U.S. Senators Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, and Cory Booker today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services $10,821,021 for its Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program services to women during pregnancy and to parents with young children.

“Home visitations by nurses, social workers and other professionals are proven to improve the prenatal health, development, education and economic self-sufficiency of low-income children and families,” said Sen. Menendez, who was a key architect of the program. “This funding will go a long way to help us build upon proven programs in New Jersey that are already helping children in at-risk households.”

“Providing pregnant women and new parents with additional support and resources ensures that babies are born healthy and parents learn to provide the care their child needs to thrive,” said Sen. Booker. “This funding will help expand a proven program that supports families in need and will make a lasting difference in the lives of many New Jersey families.”

Through MIECHV, nurses, social workers, or other professionals visit at-risk families in their homes to evaluate their living situations and provide information on resources available to improve the health, educational, and economic opportunities for at-risk children. Resources include health care, early education, parenting skills, child abuse prevention, and nutrition education or assistance.

Sen. Menendez is the Senate champion of the MIECHV program and led the charge for a five-year reauthorization in 2017 to ensure families across the nation continue to receive services from this important program. In New Jersey, all twenty-one counties are served by this program.