West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health has invested $2 million to launch The Bridge Project in New Jersey, a direct cash assistance initiative aimed at supporting low-income pregnant individuals, according to a Dec. 18 news release.
The investment makes RWJBarnabas the only health system in the state to support The Bridge Project, which provides unconditional cash payments to low-income new and expectant mothers, according to the release.
Participants will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in direct assistance over the first 36 months of their child’s life. The program includes a $1,125 prenatal stipend and monthly payments for three years.
The New Jersey cohort will support 250 participants, with 100 funded directly by RWJBarnabas. Eligibility criteria include being at least 18 years old, having a household income below $44,000, and being no more than 23 weeks pregnant at the time of enrollment.
The Bridge Project also operates in New York, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Appalachia.
RWJBarnabas is an academic health system with 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians across more than 700 patient care locations.
