Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center will bring care to Trenton mothers and infants (L.A. PARKER COLUMN)

Officials broke ground yesterday for the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center (MIHIC) in Trenton.

The major health initiative, located in an area known as Five Points near the Battle Monument where undermanned Continental Army forces overwhelmed Hessian soldiers during the Battle of Trenton in 1776, registers as historical in its own right, with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Capital Health, and Trenton Health Team set to work collaboratively and embark on a medical journey to provide services that improve maternal and infant health outcomes in the capital city and throughout New Jersey.

Officials said MIHIC, an offshoot of First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative, will provide pre-and post-natal clinical services; education programs to cultivate the perinatal workforce; and social wrap-around services.

While various agencies, including Family Connects NJ, a network of partners and agencies dedicated to helping New Jersey families thrive, and numerous other entities offer support and intend to contribute critical grassroots services in rollout of this monumental medical initiative, make no mistake, this mother, infant, family, health effort registers as First Lady Tammy Murphy’s baby, a pampered promise she made to “address the inequities in health care once and for all.”

Tammy Murphy says, “this center will provide critical maternal and infant health services to Trenton and New Jersey residents, transforming the maternal health landscape locally, across our state, and ultimately, we hope, for the nation.”

If successful, and no reason exists to suggest a different outcome awaits, MIHIC establishes a legacy for Murphy who envisioned and championed an initiative to ensure, “all New Jersey moms and babies are able to receive the highest quality care for generations to come, and helping us reach our goal and becoming the safest state in the nation to deliver and raise a baby,” Murphy says in numerous published articles. The center is being developed by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA).

Ms. Murphy holds a frontline post as advocate for change in birth outcomes for minorities. Her critical message underscores New Jersey faces significant racial disparities in maternal and infant mortality, with Black mothers experiencing significantly higher mortality rates compared to white mothers, and Black babies facing a greater risk of death before their first birthday.

Tammy Murphy watched a typical groundbreaking ceremony yesterday understanding that she had made good on her vow to change healthcare opportunities for many Black and Brown mothers and their babies. She and husband Gov. Phil Murphy will leave office this year, long before MIHIC opens doors. In an interview recently with The Trentonian, Tammy Murphy explained subtleties of support that must dovetail early maternal and infant outreach.

“Both Phil and I agree that there must be a safety net,” Tammy Murphy said. “You cannot force — as they’re doing in many states — women to have babies only to find they’re being placed into troubled households, either economically or emotionally; or they lack necessary resources,” Murphy said. She noted that many variables exist for expectant moms and newborns.

“If a mom goes into a white-washed doctor’s office, that physician may not know if she’s hungry, subject to abuse, lacks transportation, or even has access to Wi-Fi.”

Murphy expects other health organizations to develop communications that answer myriad questions then provide answers and solutions. The First Lady assured an abundance of resources exist throughout New Jersey but explained that resources are only significantly impactful only when being used effectively.

In Trenton, 28-percent of residents face poverty; numerous others endure mental health challenges that connect to chronic violence, blight, and crime, while others live in houses dusted by lead paint. Murphy accepts an evaluation that her mission may identify as a heavy lift. She says without hesitation that, “a lot of moms and babies are going to get off on the right foot” with MIHIC.

She believes strongly, like the familiar Sam Cooke song, that a change is gonna come. In fact, First Lady Tammy Murphy can enjoy a lifetime knowing that she delivered her big dream on time.

And, the change? Oh, baby — It’s here.

L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at [email protected].