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Indiana Families Struggle To Find Baby Formula As Shortage Drags On

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Indiana Families Struggle To Find Baby Formula As Shortage Drags On
  • By Ryus Moore

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana families are struggling to find baby formula due to a national shortage.

“My daughter’s acid reflux has gotten very bad,” said Sophie Ross, a mother in Danville, Indiana. “She’s constipated, been completely fussy on this other formula that we have no other choice to use because you can’t find anything anymore. You just have to grab what you can.”

As a mother of three children, with her youngest being 9 months old, Ross said, “I’ve never had to go through a time like this. Luckily, we only have a few months left of needing the formula.”

She usually uses cow’s milk allergy formula but hasn’t been able to find it for two months and has had to settle for Meijer, Walmart, and CVS brands.

Ross said her child is having trouble gaining weight due to her coughing up, and she has faced the dilemma of deciding how much formula is too much.

“We grab what we can when we can, but you don’t want to hoard from other parents who need it too,” said Ross. “It’s a fine line of what’s hoarding and what’s not, and I don’t think a lot of non-parents are thinking about [it] during a time like this.”

Struggles of the shortage

The current shortage of baby formula can be traced back to as far as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Since that time of international crisis, which interrupted manufacturers’ labor and transportation of raw materials, baby formula has become quite a scarce resource for many families around the U.S. Parents of newborns have flocked to stores and stockpiled baby formula whenever and wherever they can find it.

According to South Florida pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin, only five major manufacturing plants make baby formula in America. “It’s strict for a reason. Baby formula is the most regulated food in the United States,” said Amin.

In February, one of those manufacturers, Abbott Nutrition, recalled several major brands of powdered formula and shut down its factory in Sturgis, Michigan, when federal officials began investigating four babies who had bacterial infections after consuming formula from the facility.

A possible solution

On June 9, the More Options for Infants and Parents Act, H.R. 8010, was introduced in the U.S. Congress. One of the co-sponsors of the bill is Congressman Dr. Larry Bucshon of Indiana’s 8th district.

“As a physician and a father of four children, I know just how critical it is to ensure that babies have the proper nutrients to grow into healthy adults,” said Bucshon in a press release. “Due to the ongoing baby formula shortage crisis, many Hoosier families have struggled to find formula, and this crisis is one that Hoosier parents should never have to face again.

“This is why I co-sponsored the More Options for Infants and Parents Act to put in place policies that will help ensure Hoosier families will not have to worry about shortages in the future.”

Three main things the bill focuses on are:

  • Requiring the FDA to review all pending baby formula submissions under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) no later than 14 days after the bill’s enactment.

  • Requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to keep an updated list of substitutes to use in place of formula on the FDA’s website.

  • Giving the HHS the ability to waive any applicable labeling and nutritional requirements to regulate substitutions for products in shortage.

Where to find help

Sophie Ross is just one of countless parents nationwide who are struggling to find the resources she needs for her child. But there are many people who are here to help.

The Indiana Formula Shortage Help Group on Facebook has over 1,200 members who supply others with information on when and where parents can find baby formula.

“We trade formula, sell it, give it away for free, or try anything to help people find it,” said Ilene Montalvo, who helps run the group. “It’s not just women. It’s grandparents, fathers, and anyone who wants to help the next person.

“It’s gotten to the point where there are scalpers and scammers who try to sell the formula for triple the normal price.”

Montalvo said she receives aid from the Indiana Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), which helps supply her with about seven cans of formula monthly but only to certain stores.

“I can’t pick any formula I see. It has to be a specific brand and a specific ounce,” says Montalvo. “Sometimes I’ll go to four or five stores and won’t find anything.”

FOOTNOTE:  Ryus Moore is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Congratulations To Ascension St. Vincent Auxiliary Scholarship Award Recipients

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Congratulations, Auxiliary Scholarship Award Recipients

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville Foundation congratulates our Auxiliary Scholarship Award Recipients! Recipients are selected based on their financial need, GPA, extracurricular activities, leadership initiatives and other honors.

