The Indiana State Department of Health a new non-profit yesterday as an innovative way to fund programs designed to help Indiana residents lead healthier lives.
The Healthy Hoosiers Foundation was established as a result of legislation passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Mike Pence. It will provide funding for initiatives at the Indiana State Department of Health, such as those designed to reduce infant mortality, increase childhood immunizations and reduce obesity and smoking rates.
Money raised by the Foundation in 2015 will support the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program that helps pregnant women quit smoking. Smoking while pregnant is one of the main causes of low birth weight in newborns, which is a leading indicator of infant mortality. Indiana consistently ranks in the bottom states nationally for the number of children who die before their first birthdays. From 2003 through 2012, an average of 654 infants died each year in Indiana.
Pregnant women who enroll in the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program receive a $25 voucher for diapers for each month that they are smoke-free after the baby is born. The Indiana State Department of Health currently funds this program in 11 counties and hopes to expand with additional funding from the Foundation.
Reducing the infant mortality rate in Indiana is a top priority of the Indiana State Department of Health and the Healthy Hoosiers Foundation. The Healthy Hoosiers Foundation accepts private funding, gifts, donations, bequests and other contributions. All donations are tax-deductible.
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