Raising the Bar for Mental Health
Key Program Activities
Perinatal Community Advisory Boards (PCABs)

Raising the Bar for Maternal Health in New Jersey 

The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute launched this community-focused initiative to improve maternal health outcomes and promote respectful childbirth experiences. The program is among the first in the nation to implement recommendations from the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) guide, Raising the Bar for Maternal Health Equity and Excellence.

With nearly all births occurring in hospitals, Raising the Bar for Maternal Health in NJ focuses on strengthening hospital practices and community partnerships to drive lasting improvements in care and serve as a model for others.

Initially piloted in Greater Mercer County with Capital Health and Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, the initiative is now expanding to engage additional health systems.

 

Key Program Activities

Benchmarking

Health systems complete a comprehensive review of their maternal health services, outcomes, and patient experiences, including mental health, midwifery and doula services, and social supports. This process helps identify strengths and uncover opportunities for meaningful improvement.

The Maternal Health Benchmarking Survey and Rubric—developed by the Quality Institute in collaboration with Ariadne Labs—is grounded in recommendations from the NPWF Raising the Bar guide and national best practices.

Learn More About the Maternal Health Benchmarking Survey

Perinatal Community Advisory Boards (PCAB)

A PCAB is a formal partnership between hospitals and community members to strengthen maternal health through meaningful collaboration. They help shape hospital policies, improve services, and promote care that is respectful, responsive, and centered on the needs of people giving birth.

PCABs create a structured way to ensure that community voices and experiences inform the design, delivery, and improvement of perinatal care.

Learn more about PCABs

Spotlight on Perinatal Community Advisory Boards

Capital Health Medical Center

 


“Hearing from, and being responsive to, our patients and community is a vital part of being a community focused healthcare provider. Having the opportunity to hear directly from those who have used, or plan to use, our services gives us the chance to hear what we are doing right, but even more importantly, what we can improve or consider as we develop our services.”

– Alex Nelson, Service Line Director, Maternal & Infant Health, Capital Health

 

Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center


“Care you receive can feel like it’s happening to you, rather than involving you. This initiative helps capture the blind spots in care and improve outcomes and communication. So many positives come from this.”

– Karina, New Mom and PCAB Member