Nurses at the forefront of change
The impact of the new home visiting program is clear, nurses involved say
This is the first piece in “The Change Project” series, which explores New Jersey's social and economic challenges — Focus on promising actions that led to positive change.
Like many of her colleagues, Grismeldi Gonzalez, an obstetric nurse, has seen firsthand how the health care system is not routinely admitting new mothers and infants.
Gonzalez and her colleagues say that while many women leave the hospital with the joy of having a baby and a mountain of paperwork, they also lack practical knowledge of what they will face in the postpartum period and how to keep themselves and their child healthy. He said it was limited. And unlike many other countries, there is little domestic infrastructure to support them.
“I have experience working 12-hour days in hospitals, and everything moves so fast,” said Gonzalez, a nurse manager at the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium.
“I always felt like I could do more,” she said.
Emily Smilovic, a Consortium nurse who previously worked in the hospital's maternity ward, agreed. She said, “There just isn't enough time and mothers are very tired.''
That paradigm may now be changing thanks to Family Connect New Jersey, a home visiting program for new mothers and infants launched in January by the state Department of Children and Families. He is starting in five counties: Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer, Middlesex and Essex, with other counties being added each year until expanding statewide from 2027.
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New Jersey is deploying this program to strengthen families, improve maternal and child health, and reduce significant racial disparities in the health outcomes of new mothers. Success depends on the work of front-line nurses like Gonzalez, Smilovic and their colleagues who make the visits. Also critical is the role of program support staff like Mara Carrillo, whose job is to register families and help them connect with services. The program is free, voluntary and open to everyone, and is also an option for families who have adopted or experienced a stillbirth.
Helen Hannigan, president and CEO of the Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative, which handles nursing visits in Cumberland and Gloucester counties, said, “This model is based on what we know to be best practices. It reflects that.”
Nurses know their work is not easy or quick, but the impact is clear. With Family Connects, “Visits can last two hours, and we have follow-ups, so the fact that we can put in the time is what really makes this job so rewarding,” Gonzalez says. , her colleagues nodded in agreement. Home visits give nurses a more complete picture of the challenges the family is facing. The nurse can weigh the baby, talk to the mother about the baby's recovery, and make sure there are working smoke detectors and heat in the home. They take this opportunity to heart and their enthusiasm for this program is very deep.
“We take seriously the privilege of entering their private spaces,” said Yasily Benitez, a Family Connect nurse with the consortium who also benefited from the program after giving birth to her daughter last summer. said.
“You're entrusting me with your most precious gift, your baby. And it's very personal,” she said. “It's a big deal. We don't take it for granted.”
Program leaders emphasized that families who agree to participate must trust the participating nurses, and research shows families are more likely to do so if they share a racial or ethnic background. It is shown. As a result, there is a push to hire more black and bilingual nurses, which has proven difficult in some regions. Nearly 30% of births in New Jersey involve Hispanic parents, according to state data.
“We are making every effort to increase diversity. [hire] “Central Jersey Consortium CEO Robin Doria said: Some Family Connect agencies are working with nursing schools to build pipelines, visiting Black churches and holding community events to spread the word about the work. There are some places.
But in South Jersey, program leaders received dozens of applications, many from nurses with experience in maternal and child health. “This was a wonderful surprise,” said Jenny Sherlock Loeb, chief clinical officer for the Southern New Jersey Cooperative. Hannigan said fair pay and good benefits help attract staff.
Like Gonzalez, some of the nurses currently working at Family Connect New Jersey also made home visits during Mercer County's privately funded pilot program, which ran from 2021 to 2023. Several praised the experience, especially when compared to working at the hospital bedside.
While community nursing pay doesn't always match what you can earn at the bedside, the patient workload is light and there are usually only a few visits a day, so many people choose to care for their children. He said he could be involved. They are also surprised that hospitals are struggling to find caregivers, and that nurses at RWJ Barnabas University Hospital in New Brunswick went on strike for five months last year due to staffing issues. That's not the point.
Consortium nurses Lillian Dieudonne and Tara Crandle said they felt rushed and undervalued while working at the bedside, but they enjoy the impact they can have by working in the community. He said he was there. “It's rewarding to be in a home with a family,” says Katherine Clemens, a Consortium nurse who briefly worked at the hospital. “This has always been my goal.”
The team at the Northern New Jersey Maternal and Child Health Partnership, which handles home visits in Essex County, is equally enthusiastic. “They love being in the community and seeing their families where they are,” said Chief Nursing Officer Emily Haynes.
Jenny Jensen, acting chief executive officer of Family Connects International, a Durham, North Carolina, nonprofit that helps communities implement programs, said this sentiment is not unique to New Jersey. He said hospitals in many states are struggling to find staff, but interest in community nursing remains strong.
“The great thing about Family Connect is that we can care for one family at a time. It's actually a great job for nurses,” Jensen said. “I'm hearing feedback like, 'This is the best job I've ever had,'” she said.
Feedback from families also motivates nurses. When Mr. Carrillo, who worked with his team in Trenton during the pilot program, called families for follow-up requests, the families were almost always grateful for the assistance provided by Family His Connect.
“I feel comfortable talking to the nurse. I feel very safe when I'm with her,” said one mother.
“You helped me a lot. I felt supported emotionally. You made me feel important as a human being. Both I and my children are important to you.” “I feel like I'm a great person,'' said another.
“It's so reassuring to know that there are people who will support you and make sure you and your baby are okay after you leave the hospital,” said a third person.
These comments also make Carrillo proud. In fact, she's such a fan of the program that she took a job at Central Jersey Her Consortium just to stay involved. “It’s great to be able to support these families all the way and know that they received what they needed,” she said. “They all really appreciated the kindness and care of the nurses.”
The cover photo shows Grismeldi Gonzalez, a nurse manager at the Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, on her way to a postpartum home visit. (All photos by John Mooney)/New Jersey Spotlight News)
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transformation project is part of chasing dreams A multi-platform public media initiative by WNET Group. We report on the challenges New Jersey faces in a variety of social justice and equity areas and highlight promising remedies. Our report focuses on inequalities in different aspects of life, from birth to schooling to access to affordable housing. We also focus on what has worked elsewhere to make people's lives better, and what lessons we can learn for the future.
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