Jhenielle Reynolds Testifies Before NJ Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee
On Thursday, September 19th, CHAP Program Manager Jhenielle Reynolds joined a group of birth equity advocates from across New Jersey to testify before the NJ Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee regarding the inequities faced by individuals who choose to give birth outside hospital settings.
At the invitation of Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, Chair of the committee, the group shared insights on the role that birth centers and home births play in advancing equity and improving outcomes for mothers and birthing people. They also focused on the current barriers that both parents and providers face in accessing or offering such care, including the overall lack of birthing centers and challenges posed by private insurance and Medicaid.
In her testimony, Jhenielle, a practicing doula, discussed the devastating impact that limited birthing options have on families, particularly families of color. She also referenced the recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, titled “Drivers of Racial Differences in C-sections.” This study, which analyzed nearly one million spontaneous births at New Jersey hospitals between 2008 and 2017, found that Black women were 25% more likely than white women to have an unscheduled C-section.
When medically necessary, C-sections can be lifesaving, but they also carry higher risks of complications for mothers and babies. Jhenielle emphasized a key finding from the study: “When other women were occupying operating rooms for scheduled cesarean deliveries, Black and white women had the same likelihood of being sent there for delivery. […] The disparity emerged only when the operating rooms were empty. Then, 8% of healthy Black women ended up delivering by C-section, compared to 4.8% of healthy white women.”
Based on the National Bureau’s research, this finding is consistent with doctors “being more willing to do unnecessary C-sections on Black mothers when there is the capacity to do so.”
“These statistics underscore a systemic issue of structural racism in our healthcare system, one that demands immediate attention and action. It’s also crucial to understand that many of the Black pregnant people who give birth unnecessarily via cesarean, particularly those who are healthy and low-risk, are precisely the candidates who would be eligible for out-of-hospital births. The need for accessible and affordable alternative birthing options that can help reduce unnecessary interventions and provide more personalized, culturally competent care is urgent,” Jhenielle stated.
Jhenielle proposed several solutions to increase equitable access to out-of-hospital birth settings, including:
Mandating insurance coverage for out-of-hospital births, including facility fees, for both Medicaid and private insurance;
Removing the requirement for midwives to work under physician supervision, enhancing access to these essential providers; and
Streamlining the licensing process for birth centers while incentivizing their establishment in underserved areas.
Other individuals who testified included representatives from the Birth Center of NJ, Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center at St. Peter’s University Hospital, Montclair State University, NJ Healthcare Quality Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Rutgers School of Midwifery.
CHAP is encouraged by the committee members’ eagerness to learn about these issues and was particularly heartened by Chairwoman Speight’s response. After hearing Jhenielle’s testimony, Chairwoman Speight reflected on her own birthing experiences. Her commitment to increasing the committee’s understanding to inform current and future legislation, while also exploring ways to expand access to diverse birthing options across the state, is deeply appreciated.
To listen to Jhenielle’s full testimony,
along with remarks and questions from colleagues and legislators,
visit njleg.gov.
Top photo, from L to R: Sheila Reynertson (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), Jhenielle Reynolds (CHAP), Jill Wodnick (Montclair State University), Julie Blumenfeld (Rutgers Midwifery), Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell (Birth Center of NJ), Juwana Montgomery (Healthy Beginnings, South Ward Promise Neighborhood), Armonie Pierre-Jacques (New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute), Pamela Harmon (Mary V. O’Shea Birth Center at St Peters University), Assemblywoman Luanne M. Peterpaul. Second row photos, from L to R: Jhenielle Reynolds testifies before the New Jersey Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee; Jhenielle and Assemblywoman Shanique Speight, Deputy Speaker, New Jersey District 29.