manage mothers and assure preventive medical visits through the monitoring of benchmarks which include a reproductive life plan, medical home and well women visits.

The DOH, FHS and the Office of Population Health will continue to focus on improving women’s and maternal health through the development and implementation of a maternal mortality and morbidity strategic plan. The Department is joining efforts with First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ Initiative and the legislature which has proposed a package of maternal health related bills. NJ Governor Murphy has directed the implementation of many legislative mandates to promote maternal health. These mandates include the development of annual report care of hospital maternal care, the establishment of the NJ Maternal Data Center, the NJ Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and the NJ Maternal Quality Collaborative; Medicaid coverage for doula care, a perinatal episode of care pilot program in Medicaid, and a shared decision-making pilot program.

The Nurture NJ 2021 Strategic Plan will continue to set the standard for the First Lady’s mission of reducing New Jersey’s maternal mortality by 50% over the next five years and eliminate racial disparities in birth outcomes, supporting the First Lady’s platform to make New Jersey “the safest and most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby”. In collaboration with the Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) team and NJ Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (NJMCQC) MCH continues to prioritize this goal to improve outcomes for women and infants. The Department’s focus on improving women’s and maternal health through the development and implementation of a maternal mortality and morbidity strategic plan will have a positive impact on reducing black maternal mortality and black non-Hispanic preterm births.

The Healthy Women Healthy Families (HWHF) Initiative will continue to develop partnerships with community-based maternal and child health providers/agencies with proven capabilities in implementing activities/interventions within a targeted community and the capability to focus on reproductive-age women and their families. Support for Black Infant Mortality (BIM) reduction programs in targeted BIM regions will continue to evolve. Support programs for breastfeeding and fathers will continue to be developed and evaluated. The Doula Bridge funding will provide support to the community doulas trained through the Doula Pilot Programs as they transition and enroll in NJ FamilyCare Medicaid fee-for-service and the Manage Care Organization’s process to become Medicaid providers. The newly initiated Doula Learning Collaborative (DLC) goal is to reduce maternal and infant mortality and eliminate racial disparities in health outcomes by providing training, workforce development, supervision support, mentoring, technical assistance, direct billing, and sustainability planning to community doulas and doula organizations throughout the State of NJ. Centering programs continue with both in-person and virtual groups and will focus on sustainability of the programs. The Burke Foundation has also launched an initiative of expanding centering pregnancy and parenting in NJ over the next 5 years, awarding funding for 5 sites each for implementation and training through the evidenced -based program of the Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI).

The goal of the HWHF Initiative continues to be to improve maternal and infant health outcomes for high-need women of childbearing age and their families, while reducing racial, ethnic and economic disparities in those outcomes through a collaborative coordinated community-driven approach. County-based consumer-driven advisory boards will continue to contribute to the direction and progress of the HWHF initiative and the Central Intake Hubs will meet quarterly to build partnerships and local referral systems. Rebranding of Central Intake is currently in progress to find a more appealing and trusted name that welcomes participants for referrals and services.

The CLG-CHW Training Institute will continue to enhance the professional development of CHWs and allow for a stronger workforce. The CLG-CHWI continues to expand its programs through state funding and now will include apprenticeships for perinatal CHWs, an initiative which will assist in improving maternal child health outcomes and Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs). The ELC will continue to collaborate with the CLG-CHW Training Institute, focusing on the prevention of disease and enhanced detection for COVID19, focusing on vulnerable populations.