New Jersey's Black Infants, Moms Face Mortality Gap: Lawmakers

“New Jersey black mothers and their babies are less likely to survive childbirth than any other race.” This comment from Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds Jackson – spoken at a meeting of the state Legislative Black Caucus this week – was just one of several stirring calls to action as a troubling public health trend reaches a crisis level, lawmakers say.

On Tuesday, members of the Legislative Black Caucus convened at a hearing at the statehouse to discuss the highly skewed mortality rate for African-American mothers and infants in New Jersey. The numbers speak for themselves, the lawmakers said:

• The overall rate of mortality in New Jersey is 4.8 deaths per 1,000 live births
• For black babies, the rate is 9.7 deaths per 1,000 births, compared to 3 per 1,000 for white babies.
• Of the maternal deaths in New Jersey, 46.5% are black mothers, compared to 13.7% Latina mothers and 12.8% white mothers

Lack of access to proper health care, family support, housing and employment stability and awareness of resources are some of the issues that may attribute to the state’s high mortality rate, according to a statement from the caucus.

“Black babies in New Jersey are more than three times as likely to die before their first birthday as white babies,” said Senator Ron Rice (Essex), caucus chair. “And according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the mortality rate is also almost twice as high as the infant mortality rate for all races.”

Assemblywomen Shavonda Sumter (Bergen/Passaic), vice-chair of the caucus, said that the trend is a serious public health problem.

“Pregnant women are not receiving the same level of healthcare when it comes to race and economic status in the state,” Sumter said. “We can see the results in the New Jersey’s high women and infant mortality rates. The numbers are devastating; 37 mothers die after birth per 100,000 new mothers. That’s nearly double the national rate. Clearly, we have to do more to meet families where they are.”

Assemblywoman Jackson (Mercer/Hunterdon) said that the situation has reached crisis levels.

“New Jersey black mothers and their babies are less likely to survive childbirth than any other race,” she urged. “We needed to bring everyone and discuss what has gone wrong and what we can do better. Saving our mothers and children must be a priority.”

Tuesday’s hearing also included testimony from First Lady Tammy Murphy, who didn’t pull any punches when she called the infant mortality gap “shameful” in May.

“Mothers run marathons every day to care for their families, and we should make sure that access to healthcare isn’t another obstacle in their way,” Murphy said Tuesday. “When we alleviate the burdens of social determinants of health, we will begin to reduce our maternal and infant mortality rates.”

Earlier this year, NJDOH Commissioner Shereef Elnahal said that reducing the state's infant mortality gap isn't going to be an easy battle. It's going to take a concerted effort from "community partners across the state" to combat a "lifetime of cultural and racial stressors in communities of color."

The same old solutions aren't enough, according to Elnahal, who identified "black infant and maternal mortality" as one of the top priorities for the Department of Health under the Murphy Administration when the governor appointed him as commissioner.

"We want to try a different approach because key maternal and child health indicators have not improved over decades in the state, and significant racial and ethnic disparities persist," Elnahal stated. (Story continues below)

One of the state's new tactics includes a $4.3 million series of grants dubbed the "Healthy Women, Healthy Families" initiative.

The program will provide funding to community-based programs to target activities in "high-need" areas throughout New Jersey. Locations of top priority include Atlantic City, Camden, Trenton, East Orange, Irvington, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson.

State officials said that high-risk women include:

• those with low-income and/or uninsured
• women with chronic health conditions
• women with multiple social or economic stressors
• victims of domestic violence
• individuals impacted by mental health issues, alcoholism and substance abuse
• women with minimal social supports
• women with unintended pregnancies

"These women on average attend fewer prenatal visits and are more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes," the NJDOH stated.

In addition, their families are less likely to have access to "consistent, comprehensive preventive and primary care services," NJDOH officials said.

Jackie Cornell, a deputy commissioner with the state Department of Health, told NJ Spotlight that other steps taken by the Murphy Administration to address the black-white infant mortality gap include expanding funding for women's healthcare, supporting food and nutrition programs for pregnant women and infants, and focusing on efforts that help at-risk women have safe pregnancies and healthy babies.

• See related article: NJ's Black-White Infant Mortality Gap Is 'Shameful'

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