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Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana's infant mortality progress at risk without sustained health funding
As a first-time mom, I took a deep breath of relief at my daughter's 1-year-old birthday party as she dug into a giant chocolate cupcake. A maternal health researcher and anxious new parent, I had lived the past year constantly checking for breath and movement while she slept, and her first birthday signaled an end to the anxiety of monitoring for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. But more than 500 Hoosier mothers a year never get to experience that sigh of relief; their babies don't make it to their first birthday. Although preliminary data suggests a decrease in Hoosier infant mortality, current trends in public health funding endanger this recent progress. The Indiana Department of Health has released provisional infant mortality data, showing infant deaths in Indiana decreasing from 6.6 out of every 1,000 live births in 2023 to 6.3 infant deaths out of every 1,000 live births in 2024. Assuming a birth rate similar to 2023, we can guess that about 16 fewer Hoosier babies died in 2024 than in 2023. Understandably, the dedicated public servants that comprise IDOH celebrated their hard work over the last decades, and especially since the inception of the pandemic, lauding the 'lowest infant mortality rate since the 1900s.' Opinion: Indiana misses out on good ideas by caring more about politics than results We won't know how Indiana ranks nationally until the CDC releases all states' 2024 data, but with a rate still well above the national average of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, we can expect that Indiana has not solved the crisis that left us ranked 45th for infant deaths as recently as 2022. And while saving 16 babies should most certainly be promoted as a success of our state and local public health agencies, current public health funding in Indiana will not sustain these gains. When preventing infant deaths, many think of safe sleep practices, timely pediatric care and vaccinations. But, in reality, most infant deaths are due to prenatal influences. Almost 75% of infant deaths result from congenital conditions (like birth defects), conditions of preterm birth, low birth weight and maternal pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia. Some of these are unpreventable, like congenital conditions that disallow a baby from developing the organs needed to sustain life. Many others are preventable through early and consistent prenatal care, quick referral to specialists, and early medical intervention. IDOH and local health departments provide programs to new moms that offer these preventive measures. But the most recent state budget and a series of other legislative actions endanger these programs. Projected shortfalls attributed to economic uncertainty led to the decimation of historic public health funding supported by the Holcomb administration, leaving just $40 million for Indiana's 92 counties, down from $100 million in previous budgets. Opinion: Nurses are drowning while Braun ignores Indiana's health care crisis Add that to the nearly $40 million in federal public health dollars lost from cancellation of COVID-era funding for myriad public health programs, and programs that support healthy pregnancies and healthy babies are in grave danger. And when Hoosier babies do make it past infancy, public health funding clawbacks and policy changes in the last six months won't bolster efforts to Make Indiana Healthy Again. Cuts to programs such as Indiana Immunization Coalition in the midst of a (now-ended) measles outbreak and ongoing COVID threat, policies privileging business growth over environmental regulations that protect lung and heart health, and the elimination of critical reproductive health services across the state leave vulnerable Hoosiers in a state of precarity. To be sure, even one fewer Hoosier infant death should be celebrated. But when that celebration is not backed by sustainable policy, we will soon find ourselves seeking solutions that take years to rebuild. Now that my daughter is an energetic 6-year-old, my worries about SIDS and lethal respiratory viruses have been replaced by new concerns. But regardless of standard parental anxiety, I consider myself lucky to have to tackle these challenges as she grows. For years, Indiana has trended in the right direction for public health. Indiana should support the systems that allow all Hoosier infants to grow into healthy kids and adults.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana health department may start fining hospitals that don't comply with abortion law
In an effort to comply with an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun, the Indiana Department of Health may start fining hospitals that don't comply with the state's abortion laws, a report from the department says. That could include two of the state's health systems that perform the bulk of abortions, IU Health and Eskenazi Health, which recently refused to hand over Terminated Pregnancy Reports following abortions performed there, as mandated by state law. Among one of Braun's first executive orders as governor was one directing the state health department to examine how it's ensuring compliance with the state's abortion laws. That included not only the new provisions enacted in 2022, which ban abortion except in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or threats to the mother's life, but also the part of state law that requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to report details about abortions they perform to the state health department. "Indiana is a state that supports Life, and the people's representatives have enshrined those protections for the unborn into state law," Braun said in a statement July 2. "We are taking the necessary steps to make sure those laws are properly implemented." State law has long required facilities that perform abortions, whether surgical or drug-induced, to provide the health department with detailed Terminated Pregnancy Reports. But IU Health and Eskenazi have refused to give these to the health department since the President Joe Biden administration enacted the HIPAA Reproductive Health Privacy Rule in mid 2024, which set limits on the disclosure of reproductive health information. An Indianapolis doctor is currently suing the state department in federal court over the submission of these reports, making this argument. However, a Texas federal judge in mid-June vacated the Biden Administration rule. The health department in its report says it is consulting with the two health systems and the attorney general's office on how to proceed in light of this court order. Eskenazi officials said the hospital is waiting for the result of the federal lawsuit to "clarify its responsibilities under the law," since the lawsuit "seeks to resolve what may be a significant conflict between the State's TPR statute and federal patient privacy laws," said Todd Harper, director of public affairs and communications. A spokesperson