Governor Murphy in Trenton this morning establishing a new maternal and infant Health Innovation Authority and center part and parcel to the first lady Tammy Murphy's nurture New Jersey Plan that hopes to improve infant and maternal Health outcomes in the state Murphy says the center will drive policy and provide badly needed maternal Health Care Services in Trenton in a city that doesn't even have a birthing center senior correspondent Joanna gagus reports on the new Innovation Center and what it means for the community assign this bill 's Authority that will build the maternal and infant Health Innovation Center right here in Trenton New Jersey the Bill signed today creates a government authority to oversee and centralize the work started by the first lady that now includes 22 branches of government from health education transportation and more coordinating together to improve the state's staggering rates of maternal and infant deaths this Center will be an incubator for research and development an academic and perinatal Workforce Training Center a data collaborative and so much more it will offer comprehensive Clinical Services for moms before during and after pregnancy it will not only help us transform the maternal Lincoln Health landscape here in Trenton but also across New Jersey think MD Anderson is to cancer with this Center will be to infant and maternal health so it will be not just a New Jersey resource not just a national resource it will be a global gold standard resource the health Innovation Center will also include a birthing center that will be run by an existing entity in the state possibly a major health care System it's welcome news for the community in Trenton a city that's been called a birthing desert we lost two of our birthing centers so right now we don't have one but is it this is the case for many other communities as well so to have this science and Innovation Center here would help us you know a lot of the women and moms here live in poverty to be able to have these resources for prenatal care right at the onset of your pregnancy will definitely be able to increase the maternal infant rates the governor explaining the millions in funding that will be required to get both the agency and center off the ground the 2.2 is an appropriation to set the authority up that's not a bricks and mortar investment 30 million dollars in this year's budget via The Economic Development Authority is for capital for bricks and mortar last year's budget in anticipation of this had another 20 million of capital and then there's a Federal grant that we're pursuing that I believe is 25 million right uh and that's to be determined and God willing we'll we'll get something there and the location of the center is still yet to be determined but where it ends up will be based on community feedback things like closest access to public transportation or schools and neighborhoods the decision will be made soon and this Administration is hoping to have the center open before the end of the Murphy's term in Trenton I'm Joanna gagus NJ Spotlight news support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association