§ 26:18-18 — Findings, declarations.

2. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. In 2019, New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy and First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy launched Nurture NJ, a Statewide campaign committed to both reducing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity and ensuring equitable access to and provision of care among women and children of all races and ethnicities. b. At the time, New Jersey was ranked as low as 47th in the United States for maternal deaths and had one of the widest racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality. c. Such inequities are particularly evident in our capital city of Trenton, which experiences the highest maternal and infant health disparities among our Black and Hispanic communities. The City of Trenton is among the cities with the highest rates of Black and Hispanic infant mortality; and only 47 percent of mothers in Trenton receive prenatal care in their first trimester. d. In January 2021, the Nurture NJ Strategic Plan included a recommendation to establish a center in the State capital, Trenton, that focuses on innovation and research in maternal and infant health through collaboration with the State's academic, philanthropic, business, and faith communities in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Departments of Health, Human Services, and Children and Families, and the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. e. In order to create, fund, and sustain such a facility, to ensure that substantial commitments are made to its related activities, and to position New Jersey to acknowledge and act upon the health disparities and harm wrought by racism and other forms of systemic oppression that have created a public health crisis for Black and Hispanic mothers and their babies, it is necessary to create an authority independent of any supervision or control by the principal departments of the Executive Branch of the State Government. f. The authority will operate a Trenton-based New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center, and will collaborate with other State departments and agencies to advance maternal and infant health care and clinical services throughout the State, and lead the State's coordination, promotion, and implementation of, among other things, education, policymaking, research, innovation, and perinatal workforce development, with a particular focus on eliminating racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. g. The New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center will serve as the first-of-its kind central hub to coordinate among national, State, and local agencies, as well as private organizations, to: promote equitable maternal and infant health care services; implement strategies related to health care and social service delivery, perinatal workforce development, community engagement, data collection, research, and analysis; and serve as an incubator of new enterprises, therapeutics, and technological innovations leading to better health outcomes and reduced mortality and morbidity rates for women and children. h. The New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center will be at the forefront of serving maternal and infant health care needs, not only for families residing in the City of Trenton, but also for families throughout the State of New Jersey and the nation, and will enable collaborative partnerships for research and knowledge transfer within the global maternal and infant health communities. L.2023, c.109, s.2.