Advancing Neonatal Health Equity: An Introduction to The Neonatal Justice Collaborative (NJC) (LC1)

The Neonatal Justice Collaborative (NJC) is a grassroots national collaborative dedicated to neonatal equity and justice, created in 2021. The NJC was formed in response to substantial inequities in neonatal health that have persisted for decades and to address barriers that exist in equity work to sustain meaningful change. Neonatal health advocates from across the US have joined the NJC, to support the neonatal health equity field that is rapidly growing and evolving to move beyond describing disparities and inequities to actively catalyzing change in several domains. Research, quality improvement, medical and nursing education, workforce diversification, policy work, advocacy, and community engagement are all pathways that health equity experts use to promote neonatal equity. Importantly, silos between institutions, disciplines, and stakeholders obstruct communication and collaboration of this vital work. In this presentation, we will introduce the NJC and the Collaborative’s efforts to de-silo neonatal health equity work in the US. We will discuss the main NJC subcommittees: 1) research, 2) quality improvement 3) policy and advocacy; 4) medical education and workforce diversity. Participants will learn the current state of NJC’s national neonatal health equity work, hear about efforts to de-silo health equity efforts, and foster national, multi-disciplinary collaboration across sectors, and learn about opportunities to engage with the NJC.