§ 26:2H-159 — Statewide voluntary universal newborn home nurse visitation program.

2. a. The Department of Children and Families shall establish a Statewide voluntary universal newborn home nurse visitation program to provide home visitation services for a newborn infant and the parent or parents of the newborn infant. The purpose of the program shall be to support healthy child development and strengthen families. b. In establishing the newborn home nurse visitation program, the Department of Children and Families shall: (1) appoint an advisory group of stakeholders, which shall organize no later than 30 days after the date of enactment of P.L.2021, c.187 (C.26:2H-158 et al.) and which shall include at least one representative of each of the following entities: an insurance carrier that offers health benefit plans in the State; a hospital; a birthing facility; a local public health authority; a maternal child health consortium; an early childhood home visitation program; a home health agency; a federally qualified health center; a community-based organization; and a social service agency; (2) consult, coordinate, and collaborate with the advisory group established pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection in the development of the program; (3) have the authority to develop a plan for the managed rollout of the program throughout the State; (4) in consultation with the Departments of Banking and Insurance and Human Services, establish criteria for the coverage of services provided under the newborn home nurse visitation program by insurance carriers offering a health benefits plan in the State; and (5) ensure that the program meets the needs of the residents in the communities in which the program operates. c. The newborn home nurse visitation program shall be implemented in a culturally-competent manner and shall: (1) be voluntary and carry no negative consequences for parents with a newborn infant who decline to participate in the program when applying for other services available to pregnant persons and when applying for other services available to all parents of newborn infants; (2) offer home nurse visitation services in every community in the State and for all newborn infants and all parents of a newborn infant residing in the community in which the program operates, including resource family parents, adoptive parents, and parents experiencing a stillbirth; (3) include at least one home nurse visit in the participating newborn infant's home within two weeks after the birth of an infant; (4) provide the opportunity for no more than two additional visits during the newborn infant's first three months of life, with such additional visits occurring based on the family's choice, as well as need and availability as determined by the program; (5) require that the home nurse visit be conducted by a registered nurse or an advanced practice nurse licensed in this State pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes; (6) improve State outcomes in areas including maternal health, infant health and development, and parenting skills; (7) be based on criteria established by the United States Department of Health and Human Services for an evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model; (8) include an evidence-based evaluation of the physical, emotional, and social factors affecting a parent or parents and the parent's or parents' newborn infant, including, but not limited to, a health and wellness check of the newborn and an assessment of the physical and mental health of a person who has given birth; (9) provide support services to the parent or parents of a newborn infant, including, but not limited to, breastfeeding education and assistance to a person who has recently given birth in recognizing the symptoms of, and coping with, perinatal mood disorder; (10) coordinate with each hospital and birthing facility in the State to ensure that a person who has given birth is advised of the benefits of receiving a home nurse visit within two weeks after the birth of an infant, and to ensure that the program attempts to schedule a home nurse visit prior to the person's discharge from the hospital or facility; (11) develop a method for providing parents, who elect to have a home birth, information about the program; and (12) provide information on, and referrals to, services that address the specific needs of newborn infants and parents of a newborn infant, including linking a person who has given birth and the person's infant to a central intake agency for referrals to community resources, support services, community-based organizations or social service agency programs available to persons who have given birth and their infants, and medically necessary follow-up healthcare. d. Nothing in this section shall be construed to require parents of a newborn infant to participate in the newborn home nurse visitation program. e. The Department of Children and Families may contract with one or more third-party vendors or service providers to assist the department in administering the program established pursuant to this section, including hiring and staffing nurses and providing training on the home visiting model utilized by the program. L.2021, c.187, s.2.