Nurture NJ Festival visits Orange

ORANGE – First Lady Tammy Murphy hosted the Nurture New Jersey Family Festival in Orange last Saturday.

About 1,100 people attended the event where they could learn about and receive state, county and local resources for expectant and new parents, including health care, housing support, food assistance and child care.

“Over the past seven years, our Family Festivals have provided support and resources to countless mothers and families across the Garden State. There are incredible resources available to New Jerseyans and – with help from our partners – we are putting them within reach in every community we visit,” said Murphy. “Communities like Orange represent the very best of New Jersey. However, we know that communities of color experience significant disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. That is why I look forward to continuing our festival series in targeted cities as we work to make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to have a baby and raise a family.”

In a city like Orange, with large Black and Latino communities, the consequences of New Jersey’s maternal and infant health crisis are unmistakable, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

In New Jersey, a Black mother is nearly seven times more likely and Hispanic mothers are three and a half times more likely than white mothers to die of maternity-related complications. Orange ranks sixth among our cities that experience high rates of Black infant mortality, the release said.

Nurture NJ, which was launched by Murphy in 2019, is a statewide initiative committed to addressing the state’s maternal and infant health crisis. Since its inception, Nurture NJ has seen over 65 pieces of maternal and infant health legislation signed by Gov. Phil Murphy.

The initiative has also developed and implemented groundbreaking programs and policies, such as the first-of-its-kind in the nation Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority (MIHIA), which is tasked with overseeing the groundbreaking New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center based in Trenton, and will be the arm of government that continues the vital work of Nurture NJ past the Murphy Administration.

Nurture NJ has made significant policy achievements including: developing the Nurture NJ Maternal and Infant Health Strategic Plan; becoming the second state to expand Medicaid coverage to 365 days postpartum; establishing Medicaid reimbursement for doula care; increasing all perinatal Medicaid provider reimbursements to 100 percent of Medicare rates; and launching the most robust-in-the-nation universal nurse home visitation program so that every new parent is visited by a nurse in their home for free within two weeks after bringing home a new baby.

The Orange Family Festival was hosted in partnership with the Office of First Lady Tammy Murphy, Nurture NJ, Sen. Britnee Timberlake, Assemblywoman Carmen Morales, Assemblyman Mike Venezia, County of Essex, City of Orange, Orange Public Schools, Essex Pregnancy and Parenting, Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Newark Community Health Centers, Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern NJ, Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, Prevent Child Abuse NJ, Programs for Parents, RWJBarnabas Health and The Burke Foundation.

“Partnering with First Lady Tammy Murphy for the Family Festival in Essex County, Orange, NJ, was a true privilege. This event united families and provided invaluable resources, aligning perfectly with my legislative priorities around children and families. My gratitude goes to the First Lady, the City of Orange, and all other organizers and partners for orchestrating such an inspiring and impactful event,” said Sen. Britnee Timberlake.

Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren thanked Tammy Murphy.

“This family and resource connection effort will serve as a direct pipeline to successes in Orange households, schools and community spaces by focusing on children and parents in need,” Warren said. “We appreciate First Lady Murphy and the Governor for helping to extend our reach to every part of our community.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gerald Fitzhugh said the Orange School District supports opportunities for families to engage with our community partners.

“I am quite pleased that the City of Orange was selected to host this amazing event for our community. I believe the powerful information must be disseminated and this event is right in line with this thinking,” FItzhugh said.

  Nurture NJ, Orange, Tammy Murphy