An Evidence-Based Supportive Group Pregnancy Program
To Provide Additional Support To Women During Pregnancy
L to R: La Shawn Jemison, MSN, MBA, RN, Director Patient Care, Perinatal Services; Jamel Corbett MSN, MBA, RN, CPN, Director of Ambulatory Women and Children’s Services; Camille Walker, MD, MFM Physician; Newark First Lady Linda Baraka; Matthew Depasquale, AVP, Ambulatory Care;Marilyn M. Harris, DMin, MDiv, MBA, BSMT (ASCP), Vice President Ambulatory Services; Amanda Donovan, MSW, MPH, Centering Advisor, CHI, Khalid Sawaged, DO, FACOG, Chairman, Dept. of OB/GYN; New Jersey State Senator Renee Burgess; Newark South Ward Council Member Patrick O. Council; Mary Fitzmaurice, CNM, MSN, Regional Director, CHI; Shellon Hall, MHA, Practice Manager, Women’s Health Center; Mia Robins, MPH, Chief Strategy Officer, CHI; Norma Milanes-Roberts, MD, OB/GYN Centering Program Physician; Kim Cook, MPA, Director, Social Impact and Community Investment; and Munir Nazir, MD, FACOG, Director, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine.
Newark, NJ (May 30, 2023) — Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, recently held an open house to announce the official launch of Centering Pregnancy®.
Centering Pregnancy® is a unique model of prenatal care that takes place in a supportive group setting that brings together expectant parents with similar pregnancy due dates to support healthy pregnancies and babies.
On March 29 Newark Beth Israel Medical Center began its Centering Pregnancy Program with 8-10 women, all 16-18 weeks pregnant. At each Centering Pregnancy meeting (presented in English and in Spanish), women learn new skills and connect with community resources that can assist them with their pregnancy and childcare. They meet with doulas, lactation consultants, nutritionists and community health workers.
The women have access to Newark Beth Israel’s Women’s Wellness Pantry, a food pantry for new and expecting moms, our Diaper Pantry, and onsite WIC resources. They have access to Newark Public Schools’ (NPS) Conception to Cradle Program, where NPS social workers come to Newark Beth Israel and enroll children into Pre-K classes.
In addition, the women have access to pediatricians at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel, and the Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition which is supporting our program through a grant.
Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) developed the Centering Pregnancy model of care resulting in better outcomes, including a reduction in preterm births, low birth weights, NICU admissions and higher satisfaction with prenatal care.
For more information call the Women’s Health Center at 973-926-4176 or email NBICenteringPregnancy@rwjbh.org
About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top 15 heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey - the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center - brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.