TRENTON, N.J. (PIX11) - It's a potentially big moment for the future of New Jersey's maternal health as a new authority dedicated to the issue comes together.
New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy joined the state's Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority's inaugural board meeting Wednesday in Trenton.
"We've moved up in maternal health rankings from 47th in the nation to 27th in the nation, and we have made meaningful progress," Murphy said during the board meeting.
The meeting comes days after the first lady suspended her campaign for U.S. Senate. Long before her decision to run for office, Murphy had been an outspoken advocate for maternal health issues.
"We passed over 60 pieces of legislation in this space alone," Murphy told reporters after the meeting. "We've moved up 20 points in terms of our ranking. But there's a tremendous amount of work to do."
According to the New Jersey Department of Health, reducing Black infant mortality remains a challenge. It's just one reason behind the mission of the Board, which announced a new Maternal Health Innovation Center will be coming to Trenton. The Authority said it has already secured $75 million for the Center, which will have pre- and post-clinical services, social services, research and data, and related anchor tenants.
"What I hear from people is, 'I wish this was around when I had my kids. I could have really benefitted from this. Oh my goodness, I'm going to tell my neighbor's daughter about this,'" said Authority President and CEO Lisa Asare. "The world is watching New Jersey, the country is watching New Jersey to see how we address this issue. This is our moment."
There's no information yet on when or where in the city the center will be built.
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