for IU Health declined to comment, saying "I don't have any information to share." In the meantime, the state health department is creating other tools to force compliance. Officials said the health department has begun to craft "new rules enabling the agency to issue fines" against providers that don't comply with state law. "This regulatory tool adds a layer of enforcement that does not rely solely on licensure action or criminal referral, allowing IDOH to address noncompliance swiftly and proportionately," the report states. A spokesperson for the agency said the agency hasn't yet finalized how steep the fines will be, but noted it will depend on "several factors" and that those fines cannot exceed $10,000 per state law. Another matter is whether the public can see individual Terminated Pregnancy Reports if the hospitals do provide them to the state. Immediately following Braun's order, IDOH had pledged to reverse its previous policy and start releasing individual TPRs for public disclosure under the Access to Public Records Act, but a new court case is blocking that from happening for now. Indiana's near-total abortion ban in 2022 not only sharply curtailed the number of abortions reported in Indiana, but required more personal information be added to these reports, such as demographics and medical history. After seeking an opinion from the Public Access Counselor in 2023, the state health department decided out of privacy concerns to withhold these individual reports from public disclosure. The anti-abortion group Voices For Life challenged that decision in court. After Braun's executive order, the state health department agreed to settle this lawsuit. However, a lawsuit blocking the records' release immediately followed, this one filed by two OBGYNs, Dr. Caitlin Bernard ― whose anecdote of treating a 10-year-old rape victim made national news ― and Dr. Caroline Rouse. The health department can't release any individual TPRs while this case is pending, but it continues to provide quarterly reports that aggregate abortion data. The health department's report also outlines steps it already takes to enforce abortion laws: It inspects and audits hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers, now the only medical facilities allowed to perform any abortions, to make sure they're following regulations and distributing the required "informed consent" paperwork. It checks the "reasons" given for the abortions on the Terminated Pregnancy Reports to ensure the procedures align with the exemptions in state law. It refers any criminal violations of the law, like unreported abortions, to prosecutors, and any professional issues to the appropriate licensing agency. The July 1 report also says the department has ramped up its coordination with the attorney general's office and elevated all abortion-related matters to the purview of the top levels of the agency. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Kayla Dwyer at kdwyer@ or follow her on Twitter @kayla_dwyer17. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana health department may fine hospitals for violating abortion law
Indianapolis Star
03-07-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana health department may start fining hospitals that don't comply with abortion law
In an effort to comply with an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun, the Indiana Department of Health may start fining hospitals that don't comply with the state's abortion laws, a report from the department says. That could include two of the state's health systems that perform the bulk of abortions, IU Health and Eskenazi Health, which recently refused to hand over Terminated Pregnancy Reports following abortions performed there, as mandated by state law. Among one of Braun's first executive orders as governor was one directing the state health department to examine how it's ensuring compliance with the state's abortion laws. That included not only the new provisions enacted in 2022, which ban abortion except in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or threats to the mother's life, but also the part of state law that requires hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to report details about abortions they perform to the state health department. "Indiana is a state that supports Life, and the people's representatives have enshrined those protections for the unborn into state law," Braun said in a statement July 2. "We are taking the necessary steps to make sure those laws are properly implemented." State law has long required facilities that perform abortions, whether surgical or drug-induced, to provide the health department with detailed Terminated Pregnancy Reports. But IU Health and Eskenazi have refused to give these to the health department since the President Joe Biden administration enacted the HIPAA Reproductive Health Privacy Rule in mid 2024, which set limits on the disclosure of reproductive health information. An Indianapolis doctor is currently suing the state department in federal court over the submission of these reports, making this argument. However, a Texas federal judge in mid-June vacated the Biden Administration rule. The health department in its report says it is consulting with the two health systems and the attorney general's office on how to proceed in light of this court order. Eskenazi officials said the hospital is waiting for the result of the federal lawsuit to "clarify its responsibilities under the law," since the lawsuit "seeks to resolve what may be a significant conflict between the State's TPR statute and federal patient privacy laws," said Todd Harper, director of public affairs and communications. A spokesperson for IU Health declined to comment, saying "I don't have any information to share." In the meantime, the state health department is creating other tools to force compliance. Officials said the health department has begun to craft "new rules enabling the agency to issue fines" against providers that don't comply with state law. "This regulatory tool adds a layer of enforcement that does not rely solely on licensure action or criminal referral, allowing IDOH to address noncompliance swiftly and proportionately," the report states. A spokesperson for the agency said the agency hasn't yet finalized how steep the fines will be, but noted it will depend on "several factors" and that those fines cannot exceed $10,000 per state law. Another matter is whether the public can see individual Terminated Pregnancy Reports if the hospitals do provide them to the state. Immediately following Braun's order, IDOH had pledged to reverse its previous policy and start releasing individual TPRs for public disclosure under the Access to Public Records Act, but a new court case is blocking that from happening for now. Indiana's near-total abortion ban in 2022 not only sharply curtailed the number of abortions reported in Indiana, but required more personal information be added to these reports, such as demographics and medical history. After seeking an opinion from the Public Access Counselor in 2023, the state health department decided out of privacy concerns to withhold these individual reports from public disclosure. The anti-abortion group Voices For Life challenged that decision in court. After Braun's executive order, the state health department agreed to settle this lawsuit. However, a lawsuit blocking the records' release immediately followed, this one filed by two OBGYNs, Dr. Caitlin Bernard ― whose anecdote of treating a 10-year-old rape victim made national news ― and Dr. Caroline Rouse. The health department can't release any individual TPRs while this case is pending, but it continues to provide quarterly reports that aggregate abortion data. The health department's report also outlines steps it already takes to enforce abortion laws: The July 1 report also says the department has ramped up its coordination with the attorney general's office and elevated all abortion-related matters to the purview of the top levels of the agency.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
