“This is not just about women who are poor,” said Barbara George Johnson. “This is about all women.”
George Johnson, the Executive Director of The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State University, was referring to New Jersey’s high maternal death rate. She recently moderated the Fund for Women and Girls’ Annual Luncheon and Panel Discussion: Thriving Women, Thriving Communities: NJ’s Maternal and Infant Mortality Crisis.
We heard from panelists, Ursula Blanc, Director of Quality Improvement at Henry J. Austin Health Center, Karen Courtney, Vice President at Children’s Home Society of NJ and Loletha C. Johnson, Nursing Consultant at the NJ Department of Health.
Here are five facts from our panel discussion:
- New Jersey has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.
- There are significant racial disparities in the state’s maternal deaths rates
- The racial differences in maternal death rates cut across all income levels
- Unnecessary C-sections increase the risk of issues including hemorrhaging and infection
- One study showed that increases in minimum wages was linked to decreases infant deaths
Learn more about the Fund for Women and Girls, and its mission of working to improve the lives of economically vulnerable women and girls in Mercer County through community investment, education and collaboration.
View photos from the luncheon:
