During the 12 months ending with December 2000, the infant mortality rate in New Jersey was 6.3 per 1,000 live births, below the national average of 6.9. There were 35,126 abortions in 1999, averaging a rate of 20 per 1,000 women. In 2000, the overall death rate stood at 911.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, above the national average of 873.1.
The leading cause of death in the state is heart disease, for which New Jersey ranks above the national average. Mortality rates per 100,000 residents in 2000 were as follows: diseases of the heart, 289.2; cerebrovascular disease, 52.6; accidents and adverse effects, 27.8; motor vehicle accidents, 9.4; and suicide, 6.8. The HIV-related death rate was slightly lower than the national average in 2000 (9.3 per 100,000 population). A total of 43,824 AIDS cases had been reported through 2001. Among persons ages 18 and older, 21.0% were smokers in 2000.
New Jersey's 78 community hospitals had 1,083,798 admissions and 24,580 beds in 2001. There were 28,835 full-time registered nurses and 2,333 full-time licensed practical nurses in 2001 and 323 physicians per 100,000 population in 2000. The average expense of a community hospital for care was $1,381 per inpatient day in 2001.
Federal government grants to cover the Medicare and Medicaid services in 2001 totaled $3.6 billion; 1,207,663 enrollees received Medicare benefits that year. At least 13.1% of New Jersey's residents were uninsured in 2002.
The state's only medical school, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, is a public institution that combines three medical schools, one dental school, a school of allied professions, and a graduate school of biomedical sciences.