Section 26:2H-158 - Findings, declarations relative to a newborn home nurse visitation programThe Legislature finds and declares that:
a. The weeks following birth are a critical period for the person who has given birth and the infant, setting the stage for long-term health and well-being;b. During this period, the person who has given birth is adapting to multiple physical, social, and psychological changes, while simultaneously recovering from childbirth, adjusting to changing hormones, and learning to feed and care for a newborn;c. Like prenatal care, the postpartum health care visit that typically occurs six weeks after childbirth is considered important to a new parent's health; however, for people who have given birth, the six-week postpartum visit punctuates a period devoid of formal or informal support for a parent who has recently given birth;d. Additionally, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, as many as 40 percent of people who have given birth do not attend a postpartum visit in the United States;e. During the time immediately following delivery, health care providers are uniquely qualified to enable a person who has given birth to access the clinical and social resources the person needs to successfully navigate the transition from pregnancy to parenthood;f. Research also indicates that postpartum education and care lead to lower rates of morbidity and mortality in persons who have given birth, as many of the risk factors for post-delivery complications, such as hemorrhaging or a pulmonary embolism, may not be identifiable before a person who has given birth is discharged following the birth;g. Such data demonstrate the wide ranging benefits to persons who have given birth, children, and families when a person who has given birth and the infant receive support from the medical community within days after delivering a child; andh. It is, therefore, in the public interest for the Legislature to remove barriers regarding access to postpartum care and to establish the infrastructure for people who have given birth in New Jersey to receive one cost-free home nurse visit in which a registered nurse provides the necessary physical, social, and emotional support critical to recovery following childbirth.Added by L. 2021, c. 187,s. 1, eff. 7/29/2021.