First Lady Tammy Murphy highlights success of connecting NJ marketing campaign in guiding residents to services that support maternal, family well-being
NEW JERSEY – First Lady Tammy Murphy today highlighted efforts to inform and connect New Jersey families to essential health and social resources, programs, and services through the Connecting NJ marketing campaign.
As part of First Lady Murphy’s ongoing efforts to make New Jersey the safest, most equitable state the nation to deliver and raise a baby through her Nurture NJ initiative, this marketing campaign has helped guide residents to the Connecting NJ website. This website provides New Jersey families with a centralized hub of information and referrals for state and local wellness services, including health care for mothers and children, prenatal education, child development education programs, domestic violence support, addiction treatment, financial and housing assistance, home visiting programs, behavioral health services, and more.
The Connecting NJ marketing campaign, which launched last year, has been comprised of various forms of advertisements, including out-of-home posters and billboards at locations across the state, paid social media advertisements, radio advertisements, influencer sponsored posts, and more.
“As programs continue to grow and become available across the state, it’s critical that new and expecting parents and families know about and have access to the many supports available in their area,” Murphy said. “It is our hope that every family connected to these impactful programs will become healthier and more secure. We will not rest until every mother and newborn in New Jersey has what they need to thrive.”
Connecting NJ, a first-of-its-kind network of partners and agencies dedicated to helping New Jersey families thrive, formally known as Central Intake, was officially launched as a rebranded network in May of 2022 supporting a recommendation included in First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ Maternal and Infant Health Strategic Plan. The recommendation sought to improve and transform referral systems to better reach and connect new parents and families across the state to much-needed resources, programs, and services.
Connecting NJ serves approximately 25,000 residents each year across a wide range of diverse communities in the state. There have been over 125,000 service referrals through Connecting NJ since Fiscal Year 2018. Some of the most sought-after service referrals include WIC, basic needs, food pantries, diapers, and Family Success Centers.
“Connecting NJ has proven to be a valuable resource for state residents to help them navigate critical services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Kaitlan Baston. “Connecting NJ is helping New Jersey’s families and pregnant individuals find the immediate resources they need, and we continue to invest in and build the network to connect more and more people each year.”
“Connecting NJ hubs serve as a vital lifeline to maternal and family health services in their communities, providing streamlined access and referral to prenatal, postnatal, and newborn developmental health in New Jersey,” said New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer. “This resource, a partnership between DCF and the New Jersey Department of Health, creates a bridge for families to connect to the resources they need, without having to navigate the total sum of state government to get a helping hand. At the end of the day, it’s about making sure that families have a healthy start, with the ability to connect to services and supports available to them in a timely and convenient manner, and we’re excited to continue to promote this initiative to families throughout New Jersey in order to help them grow and thrive.”
Over $4.2 million was included in Governor Murphy’s FY2023 and FY2024 budgets to support case management capacity for Connecting NJ hubs. This investment allows the Connecting NJ network to better serve and address individual families in need of additional support to connect to available resources.
