Northern New Jersey Maternal /Child Health Consortium

Northern New Jersey Maternal /Child Health Consortium

The Northern New Jersey Maternal / Child Health Consortium (NNJM/CHC) is an independent non-profit health planning agency licensed by the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) to be the hub of regional obstetric and pediatric care for women and children in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. Focusing on the underserved communities, the Northern Consortium has been a leader in promoting cultural competency and the elimination of racial/ethnic disparities in health and education.

At the "home" of the Consortium, in Paramus, New Jersey, the quest to improve access to quality and risk appropriate health services for women and children, begins. This is accomplished through the analysis of health statistics, identification of community needs, resources and system deficiencies. The Northern Consortium advocates for change in health care delivery, offers direct service by developing essential programs, and demonstrates effectiveness by monitoring its performance against stated objectives. Committed to guaranteeing that all children get care appropriate to their need, the Consortium looks at the array of health care services in order to address the missing links. Its major ongoing activities are:

• Health Planning - The NNJM/CHC assesses regional needs on an ongoing basis to identify at-risk populations and gaps in services. The Consortium utilizes this information as the basis for developing programs that address these gaps in services.
• Quality Improvement - The NNJM/CHC has established region-wide quality assurance/quality improvement monitoring by collection and analysis of data. This program of improvement is designed to identify the nature and severity of health-service problems.
• Professional and Consumer Education - The NNJM/CHC provides on-going area wide professional and consumer education for all perinatal and pediatric service providers in the region. As a part of this educational format, the NNJM/CHC schedules regional conferences/seminars and continuing education credit courses. The educational conferences/seminars specifically tackle challenging issues that enhance knowledge and motivate change in behavior.
• Program Development and implementation - In order to identify effective strategies, the Northern Consortium undertakes pilot projects that inform consumers about the importance of obtaining care and enhance provider sensitivity to the needs of patients. With a focus on accountability, the Consortium compares the end result of each program with its intended goals. Projects that successfully meet their original objectives become models for positive change.

The Northern Consortium houses the first Black Infant Mortality Reduction Resource Center in the country. The State of New Jersey established a Blue Ribbon panel on Black Infant Mortality to gain insight into the causes of this public health concern. The Northern Consortium’s BIMRR Center was established in response to the alarmingly high incidence of Black infant death, and in recognition of the Northern Consortium’s advocacy to eliminate disparities in pregnancy outcomes as a function of race.

Paterson Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), and Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies of Essex are affiliates of the Northern New Jersey Maternal / Child Health Consortium. The Northern Consortium oversees the affiliate Centers and serve as a member of their Board of Trustees.

Fetal Infant Mortality Review
The Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) is designed to reduce preventable fetal and infant deaths through anonymous case review. FIMR can provide insight into the causes of death in a specific location, which may influence federal, state, and local program planning and funding. FIMR provides opportunities for bereaved parents and families to share their feelings and concerns, as well as information and referrals to facilitate their healing.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Under the direction of the Northern Consortium’s, Regional Risk Reduction Specialist/Coordinator, the statewide initiative to reduce the occurrence of fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorders, works to assist prenantal and family planning service providers to meet this goal. The Northern Consortium provides professional education, consumer education, compilation and distribution of FAS/perinatal addition literature, analysis of the use by clinicians of the CAGE (a formal risk assessment tool,) a resource library, and website.

The Abbott Family Worker Supervision and Training Program
The Northern Consortium’s Family Worker Supervision and Training program, in conjunction with the nationally recognized Parent as Teacher (PAT) training, provides supervision to family workers serving Abbott contracted child care centers in Irvington and Passaic, New Jersey. Northern Consortium MSW’s provide family workers with training, mentoring, support and feedback regarding individual cases, referrals and interventions. The MSW’s ensure that PAT training for each family worker becomes a vital set of skills that can impact positively on the many challenging psychosocial and health issues facing each child and family. In turn, the family workers serve as an educational resource for the parent/caregiver/guardian to bring an awareness of the importance of early childhood development into the home.

