As part of the State’s efforts to expand Family Connects NJ — New Jersey’s universal nurse home visitation program — the Department of Children and Families (NJDCF) has awarded contracts to two partner-agencies to make free nurse visits available to every family with a newborn in an additional six counties, including Ocean County, as first reported here earlier this year.

In addition to Ocean County, which leads the state in the amount of births per year, Somerset, Sussex, Passaic, Hudson, Bergen counties will also be included in the expansion.

The law establishing a universal nurse home visitation program was signed by Governor Murphy in July 2021, making New Jersey the second state in the nation to advance a universal home visitation program specifically designed to support parents and families welcoming a newborn through childbirth, adoption, or foster care placement, as well as families that have experienced the tragedy of stillbirth or neonatal loss. Family Connects NJ is a key component to First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative, which aims to make New Jersey the safest, most equitable state in the nation to deliver and raise a baby.

Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a leading cause of preventable pregnancy-related deaths in New Jersey, and the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee has found that the majority of pregnancy-related deaths occur postpartum. In fact, in March of this year, a total of 14% of nurse home visits—more than 1 in 10—resulted in a referral of a mother or an infant to the emergency room for follow-up on something that couldn’t wait for the regular checkup, with the most common reason being post-partum hypertension. This is critical since post-partum hypertension is a life-threatening complication commonly associated with stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.

In January, the program launched in five counties — Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Mercer and Middlesex.  Families can schedule their post-partum visit with a nurse at Schedule Your Visit — County Select | Family Connects NJ.

Through Family Connects NJ, a specially trained registered nurse (RN) or advanced practice nurse (APN) visits the family within approximately two weeks of the child’s birth. The program is free and entirely voluntary for New Jersey families welcoming a new baby, without any eligibility restrictions. Families will be eligible for up to three visits depending on their needs, but are typically served by one, 90-minute visit.