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(TRENTON, NJ – May 30, 2023) The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ) supports bill S3864 introduced by Senator Shirley Turner on May 15, 2023, and bill A5472 introduced by Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, and Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli on May 18, 2023. Co-sponsored by Senator Teresa Ruiz, Assemblywoman Sadaf Jaffer, Assemblyman Reginald Atkins, and Assemblyman Herb Conaway, Jr., the bills establish the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority (Authority) within the Department of Treasury and appropriates $23,220,000 to cover operational, administrative, and other expenses of the Authority.
The Authority would coordinate all efforts and strategies to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial and ethnic disparities in New Jersey and would operate a maternal and infant health innovation center in Trenton, New Jersey. The center would be the first-of-its-kind in Trenton and would lead the state’s coordination, promotion, and implementation of education, policymaking, research, innovation, and perinatal workforce development related to maternal and infant health.
According to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, “New Jersey ranks 36th in the nation for maternal deaths and has one of the widest racial disparities for both maternal and infant mortality. A Black mother in New Jersey is nearly seven times more likely than a white mother to die from maternity-related complications, and a Black baby is three times more likely than a white baby to die before his or her first birthday.”
“We applaud Senators Turner and Ruiz; Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Speight, and Jaffer; and Assemblymen Verrelli, Atkins, and Conaway in their efforts to reduce the rates of maternal and infant mortality in New Jersey,” stated John E. Harmon, Sr., Founder, President and CEO of the AACCNJ.
“For nearly 16 years, the AACCNJ has been dedicated to economically empowering and sustaining African American communities. We accomplish our mission through legislation that positively impacts the livelihoods of New Jersey’s Black residents,” said Harmon. “Undoubtedly, bills S3864/A5472 will help address implicit biases that foster inequities in quality health care in Trenton and statewide, and ultimately save lives and improve the economic security of families and children.”
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