CenteringPregnancy Model Shows Promise in New Jersey Prenatal Care

Strategic Insights -

The CenteringPregnancy prenatal care model, which combines education and individual health assessments in group settings for women at similar stages of pregnancy, has been shown to foster important social ties among expectant parents and develop greater trust between healthcare providers and patients. A new evaluation by the Rutgers School of Public Health demonstrates the effectiveness of this model in reducing maternal health inequities in New Jersey. The evaluation was funded by the Burke Foundation, a private grantmaking organization, and included observations of sessions, focus groups, surveys with patients, interviews with providers, and an analysis of emergency medical record data.

Key Takeaways:

  • The CenteringPregnancy model is a highly valued model of care among patients and healthcare providers, increasing patients' social support and trust in their healthcare providers.
  • Health care providers and staff involved in CenteringPregnancy reported experiencing higher job satisfaction and reduced burnout as a result of participating in this model of care.
  • An examination of emergency medical record data from a subset of evaluation sites showed higher rates of breastfeeding and postpartum visits among patients who completed five or more sessions compared to those who completed fewer than five sessions.
  • The evaluation highlighted areas for improvement and common challenges to scaling the model, including current reimbursement rates, healthcare provider and staff turnover, and space constraints.
  • The Burke Foundation is making strategic investments to expand CenteringPregnancy throughout the state to reduce maternal health inequities and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in outcomes.
  • The evaluation team, led by Leslie M. Kantor, a professor and chair of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the School of Public Health, included community researchers who are Black mothers from New Jersey who have received research training and participated in past research projects.

Statistics:

  • Higher rates of breastfeeding and postpartum visits among patients who completed five or more sessions:

+ 15.6% higher rate of breastfeeding among patients with 5+ sessions compared to those with fewer than 5 sessions

+ 23.4% higher rate of postpartum visits among patients with 5+ sessions compared to those with fewer than 5 sessions

  • Higher job satisfaction among healthcare providers and staff involved in CenteringPregnancy:

+ 85% reported increased job satisfaction

+ 90% reported reduced burnout

Sources:

  • Rutgers Report, Centering Pregnancy in New Jersey: Results of a Mixed Methods Evaluation
  • "I think for me being that first-time mom, I had a lot of misconceptions... and I had this anxiety, fear." (quote from participant)
  • Nakaysha Gonzalez, Rutgers University Press Release (September 9, 2025)
  • Atiya Weiss, Executive Director, Burke Foundation (statement)
  • Leslie M. Kantor, Professor and Chair, Department of Urban-Global Public Health, Rutgers School of Public Health (statement)