Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box addresses LCW’s third quarterly meeting
State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box and IU Health South Central Region’s Chief of Staff Lesley Snyder were the featured speakers at LCW’s third quarterly meeting, held on October 12, 2022 in the Health Sciences Building on the campus of the Regional Academic Health Center, adjoining the new hospital. LCW appreciates being able to meet in these impressive new quarters.
Noting that it was now the 10-month mark for the new hospital, Lesley Snyder gave an update on how it is faring. While the staff have had to get used to the new way in which the hospital is organized, things are going well in this “stabilization” phase, even though supply chain issues have caused delays in the arrival of signage, and doors, which are fire-rated, do not have windows in them. There are new things for patients to become accustomed to, as well, including, when needed, beds that “talk:” for example, they can tell a patient not to get out of bed without assistance. Masking is still required, even though Covid cases are at their lowest level of the year, as risks still exist for hospital workers and patients.
New opportunities for staff parking are being considered, including possibly a garage for protection in inclement weather.
Unexpected in the South Central Region was the abrupt closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bedford, which caused IU Health quickly to organize teams to enable a continuation of healthcare to the Bedford area. The priorities were emergency department care and labor and baby delivery (already greatly diminished), and a collaboration has been established with Dr. Yolanda Yoder’s Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology group in Paoli. IU Health is now working on obtaining more primary care providers for Bedford as well as for Bloomington, but this is difficult, as staffing shortages are being experienced throughout the state; IU Health as a system has more than 400 open positions, although some of them are for temporary jobs.
Dr. Box pointed out that the South Central Region is a microcosm of the state, where on average it requires a 45-minute drive to get healthcare services, and local health departments are woefully underfunded. She praised Monroe County Health Department Administrator Penny Caudill for her excellent work, and especially for her department’s effective efforts in dealing not only with Covid but also with long-standing problems like infant mortality, which in Indiana is among the highest in the nation: in 2020, with 522 infant deaths, Indiana ranked 47th out of the 50 states. To try to improve the situation, the state has launched the “My Healthy Baby” program, with a goal of becoming “the best in the Midwest” by saving the lives of at least 200 babies by 2024. The program began in 2020, working first with women at the highest risk, mainly non-Hispanic black women, among whom the infant mortality rate is 13.2%, compared to 6.5% for Hispanic women and 5.5% for non-Hispanic white women. The aim is to engage pregnant women in prenatal care and provide wrap-around services to them for at least the first year of their babies’ lives. A “family support provider” offers personalized guidance, meeting with a pregnant woman where it is most comfortable for her, including in her home. The program is now being expanded statewide to include women who have Medicaid coverage. It has been offered in Monroe County since January 10, 2022.
Often the Department of Child Services refers women to the program, but anyone else, including individuals and organizations such as churches, can make referrals, as can pregnant women themselves. Referring someone to the program involves only three pieces of information: who is making the referral, the pregnant woman’s name, and contact information. Brochures and posters about the program can be ordered at www.in.gov/myhealthybaby/. As of September 2022, about 850 women had been referred to the program statewide, with 53 in Monroe County. It offers a supportive environment and aims to help build a woman’s knowledge, skills, and confidence when taking care of her baby and her life. Dr. Box urged attendees to refer women at vog.ni.hdsi@yhtlaehym and to spread the word to other people and organizations to do so as well. Pregnant women can go to vog.ni.hdsi@yhtlaehym to refer themselves, or
they can call 844-624-6667, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm.
LCW president Vanessa McClary ended the meeting with a drawing of door prizes of children’s books donated by Kiwanis of South Central Indiana. To audience acclaim, Dr. Box and Liz Feitl won What Will I Be? and Shady Baby respectively.