One way that New Jersey has tried to address its ranking as among the worst states in the nation for maternal and infant health outcomes was by launching the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority. The inaugural meeting of the authority’s board was last March.
One year in, Lisa Asare, president and CEO of the authority, says the focus so far has been about building networks and relationships within the community, and strengthening partnerships with 22 participating state departments and agencies.
“We really built the infrastructure for the state authority, built relationships, built the MIHIA team, and we’re actually involved very deeply in the development of the building … in the city of Trenton, the new Innovation center,” Asare said in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
The authority is also focused on building the perinatal workforce and tracking data through its maternal data center, to see where it is having the most success, Asare said. It has also partnered with Access Link to provide transportation to women who can’t otherwise make it to their doctor appointments, to eliminate that barrier to care.
This report is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
