Virtua Health Launches Maternal Health Initiative in South Jersey

Virtua Health launched a new maternal health initiative this month aimed at reducing pregnancy complications and improving postpartum follow-up rates among South Jersey patients considered at elevated risk, including those with limited access to transportation or reliable prenatal care history.

Under the program, at-risk patients are paired with a dedicated care navigator who coordinates appointments, arranges transportation when needed, and checks in regularly between visits. Virtua says the initiative was developed after internal data showed a disproportionate number of postpartum complications among patients who missed multiple prenatal appointments in their third trimester.

"We kept seeing the same pattern — patients who missed two or three appointments near the end of pregnancy were showing up in our emergency departments postpartum with complications that earlier care likely would have caught," said Virtua Health Vice President of Women's Health Simone Delacroix. "A navigator who calls and checks on you is a low-tech solution, but it's proving remarkably effective."

The program launched with 200 enrolled patients across Virtua's Camden and Burlington county facilities and is expected to expand to Gloucester County by early next year. Early data shared by the health system shows enrolled patients are attending prenatal appointments at significantly higher rates than a comparable group from the prior year.

Virtua says the initiative is part of a broader statewide effort among New Jersey hospital systems to address maternal health disparities, which have drawn increased scrutiny from state health officials in recent years.