IN Department of Health celebrates decrease in infant mortality rate
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say data from the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) indicate there are fewer babies dying. IDOH says according to provisional data, the 2024 infant mortality rate (IMR) in Indiana is 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, which is a decrease from 6.6 in 2023. Officials say if this IMR remains the same when finalized, it would be the lowest rate of infant deaths in Indiana since 1900. The previous lowest rate for infant mortality was 6.5 deaths per 1,000 births in 2019. 'With Indiana's infant mortality rate at its lowest in over a century, we see the real impact of everyone who is focused on protecting our most vulnerable Hoosiers,' said Gov. Mike Braun. 'We are committed to ensuring that even more babies have a healthy start and a strong future.' Rep. Tim O'Brien announces law keeping biological males out of female sports IDOH says infant mortality is the death of a child before his or her first birthday and is measured by the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Several factors contribute to infant mortality, many of which are directly tied to the health of the mother. Conditions such as maternal stress, obesity, smoking during pregnancy and delayed prenatal care can increase the risk of poor health outcomes. 'We are ecstatic that more Hoosier babies are celebrating their first birthdays,' said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP. 'Seeing these efforts pay off is something to celebrate, and we are grateful to clinicians, healthcare centers and affiliates, local health departments and all our other partners for their collective efforts.' The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) has set the Healthy People 2030 goal of a nationwide infant mortality rate of 5.0 deaths per 1,000 births. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most current rate of infant mortality in the United States was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. 'The critical work to further reduce infant mortality continues,' Dr. Weaver said. 'The Indiana Department of Health is committed to our role to decrease the number of infant deaths in Indiana and give the next generation of Hoosiers the best possible start.' Eggs sold at Walmart, other grocers in 9 states recalled amid salmonella outbreak IDOH says it has multiple initiatives focused on improving infant mortality including: Reviewing data to ensure that moms and babies have the opportunities to receive care at the best facility to meet their risk factors prior to delivery Checking hospital discharge data to identify specific 'opportunities for improvement' in maternal and neonatal care practices Working with a number of community-based programs through Health First Indiana Supporting services, including home visiting, breastfeeding programs and infant safe sleep education Conducting comprehensive reviews of fetal and infant deaths to identify opportunities for interventions Partnering with birthing facilities to be prepared for potentially challenging health outcomes through Levels of Care People can find more information about programs and resources available to families here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana health department reports potential record-low infant death rate in 2024
A preliminary report from the Indiana Department of Health showed an infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, down from 6.6 deaths in 2023. (Getty Images) An early review of Indiana's 2024 infant death records showed a year-over-year decline — potentially reaching a historic low, according to provisional data from the state health department. Indiana's Department of Health (IDOH) reported an infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 6.6 deaths in 2023. If the rate holds after final review, it would be Indiana's lowest since the state began tracking the measure in 1900. The previous low was 6.5 deaths in 2019, according to IDOH data. 'With Indiana's infant mortality rate at its lowest in over a century, we see the real impact of everyone who is focused on protecting our most vulnerable Hoosiers,' Gov. Mike Braun said in a Tuesday statement. 'We are committed to ensuring that even more babies have a healthy start and a strong future.' CONTACT US Infant mortality refers to the death of a child before their first birthday and is often seen as a key indicator of overall public health. Indiana has long struggled to lower its rate, particularly among marginalized populations and in rural areas. For years, the state ranked among the worst in the nation. 'We are ecstatic that more Hoosier babies are celebrating their first birthdays,' said State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver. 'Seeing these efforts pay off is something to celebrate, and we are grateful to clinicians, healthcare centers and affiliates, local health departments and all our other partners for their collective efforts.' Indiana's rate still remains above the national average, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national infant mortality rate was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. The federal 'Healthy People 2030 goal' is to lower the national rate to 5 deaths per 1,000 births. IDOH officials pointed to ongoing efforts through Health First Indiana. The initiative supports partnerships between the state health department and local groups to improve prenatal care access, support home visiting services, promote breastfeeding, and expand education on infant safe sleep practices. IDOH also reviews hospital discharge and fatality data to guide future interventions. Health First Indiana funding was slashed in the new state budget, however. A final analysis of the 2024 numbers is expected later this year. 'The critical work to further reduce infant mortality continues,' Weaver said. 'The Indiana Department of Health is committed to our role to decrease the number of infant deaths in Indiana and give the next generation of Hoosiers the best possible start.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
