Advancing Birth Equity in New Jersey, 2026

This summary distills findings from a Princeton School of Public and International Affairs’ Policy Task Force. Raquel Mazon Jeffers and Wendy McWeeny were part of a team from CHAP that led the task force, which examined Nurture NJ’s multi-pronged effort to make the state the safest place in the nation to give birth and raise a child, specifically by centering the goals of the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority (MIHIA).

The report provide evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen maternal and infant health equity and was prepared for MIHIA, First Lady Tammy Murphy, policymakers in the Governor’s and First Lady’s Offices, the New Jersey Commissioner of Health, the New Jersey Office of Women’s Health, and Nurture NJ partners.