Enrollment program into NJKidCare Program
Outreach workers will locate and educate families with eligible children and to assist the families to enroll in NJKidCare, a comprehensive and affordable health coverage program for children in New Jersey.

Regional Perinatal/Pediatric Plan
The Northern Consortium prepares a three-year regional plan based on extensive review of statistics and other information and includes the input of many stakeholders. The plan identifies key maternal and pediatric health issues facing consumers and health care providers in the northern New Jersey region and presents strategies formulated by the Consortium to address major areas of concern. The Plan has five major components including population characteristics and health status summary, existing resources, regional plans, regional needs and 2001 goals, objectives and activities.

Health Statistics
The Northern New Jersey Maternal / Child Health Consortium’s mission is to create opportunities to improve maternal and child health. In order to achieve the mission, the organization is focused on the analysis of health statistics and the identification of community gaps in services. The goal is to stimulate action to address identified patient needs. The objective is to effect change by providing analysis of data and providing expertise to public health officials, legislators, hospital chief executive officers, community based organization directors, and managed care organization executives on maternal and child health issues.

Highlights From Past Accomplishments:

NEIGHBORHOOD DOULA PROJECT
The Northern Consortium secured grant funds from a major philanthropy and facilitated the collaboration of six community agencies to develop the Neighborhood Doula Project (NDP). The Northern Consortium identified women with a history of substance abuse to be at high risk for a poor pregnancy outcome. This vulnerable population needed services.

The Northern Consortium identified women in the Paterson community, who were recovered substance abusers, were trained as Doulas to provide emotional and practical support to addicted pregnant women and their families before, during and after birth. The Doulas assisted these women to seek appropriate prenatal care and reduce risky behaviors, acted as labor coaches and advocates, and helped teach mothers how to care for their newborns.

Outcomes:

Clients reported that they were encouraged to stay drug free during the program and Doulas reported an increased sense of self worth. The qualitative results of the NDP were extremely positive for both clients and Doulas. Mothers claimed the Doulas helped them to stay off drugs and attend prenatal care appointments more regularly. The Doulas also served as teachers and linked mothers with critical social services. Doulas reported an increased sense of worth and self-confidence; many enrolled in higher education courses and became permanently employed following the NDP. Subsequent donations were received from independent community agencies to extend this project.

HIV PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
The Consortium designed and implemented an educational intervention targeted to this high-risk population. The Consortium was awarded a grant by the Bergen/Passaic HIV Council to provide information on AIDS prevention and treatment to women who do not regularly seek health care. Participants were enrolled from a homeless shelter, county jail, community centers, and adult education programs. Presentations were given on HIV infection and the potential benefits of AZT therapy if the mother is infected. Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure changes in participants’ attitude and knowledge.

Outcomes:

The Consortium program increased knowledge about HIV infection and improved attitudes about using AZT to decrease perinatal transmission. Study findings showed that 58% of participants expressed a desire to see an HIV counselor immediately post intervention. Nearly 80% of this group reported being seen by a counselor at the program’s two-week follow-up period. The Consortium learned the importance of providing education in a community setting using sensitive, knowledgeable educators. As a result of this effort, the Bergen/Passaic HIV Council contacted the CDC and encouraged them to incorporate Consortium study findings into their prevention/education initiatives for infected women.

MATERNAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR HISPANIC FAMILIES
Mutual of New York awarded the Consortium money to provide preconceptional and prenatal education and outreach to Spanish-speaking women in Bergen County. The Consortium developed and implemented the "Una Familia" program for Hispanic women at high risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Bilingual staff led Consortium classes on healthy lifestyles and prenatal care and distributed literature in Spanish at health fairs. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to understand patient belief systems.

Outcomes:

Participants increased their knowledge of pregnancy and were better prepared for childbirth. To establish a baseline, the "Una Familia" project examined the cultural sensitivity of area providers and found an absence of health information available for Spanish-speaking populations. The Consortium’s program demonstrated that Hispanic couples benefited from health information provided in their own language by educators familiar with their cultural norms and beliefs.

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