The latest plan to reduce New Jersey’s stubbornly high maternal and postnatal mortality rates for black women calls for a diversified workforce caring for pregnant and postnatal women and changes to payment incentives. increase.
The plan, announced Tuesday by the state’s health care advocacy group, includes prenatal visits and discussions in a group known as Centering Pregnancy, provided by St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson, and by nurses during the first three weeks. It builds on the success of programs such as Visiting Home. About newborn life. We also support her Nurture New Jersey awareness campaign launched by Mrs. Tammy Murphy to draw attention to New Jersey’s black maternal mortality crisis.
Linda Schwimmer, Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Health Care Quality said: Institute that created the “Maternity Action Plan”.
That workforce will need more midwives, doulas, community health workers and lactation consultants, not just doctors, she said. She said it needs to expand well beyond and address social, economic and mental health needs.
Nurture New Jersey Strategic Plan Says Advocates and Experts Address Racial Disparities in Childbirth Experience That Cause Black Women in New Jersey to Die from Childbirth Complications at Seven Times the Rate of White Women I’ve spent years on it. A black baby in New Jersey is three times more likely than a white baby to die within the first year of life.
Black women have the highest mortality rate in any other state, according to the United Healthcare Foundation. And while the United States as a whole has the highest new mother mortality rate of any developed country, New Jersey consistently ranks among her five worst states in the nation for overall maternal mortality. I’m here.
That data is primarily for 2018, so it does not reflect the impact of recent initiatives, including increased state and federal funding to address the problem, and the package of 14 state laws enacted in 2019. No. And change takes time.
“We are in a completely different environment than we were in before,” Schwimmer said, explaining why he thought the plan announced Tuesday had a better chance of success than previous plans.
The change in leadership that the Murphy administration focused on this issue has increased media attention and helped, as has a broader understanding and awareness of the role of systemic and institutional racism in health. I got
more:The project reports the story of ‘Birthing While Black’
more:Foster New Jersey’s plan to make New Jersey the safest and fairest place to give birth
“More people are getting involved at the community level,” she said. Her year-long project to develop a plan was undertaken by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Quality Institute said its recommendations were reviewed by the state health department.
Public reporting of data and advocacy has led to a sharp decline in early elective birth rates, with caesarean section or surgical delivery rates falling from 40% in 2016 to 26% in 2021. Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog group that collects survey data from hospitals.
But major changes are still needed, especially when it comes to how hospitals are reimbursed, she said.
For example, caesarean delivery has a higher rate of maternal-baby complications than vaginal delivery. Babies born by caesarean section are more likely to receive care in the neonatal intensive care unit, which is reimbursed at a higher rate than a typical neonatal nursery.
“We want care to be paid in a way that rewards the highest quality obstetric care,” Schwimmer said.
Data on maternal and baby health and hospital performance have been collected extensively in New Jersey, but they are scattered across many agencies and are not easy to use.
more:Governor Murphy Signs Bill to Lower Maternal Mortality
The report recommends collecting that information in a user-friendly format so that prospective parents can make better choices about insurance companies, doctors, other providers, and birthing sites (hospitals or birthing centers). I’m here.
“I don’t want to start with a whole new set of programs,” says Schwimmer, but would like to build and support existing programs that have a positive impact on maternal and child health.
One such program at St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson, CenteringPregnancy, received an award from the New Jersey Hospital Association in recognition of its work on Tuesday.
Pregnant women participating in this program participate in midwife-led group discussions on topics such as nutrition, labor, breastfeeding, stress management and infant care. These “group prenatal visits” also involve one-on-one time with a healthcare provider. Twelve groups (6 in English and 6 in Spanish) are currently underway.
Since its launch in February 2020, 160 women have completed the program and given birth. She had a breastfeeding rate of 90% of participants at discharge, but she had a 77% hospitalization rate. Only 17% delivered by caesarean section compared to 30% of her in hospital. And according to hospital data, 93% attended a postnatal visit, compared with 80% of clinic patients.
St. Joseph’s Hospital “cares for a very diverse and often underserved population,” said Dr. Roger Kiers, chairman of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department. “We are committed to addressing racial disparities in health care, especially prenatal care.”
The goal of such a program and the plan’s recommendations announced Tuesday are to reduce racial disparities in health care, but the effects will ultimately be broader, Schwimmer said.
“They are approaching obstetric care in ways that make it better for everyone in the state,” she said.
