Applicant: New Jersey Department of Health (NJ DOH). Address: 55 N. Willow Street, Trenton, NJ 08608. Project Director: Marilyn Gorney-Daley. Phone: 609-984-1384. E-Mail: marilyn.gorney-daley@doh.nj.gov. Website: http://nj.gov/health/fhs/index.shtml. Purpose: New Jersey (NJ) is ranked 47th nationally for maternal deaths and has racial disparities in maternal/infant mortality. NJ’s 21 counties contain at-risk communities dealing with unemployment, homelessness, food insecurity, and a lack of culturally responsive healthcare. The NJ Department of Health (NJ DOH) is the lead agency for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) and the Title V Block Grant. NJ DOH along with the Department of Children and Families are collaborating on this Non-Competing Continuation Update (NCC) grant to strengthen the delivery of Evidenced Based Home Visiting (EBHV) services for at-risk families within a statewide early childhood system of care. Goals: The goals of NJ-HV are to improve maternal/child health (MCH), promote family well-being, prevent child neglect/abuse, and promote school readiness. The FY2022 MIECHV project goals include: 1) Continue to build state/local infrastructures for a coordinated system of MCH and early childhood care through an equity lens, and 2) Increase capacity and positive impacts of HV services. These goals will be achieved through the following objectives: 1.1) Continue planning with state, regional and local partners for MCH infrastructure development; 1.2) Bring together local and regional partners for continued planning and infrastructure building; 1.3) Increase the referral completion rate using the standardized assessment tools; 1.4) Share HV information and Connecting New Jersey information quarterly through standardized reports and CQI activities; 1.5) Develop data agreements, linkages, and reports between state partners; 1.6) Develop an annually updated fiscal sustainability plan with NJ Medicaid; 1.7) Cond
uct a Coordinated State Evaluation (CSE) of NJ-HV's workforce focusing on staff well-being and retention; 2.1) Convene CQI quarterly meetings with Lead Implementing Agencies focusing on increasing capacity, retention, family engagement, and HRSA Benchmark V; 2.3) Report standardized performance benchmark measures to promote referrals, eliminate duplication, and maximize enrollment and retention statewide to achieve a average of 85% capacity; 2.4) Achieve a statewide average of 60% for 1-year retention coupled with 85% visit completion rate. Methodology: With these funds, NJ will maintain three existing EBHV models: Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. These models provide free and voluntary MCH services for eligible families aiming to educate, strengthen and support families from pregnancy/infancy through preschool. As reported in the FY21 Annual Performance Report, NJ MIECHV programs served 5,520 families. For FY22 and FY23, the proposed caseload for each FY is 4,704 targeting all of NJ's 21 at-risk counties. NJ continues participation in the CSE with the overarching AIM to understand relationships among staff well-being, staff retention, organizational climate, and family retention. The CSE evaluation incorporates elements of health equity and precision home visiting research. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights NJs' adaptability to shift to virtual visits. As we move into a post-pandemic period, NJ EBHV programs will continue to meet the needs of our communities and provide a hybrid approach of in-person and virtual visits. NJ MIECHV supports health equity gaps related to COVID-19 with the implementation of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Eligible MIECHV clients will receive support from the following categories. ARP1: Emergency supplies, Prepaid grocery cards, and ARPR2: Hazard pay, technology, and Emergency supplies. NJ ensures appropriate linkages and referrals to EHBV, early childhood systems, and communit
y resources through Connecting NJ.