Saving our Hoosier children

 

There are many different views I bring to the table as a legislator. My experiences as a southwest Indiana citizen, engineer and mother are just a few of the roles that provide me with unique perspectives I use to evaluate the impact of legislation on my community and state. This session in particular I have used my passion as a mother to address Indiana’s devastating infant mortality rate through House Bill 1004.

This legislation establishes the Safety P.I.N. (Protecting Indiana’s Newborns) Grant Program which incentivizes organizations to develop innovative plans to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate (IMR). The IMR is based upon the number of infants who die before reaching their first birthday, per every 1,000 births. The United States’ average IMR is 6 percent.  Indiana’s IMR is currently 7.7 percent which ranks as the fifth highest rate in the nation.

Every life lost is irreplaceable and House Republicans are working to help our Hoosier children. Research shows that smoking while pregnant and lack of prenatal care lead to low birth weight or preterm labor which are both highly correlated with infant mortality in Indiana. Accordingly, the Safety P.I.N. program will give preference to proposals that incentivize at-risk pregnant women to obtain prenatal care, decrease smoking rates among pregnant women and address other factors with a significant impact on our state’s IMR.

Nearly one-third of pregnant women do not receive prenatal care. Over 60 percent of infant deaths were to mothers that received fewer than 10 prenatal visits. Whether this is due to a lack of access to prenatal care or being unaware of available resources, this is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Additionally, over 15 percent of Indiana mothers smoked during their pregnancy. In 2010, seven Indiana counties reported over 30 percent of mothers smoked while pregnant. More than half of Indiana’s counties reported over 20 percent of mothers smoked during their pregnancy. These numbers cannot be tolerated or ignored as smoking increases the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and ectopic pregnancy.

Each of these statistics are troubling, but they cannot truly encompass the sadness of losing a child during his/her first year of life. The goal of HB 1004 is to allow organizations across the state to find the best ways to combat this problem and save future Hoosier babies. The organizations that apply for the Safety P.I.N. Grant must include their regional or demographic targeted area, the specific amount they will reduce the IMR and the time frame that will be used to achieve the IMR reduction.

Applying organizations will be able to utilize a portion of the grant to pay for ongoing expenses and will receive the remaining amount upon achieving their goal. The grant encourages informed Hoosiers, private organizations and public groups to form partnerships so that the best results for decreasing the IMR can be achieved. This program is designed to not only raise awareness of the problem but obtain real, accountable results in reducing the infant mortality rate.

As a legislator and mother, I am passionate about fulfilling my obligation to support and protect our most vulnerable Hoosiers.  Therefore, I am proud to author legislation which combats the critical health problem of infant mortality.  The IMR is a recognized indicator of the overall health of communities, states and even countries.  Indiana’s high IMR shows improvements must be made for the sake of future generations in our state.  The Indiana Safety P.I.N. program is a crucial step in achieving these necessary improvements for Indiana.