Healthy Women Healthy Families

Pregnant women and a doctor.

The Healthy Women Healthy Families (HWHF) Initiative works toward improving maternal and infant health outcomes for women of childbearing age and their families while reducing racial, ethnic, and economic disparities through a collaborative coordinated community-driven approach of integrating community health workers statewide and implementing municipality-based activities aimed at increasing postpartum care.

Maternal Child Health Community Health Workers (CHW)

Community health workers (CHWs) are trusted members of the community, who perform outreach and client recruitment within the targeted community to identify and enroll women and their families in appropriate care and provide personalized support. 

The Healthy Women Healthy Families Initiative utilizes community health workers to provide long-term case management services to underserved populations to better address access to maternal healthcare and resources.  Healthy Women Healthy Families community health workers are trained through the NJDOH’s Colette Lamothe-Galette Community Health Worker Institute.

These community health workers can serve clients for up to 2 years, providing access to resource information and referrals to local community services.

Municipality-Based Maternal Child Health Activities

The Healthy Women Healthy Families Initiative also implements municipality-based activities aimed at reducing health disparities especially among the Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic perinatal populations throughout NJ by focusing on increasing care during the postpartum period.

These activities consist of postpartum doula services and expanding breastfeeding education sessions and support to non-traditional groups.

Postpartum Doula Care

The postpartum doula care program focuses on providing access to postpartum doulas to women for 12 months after birth. Focusing on the "4th Trimester" and transitions occurring after childbirth.

Non-traditional Group Breastfeeding Education 

Targeted evidence-based breastfeeding education to nontraditional groups such as fathers, grandparents, partners, siblings, and teens will increase breastfeeding knowledge and provide families with the support they need to breastfeed their babies.

How to Get Connected to Healthy Women Healthy Families

Connecting NJ

Connecting NJ is a county-level, centralized point-of-entry referral system for pregnant women, fathers, and families with young children, to access programs, services, and supports. It is the primary referral source to get connected to the Healthy Women Healthy Families (HWHF) program.

Get connected: https://www.nj.gov/connectingnj/

Call: (609) 292-4265

Last Reviewed: 8/12/2024