Congratulations to:

Madeline Rentchler – $3,000 Achievement Scholarship Recipient:Madeline is a Mater Dei graduate and is planning to attend Taylor University to major in Biology. Madeline is the daughter of Cheryl Rentchler (Physical Medicine Dept.).

Abby Hagan – $2,000 Achievement Scholarship Recipient: Abby is a graduate from Castle High School and plans to pursue a degree in Evolution, Ecology and Environmental Science at Purdue University this fall. She is the daughter of Jason and Michelle Hagan (Pharmacy Dept.).

Emma Waters – $1,000 Achievement Scholarship Recipient: Emma is a Crittenden County High School graduate and plans to study Business at Murray State University. Emma is the daughter of Mark (Receiving Dept.) and Leah Waters.

In addition to the Achievement Awards, the Auxiliary awards the Browning Family scholarship award. The Browning Family scholarship award goes to the recipient with an interest in medical or non-clinical work in a healthcare facility. Congratulations to: Meera Bhatia – the $600 Charles and Delores, Jennifer and Mark Browning Family Scholarship Recipient. Meera is a graduate of Castle High School and has been accepted to attend Purdue University. She is the daughter of Dr. Ruchi and Vishal Bhatia.

Vanderburgh County Marriage Licenses Issued

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Vanderburgh County Marriage Licenses Issued

Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records

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Booked Last 24 Hours-Public

EPD DAILY POLICE REPORT

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EPD

 

EPD DAILY POLICE REPORT

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

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Indy Takes Steps To Better Protect Pedestrians And Cyclists

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Indy Takes Steps To Better Protect Pedestrians And Cyclists

INDIANAPOLIS—After a rise in non-motorist injuries and fatalities, the Indianapolis City-County Council updated the city’s “complete streets” ordinance on June 6. The ordinance is meant to protect pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorists from fatal collisions.

Councillors John Barth, Maggie Lewis, John Larrison, Zach Adamson, Dan Boots, Alison Brown, and La Keisha Jackson sponsored Proposal 175 to update the ordinance. Barth and Council Majority Leader Lewis sponsored the original ordinance in 2012.

The original ordinance required the city to consider the needs of pedestrians and cyclists regardless of age, ability or income when planning and constructing local streets. The updated ordinance adds transparency and accountability in the planning processes.

The council established a new Fatal Crash Review Team. This new team will review fatal crashes to see if the intersection or stretch of roadway a crash occurred at is too dangerous and will determine if the change is needed.

Since this original ordinance, there has been a recent increase in dangerous and fatal encounters between pedestrians and motorists in Indianapolis. In 2019, there were 1,957 non-motorists injured or killed in motorist collisions.

“Our city streets should be safe for everyone, and we must address the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. We cannot focus solely on vehicles,” said Barth.

The review team will be made up of an IMPD officer appointed by the chief of police, an employee of the department of public works (preferably a traffic engineer), an employee of the metropolitan development (preferably a transportation planner), and two people appointed by the council, one of them having to be a representative advocating on behalf of pedestrians and bicyclists. All appointees must reside in Marion County, serve a term of two years, and may be reappointed.

To see the full proposal, click here.

 CenterPoint Energy Assessing Damage, Performing Repairs, And Restoring Service Following Severe Storms

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 CenterPoint Energy Assessing Damage, Performing Repairs, And Restoring Service Following Severe Storms

Evansville – June 17, 2022 – In response to the severe weather’s impact on its electric system in

southwestern Indiana, CenterPoint Energy has issued the following update:

During this storm, outages peaked with nearly 20,000 customers without power, with widespread damage to

the system resulting from high winds and lightning. CenterPoint Energy and contract crews are continuing to

assess and repair damaged equipment and downed wires

The restoration process begins with facilities vital to safety, health, and welfare, such as hospitals, water treatment plants, and public service facilities. After key facilities, the company follows its priority restoration process by making repairs to electrical facilities that will return power to the largest number of customers first, then continue the restoration process by prioritizing repairs to benefit the greatest number of customers until power is returned to everyone.

