Kokomo Tribune
From the newly born to the elderly, health among Hoosiers is a major concern for everyone.
Top concerns include the state’s high maternal and infant mortality rates, the alarming rates of drug and tobacco use among teens and young adults, cancer rates, mental health and issues inside institutions caring for the elderly.
The state’s various health rankings are concerning: Mental health is 35th in the nation; infant mortality, 42nd; early adult mortality, 40th; obesity ranks 39th; smoking ranks 42nd; and suicide is 28th, according to US News and World Report’s 2022 “Best States” rankings.
In all, the media company ranks the Hoosier State 43rd in overall health.
Financially speaking, Hoosiers’ poor health is costing the state and its businesses and residents more than $87 billion, according to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Public Health Commission.
Recommendations from the commission all point to this: More public money needs to be spent on health care in Indiana.
Early into the Indiana Senate’s 2023 legislative session, the governor’s commission met with legislators with proposed changes to the way Indiana tackles public health.
When the Indiana General Assembly passed its primary budget bill April 28, state health funding had increased. Specifically focused on decreasing overdoses, $5 million from an opioid settlement fund was allocated to the Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement Program to combat addiction. From the state’s opioid settlement fund, $18.7 million was approved for substance abuse treatment and overdose intervention. The funds will be split between fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide with millions of new cases diagnosed each year. Tobacco products are the primary risk factor for lung cancer.
Lawmakers should look at neighboring states and their increased tobacco product taxes as a way to help deter use among Hoosiers.
While the state’s infant mortality as a whole has declined in recent years, the eastern and central southwestern portions of Indiana saw an increase over the past five years.
Holcomb launched the My Health Baby program in 2022, which was part of his goal to make Indiana’s infant mortality rate the lowest in the Midwest by 2024.
More outreach is needed to help Black Hoosier women whose numbers of deaths are staggering. According to the 2022 Indiana Maternal Mortality Annual Report, Indiana’s pregnancy-associated mortality ratio was 117 per 100,000 live births in 2020, representing a 58% increase from 2019. For Black women, it’s twice the average rate and three times higher than the rate for white women.
By the year 2035, the number of adults over the age of 65 is expected to outnumber the number of children under 18, according to a report this year by the Indiana Capital Chronicle. And it’s well documented Indiana is facing an assisted living and nursing home crisis.
Add in the fact chronic worker shortages and funding issues at those facilities are making it harder for elders to find a quality place to spend their golden years. More must be done to better monitor the state’s nursing homes to protect older Hoosiers.