“Postpartum care is as important as prenatal care,” said Assemblywoman Shanique Speight. Speight (D-Essex) joined advocates to welcome the official launch on Tuesday of Family Connects NJ, a program offering at least three in-home visits by a nurse to mothers and their newborns.
The program is designed to be open to everyone, regardless of income, insurance or immigration status. Only Oregon offers something similar. Its most vocal proponent, first lady Tammy Murphy supported the concept before she announced her run for U.S. Senate. The challenge — overcoming problems posed by inequity.
“I believe those practical problems are the very same ones at the heart of our maternal health crisis and are the direct result of systemic racism,” Murphy said at a roundtable in Trenton on Tuesday celebrating the launch.
Nurses with Family Connects NJ will screen for postpartum depression, child abuse or neglect, and potential partner violence. They will offer guidance on breastfeeding, infant care and development, and help connect families to social services like housing and economic assistance, said legislative sponsor Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex).
The program has goals to reduce New Jersey’s maternal mortality by half within five years and eliminate racial disparities in outcomes.
“We still have a long way to go but this, I think, is a game changer,” said Christine Norbut Beyer, commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.
But in political terms, what differentiates this event from a campaign function for Tammy Murphy? Patricia Campos-Medina, one of Murphy’s opponents in the Democratic Senate primary race, said the event gave Murphy an unfair advantage.
“So at this point I am calling for the first lady to actually stop using her official role as first lady and going to places to campaign,” Campos-Medina said. “They claim they’re not campaigning, but they’re getting access. So the concern is real.”
Murphy said, “Anything I’m doing in my life, I’m completely consistent. … Nurture NJ, it’s something I’ve been working on for years. So as first lady I’m thrilled to be here now and get the word out on this.”
Murphy said the $35 million Family Connects NJ program rolls out first in Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Essex counties, where it has operated as a pilot program, and will expand annually until the state is covered.