As of 2:30 p.m., there are 203 outages with 5,440 total estimated electric customers remaining without power.

Of those 203 outages, 8 outages remain for 100 customers or greater. Those 8 outages currently have crews working on restoration.

“We are committed to restoring service to our customers as safely and quickly as possible. We ask for patience as some areas received heavy damage to trees and equipment, which make it harder for our crews to access the area and make repairs,” said Richard Leger, Senior Vice President, Indiana Electric.

Leger added, “Our goal is to significantly reduce the number of outages by the end of the business day. However, due to the extent of damage, some customers could remain without power throughout the evening and into tomorrow. Given the extreme temperatures, we want to make sure customers plan ahead for their personal safety.”

CenterPoint Energy reminds all customers:

 

Another Taxpayer Refund For Hoosiers

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Another Taxpayer Refund For Hoosiers

by Wendy McNamara 

JUNE 19, 2022

Hoosiers across our community and great state continue to feel the sting of record-high gas prices and inflation. To help, state lawmakers plan to soon return to the Statehouse for a special session to provide relief for taxpayers.

House and Senate lawmakers are again voicing support to use state reserves to return $1 billion to Hoosier taxpayers via an automatic taxpayer refund after higher-than-expected revenue collections. Under the recently announced plan, each taxpayer would receive about $225, in addition to the $125 automatic taxpayer refund Hoosiers are currently receiving. Click here for more information on the potential refund.

This year, legislators passed a historic $1 billon tax-cut package to reduce income taxes and Hoosiers’ utility bills. The state also returned $545 million to Hoosiers in automatic taxpayer refunds, and paid down $545 million in teacher pension debt.
I look forward to joining my colleagues back at the Statehouse soon to provide some inflation relief and will continue to work on ways to get more money back into Hoosiers’ pockets.

FSSA Encourages Hoosiers To Participate In Survey To Measure Addiction Treatment,

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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction today announced the launch of the Recovery Capital Index, designed to measure the sum of resources necessary for an individual to initiate and sustain recovery from addiction and to help track the overall recovery capital of the state and communities.

“People in recovery have been telling us for decades that there is more to recovery than just maintaining sobriety,” said Jay Chaudhary, DMHA director. “A well-rounded, fulfilling life is the key to a thriving recovery. The Recovery Capital Index will help the state measure the quality of life for Hoosiers in recovery and ensure that Indiana remains a great place to recover.”

Recovery capital is the overall measure of internal and external resources available to an individual with a substance use disorder to ensure their continual success in recovery. The RCI provides a comprehensive picture of a person’s whole well-being using an online, automated 68-question survey. Generally, the higher the level of recovery capital, the better the chances of someone maintaining success in recovery.

The state of Indiana has invested more than $45 million of federal State Opioid Response grant funding over the past four years to combat the drug epidemic and improve mental health. DMHA plans to use aggregate and geographically analyzed results from the Recovery Capital Index to drive future decisions about funding and resource allocation. Chaudhary said mapping and measuring recovery capital will also allow DMHA to see the effect of its investment and track it over time.

To complete the Recovery Capital Index survey, text “RECOVERY” to 833-638-3784. All Hoosiers are encouraged to complete the survey, not just those directly affected by addiction.

To help drive participation, Overdose Lifeline, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit dedicated to helping those affected by substance use disorder, will place stickers on over 200 NaloxBox units and 19 naloxone vending machines across the state. The stickers will prompt users to scan the QR code or text “RECOVERY” to 833-638-3784 to access the survey and additional information about naloxone, including training videos.

To find a naloxone distribution site near you, visit www.overdoselifeline.org.

DMHA has contracted with Commonly Well to administer the survey statewide. Commonly Well is a public benefit company that uses technology and data to help communities and organizations employ well-being initiatives.

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