New Jersey Maternal Data Center

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

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

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)

The interactive website is designed to provide information about:

• NJ mothers giving birth in NJ hospitals (demographics)
• Outcomes associated with giving birth, including surgical/cesarean birth rates and complications rates

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.

Recommended Resources

• Early Elective Deliveries (CMQCC)
• NTSV C-Section Reduction (NJPQC)
• Safe Reduction of Primary Cesarean Birth (Council on Patient Safety in Women's Health Care)

Key Definitions

Recommended Resource