What's Been Keeping You? Access to Prenatal Care in Southern New Jersey

In February of 2008 the NJ Health Commissioner brought together nurses, physicians and health professionals focused on quality care for pregnant women and their families throughout the state to form the Prenatal Care Task Force. In response to the group's interest in issues relating to women's ability to access the care they need within the first trimester of their pregnancies, and the great disparity between the state rates for first trimester entry and no care and those in Atlantic City and Camden, the Healthy Mother's Healthy Babies Coalitions (HMHB) in Atlantic City and Camden developed surveys to identify the barriers to early care facing women in their cities.

In 2007 only 53% of women in Atlantic City and 52% of women in Camden got prenatal care in the first trimester while 3% in each city got no care during their pregnancies. During the same period 76% of women in New Jersey got care in the first trimester and only 1% received no care during their pregnancies.

The HMHB coalitions in each community identified provider partners at health centers to survey women who came in for their first prenatal care appointment after their 13th week of pregnancy and labor and delivery contacts surveyed women who delivered with no prenatal care. The survey process began in Atlantic City in May 2008 and Camden initiated surveys in March 2009. This presentation will highlight the process and findings of the surveys in each community.