News & Events

A Day in the Life of the Partnership

Parents at A Day of Remembrance honor their baby.

The Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey operates nearly 30 community and professional programs that help improve the health of women, children, and families across eight counties in northern New Jersey.  We directly reach approximately 40,000 people each year.

Our staff of 140 employees work through innovative and evidence-based programs that support pregnancy and new parenthood, empower communities, engage healthcare professionals, and advocate for quality healthcare for all.  From home visitation to immunization education, our programs provide critical education, resources, and support services.

We tracked one day – October 13 – across the organization.  Here are some of the highlights that demonstrate how our initiatives make an impact.

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  Nursing students at Saint Peter’s University pose with Partnership staff.

  The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Healthy Homes team hosted a professional educational webinar for Children’s Environmental Health Day. The virtual event attracted 58 participants and focused on Reducing Lead Exposure and Environmental Hazards Among Children & Pregnant Women.

• Community of Caring: The Greater Newark Doula Collaborative team finalized a list of the 15 candidates from 90 applications who will be offered to participate in a free community doula training program.
• The Emotional Well-Being and Fetal Infant Mortality Review programs hosted “A Day of Remembrance” which provided a safe space for parents who lost a baby to share and connect.
• Marie Kinsella, Director of Community Programs, addressed the NJ Clergy Roundtable Discussion at the NJ Black Issues Convention at Kean University to discuss the maternal mortality crisis and our work to eliminate health disparities.
• Our Healthy Women Healthy Families leadership team began planning the Connecting NJ expansion which will add 10 new positions that will bolster community outreach efforts. This program is critical to improving maternal health outcomes and reducing healthcare disparities.
• The Nurse-Family Partnership programs conducted 29 individual home visits and conducted community outreach.
• Healthy Families Essex hosted a site visit to review program progress while our Family Support Workers conducted 6 home visits, completed the PAT refresher training, and conducted outreach for new referrals.
• Smart Choices for a Healthy Life hosted a virtual education program about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and disabilities acceptance for 390 kindergarten – 2^nd grade students in Essex County.
• We attended an event hosted by nursing students at Saint Peter’s University to share information about the Partnership and Mocha Movement, our breastfeeding community for women of color.
• Partnership staff from our Perinatal Addictions Prevention, Connecting NJ, and professional education teams met with staff at two regional hospitals to discuss community needs, access to resources, use of the Perinatal Risk Assessment form, and continuing education opportunities.
• The New Jersey Immunization Information System staff conducted a fundamentals training webinar for 9 healthcare providers that will manually log into NJIIS and enter immunization information into NJIIS. This training provides an overview of how to utilize NJIIS, review inventory, add patients, and run reports.
• The COVID-19 Community Health Worker Program coordinated upcoming COVID vaccination events with Bayway Family Success Center, the Plainfield Family Success Center and Greater Bergen Community Action.
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  The FELLAS team hosted Couple’s Communication sessions and focused on outreach for the upcoming sessions.

  The FELLAS Fatherhood Program hosted three individual couple’s communication sessions, enrolling new fathers in the next 12-week session, and planning team recruitment/outreach initiatives.

• The Teen Outreach Program led two classes at a public school in Paterson. They created group guidelines and discussed expectations with 40 students who will participate in the program that promotes making healthy choices and sexual-risk avoidance.
• In honor of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month, the Unity Family Success Center hosted a virtual workshop with the SIDS Center of New Jersey. The program focused on safe sleep and best practices to follow to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
• The Excellence Family Success Center held a free parent-child activity in Dover for 11 families. The children learned about the history of Hispanic Heritage celebrations and made jewelry. The EFSC also held the bi-weekly citizenship class – the ongoing program has been very popular with local families.
• The Child and Adolescent Immunization prepared to launch the annual Protect Me With 3+ creative contest for middle and high school students.
• Step Up Vax Up College Vaccination Initiative finalized three campus information sessions at Kean University and William Paterson University to encourage students to promote vaccinations among their peers.

We are committed to supporting northern New Jersey residents every day.  Learn more about our programs here

Support our work with a donation, or join us for Cooking & Conversation on November 17.