{"id":81482,"date":"2020-10-01T12:30:27","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T16:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=81482"},"modified":"2020-12-21T11:42:34","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T16:42:34","slug":"indianas-infant-mortality-rate-at-historic-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2020\/10\/01\/indianas-infant-mortality-rate-at-historic-low\/","title":{"rendered":"Indiana’s infant mortality rate at historic low"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Indiana State Department of Health news release:<\/p>\n

Governor Holcomb announces that Indiana’s infant mortality rate falls to historic low<\/strong><\/p>\n

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INDIANAPOLIS (October 1, 2020) \u2014 Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced today Indiana\u2019s infant mortality rate fell in 2019 to the lowest level in state recorded history, which is evidence that efforts to give every child the best start in life and address issues of disparities are working.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are committed to ensuring the best chance for a healthy pregnancy and a strong start to life for Indiana\u2019s newborns,\u201d Gov. Holcomb said. \u201cWhile we celebrate these results, our work is far from finished, and we won\u2019t rest as we work to protect our youngest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preliminary data released by the Indiana Department of Health shows the statewide infant mortality rate fell from 6.8 per 1,000 live births in 2018 to 6.5 in 2019. The mortality rate among Black infants fell from 13.0 in 2018 to 11.0 in 2019. A total of 527 Indiana babies died before their first birthdays in 2019, down from 559 in 2018 and 602 in 2017.<\/p>\n

This marks the third year of decline in the infant mortality rate and is the lowest level since 1900, when rates were first recorded in Indiana. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a baby before their first birthday and is one of the leading indicators of a nation\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve known all along that reducing Indiana\u2019s infant mortality rate would take time and partnerships, and it\u2019s gratifying to see that work pay off,\u201d said State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG. \u201cWe must continue to encourage early prenatal care and promote safe sleep practices so that we can celebrate more first birthdays in Indiana.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gov. Holcomb made reducing Indiana\u2019s infant mortality rate a priority and in 2018 charged the Department of Health, in partnership with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and Department of Child Services, with helping Indiana achieve the lowest infant mortality rate in the Midwest by 2024. Data from other states for 2019 is not yet available.<\/p>\n

As part of that goal and his Next Level agenda, the Governor signed House Enrolled Act 1007 into law in 2019 to create an obstetrician-gynecologist navigator program focused on a sustained education and outreach effort. The initiative connects expectant or new mothers to health, social and other services they need via a navigator who provides personalized support, resources and referrals through the first year of their babies\u2019 lives. The state legislature committed $6.6 million toward the program over two years.<\/p>\n

The program, which is transitioning to be known as My Healthy Baby, officially launched in January with a goal of serving 20 counties by the end of 2020, but the program expansion will exceed that goal this year. It is currently operating in Allen, Bartholomew, Blackford, Clark, Crawford, Delaware, Dubois, Grant, Henry, Jay, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Martin, St. Joseph, Shelby, Randolph, and Wayne counties. Programs in Cass, Fulton and Miami counties are scheduled to be operational by the end of October.<\/p>\n

Another 25 counties are expected to be added in 2021, with the ultimate goal of making the program available to all pregnant women who are insured by Medicaid by mid-2023. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way to reach Gov. Holcomb\u2019s goal of having the lowest infant mortality rate in the Midwest is to focus our efforts on the communities that are disproportionately impacted and ensure that women have the tools they need to achieve a healthy pregnancy,\u201d Dr. Box said. \u201cMy Healthy Baby focuses on helping women in the communities that are at the highest risk for infant mortality so that they have someone to walk alongside them throughout their pregnancy and parenting journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indiana has taken other steps to improve infant and maternal health in recent years, including:<\/p>\n