Nurture NJ is an awareness campaign that seeks to reduce the state’s high maternal and infant mortality rates and eliminate racial disparities in health care.
The Department of Health is committed to using research, data, and state-wide outreach collaboratives to end preventable morbidity, mortality and racial disparities in New Jersey maternity care and to improve health outcomes for mothers.
On this site, you will find:
The most recent maternal data
Information about state services and resources
Focus areas
Recommended readings
NJHCQI Recommendations
The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, at the request of the State and several foundations supporting perinatal care in New Jersey, led a work group that brought together neonatologists, obstetricians, doulas, midwives, labor and delivery nurses, social workers and others to create: Recommendations of the New Jersey Perinatal Care During COVID-19 Work Group.
The document provides specific and clear guidance aimed at ensuring that all pregnant individuals obtain safe and equitable care despite the social distancing and infection controls necessary to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The recommendations focus on safety and accommodations to support pregnant individuals in areas such as:
Safety and accommodations during prenatal visits
Advance communications to patients on changes in protocols for arriving at the hospital to deliver
Protocols for COVID-19 testing of pregnant individuals
Ways to support patients through labor and delivery when there are limitations on the number of support persons that can be with them in person
Protocols for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 positive patients
Lactation advice for COVID-19 positive patients
Consideration of resources and supports needed postpartum when hospital discharges may occur more quickly and access to supplies and food can be more challenging due to the statewide health emergency
Maternal Health Report Card
The Maternal Health Report Card is a yearly report of maternal healthcare provided at NJ licensed acute general care hospitals (per statute P.L. 2018, c.82)
NJ mothers giving birth in NJ hospitals (demographics)
Outcomes associated with giving birth, including surgical/cesarean birth rates and complications rates
Focus On: Unnecessary Surgical Births
The Challenge
Key Data
Leaders of the following hospitals have formally committed to working to achieve a NTSV cesarean birth rate of 23.9% or lower at their birthing hospitals by December 31, 2021.
AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Inc.-Mainland Campus
Cape Regional Medical Center, Inc
Capital Health Medical Center Hopewell
CarePoint Health - Christ Hospital
CentraState Healthcare System
Chilton Medical Center
Clara Maass Medical Center
Community Medical Center
Cooper University Hospital
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack-UMC Mountainside
Hunterdon Medical Center
Inspira Medical Center Elmer
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Inspira Medical Center Woodbury
Jersey City Medical Center
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
JFK Medical Center / Anthony M. Yelencsics Community Hospital
Monmouth Medical Center
Morristown Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newton Medical Center
Ocean Medical Center
Overlook Medical Center
Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center
Raritan Bay Medical Center - Perth Amboy Division
Riverview Medical Center
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Saint Peter's University Hospital
Southern Ocean Medical Center
St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center
Trinitas Regional Medical Center
University Hospital
Valley Hospital
Virtua - Memorial Hospital of Burlington County
Virtua - West Jersey Hospital - Voorhees
Unnecessary surgical births are too common in New Jersey. Towards ensuring that New Jersey becomes the safest place to give birth, one of the first statewide priorities is to reduce Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex (NTSV) cesarean birth rates to bring hospitals in line with the national target established in Healthy People 2020.
Providing Labor and Delivery Support to Loved Ones during the COVID-19 Emergency
During the COVID-19 emergency, hospitals are required to allow one designated support person to be with an expectant mother during labor and delivery. Once the support person has been selected by the expectant mother, that person may not transfer their duties to another person. Hospital staff will repeatedly screen the support person for COVID-19 symptoms for the duration of their role.