Nicholson and Partners Support Centering Group Care Models in NJ Community Health Centers
4.25.2019
News
The Nicholson Foundation, The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation, and the Burke Foundation have joined the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) to support the implementation of Centering Healthcare Institute’s (CHI) evidence-based CenteringPregnancy® and CenteringParenting® models of group care across five community health centers in New Jersey. The three foundations will provide a total of $445,000 to improve infant and maternal mortality in the state. This effort is being conducted in partnership with the NJDOH’s “Healthy Women, Healthy Families” initiative to improve pregnancy outcomes in high-risk populations, address health disparities, and reduce black infant mortality.
The five sites are Paterson Community Health Center (Paterson), Alliance Community Healthcare Inc. (Jersey City), Henry J. Austin Health Center (Trenton), Capital Health (Trenton), and University Hospital (Newark). CHI will provide services to support the health centers, including implementation and facilitation training leading up to accreditation.
"In New Jersey, the infant mortality rate for Black infants is more than three times that of white infants - an unacceptable disparity. Our ultimate goal in bringing the Centering model to New Jersey is to create a community of practice that changes how prenatal and well-child care is delivered to reduce the disparities in infant mortality rates."
-Shannon Riley-Ayers, Senior Program Officer
The Centering models of care combine health assessment, interactive learning, and community building to support positive health behaviors and drive better health outcomes. CenteringPregnancy is a group prenatal care program shown to improve a wide range of birth outcomes, including decreased risk of preterm births, reduced low birthweight, and increased breastfeeding rates. CenteringParenting is a pediatric group care model that facilitates nine well-child visits over the child’s first two years and raises parents’ awareness of the child’s health, growth, and development by actively engaging them in the visits.