Family Connects Expands Beyond Cumberland County

New Jersey Department of Children and Families (NJCF) announced that the Family Connects New Jersey program, the state universal nursing home visiting program, has been expanded to other southern New Jersey counties. Cumberland has had the service for two years. 

Families in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May and Salem counties can now schedule a free home visit from a specially trained registered nurse to perform health screenings, answer questions, refer community resources, and ensure the family has a healthy and safe start. 

“Family Connects NJ is really becoming one of New Jersey’s most effective strategies to help move the needle on preventable maternal health outcomes and to ensure New Jersey is the safest place in the nation to deliver and care for a newborn,” said NJ DCF Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Family and Community Partnerships Sanford Starr.  “The program’s effectiveness is centered in the fact that we meet families where they are—in their own homes—and at a time when health complications can unexpectedly arise for both the parent and the newborn.” 

FCNJ is a voluntary program open to all families with newborns, whether through birth, adoption, resource placement, or kinship placement. The program also assists families recovering from the tragedy of stillbirth or neonatal loss.  

FCNJ visits are typically scheduled within two weeks of delivery or welcoming a newborn home. During the nurse home visits, customized care and assessment is provided to the birthing parent and newborn. Nurses conduct health checkups for mom and baby and provide professional advice on breastfeeding, sleep training, and caring for a newborn, as well as referrals to community supports, if needed.

To learn more about Family New Jersey, visit. www.familyconnectsnj.org