Governor Murphy’s Proposed Budget Includes an Expansion of the Free Home Nurse Program for New Mothers; Funds for Online WIC Orders

Included in New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 state budget is an additional $20 million to expand the newly-enacted nurse home-visitation program for new mothers.

The program, known as Family Connects NJ, launched earlier this year but only in five New Jersey counties: Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Essex. However, the recently introduced budget proposal calls for an another six counties to be included in the program.

The budget does not specify which counties will be included but TLS has learned that Ocean County, which has more births than any other county in New Jersey, will be included in the expansion beginning in January 2025.

The Department of Children and Families says they expect the program to grow rapidly, serving just over 2,000 families during its initial stages but reaching over 16,000 in Fiscal Year 2025, which begins July 1.

Championed by First Lady Tammy Murphy, the program, which is completely free and eligible for all families – regardless of income, dispatches trained nurses to the homes of new mothers within two weeks of their hospital discharge.

The nurse checks the health of the mother and baby and determines if anyone in the family needs additional services, like lactation counseling or treatment for postpartum depression.

In addition, the budget proposal also includes funding for a pilot program to cover delivery fees for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) recipients who purchase infant formula and other WIC approved food items online.

Earlier this year, Governor Murphy signed a law allowing New Jersey residents receiving benefits under the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — known as WIC — to use their monthly funds toward online food purchases.

This content, and any other content on TLS, may not be republished or reproduced without prior permission from TLS. Copying or reproducing our content is both against the law and against Halacha. To inquire about using our content, including videos or photos, email us at [email protected].

Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

**Click here to join over 20,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**

**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**

Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.

2 COMMENTS

Comments are closed.