Latest news with #LindsayWeaver
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana health department reports potential record-low infant death rate in 2024
A preliminary report from the Indiana Department of Health showed an infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, down from 6.6 deaths in 2023. (Getty Images) An early review of Indiana's 2024 infant death records showed a year-over-year decline — potentially reaching a historic low, according to provisional data from the state health department. Indiana's Department of Health (IDOH) reported an infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 6.6 deaths in 2023. If the rate holds after final review, it would be Indiana's lowest since the state began tracking the measure in 1900. The previous low was 6.5 deaths in 2019, according to IDOH data. 'With Indiana's infant mortality rate at its lowest in over a century, we see the real impact of everyone who is focused on protecting our most vulnerable Hoosiers,' Gov. Mike Braun said in a Tuesday statement. 'We are committed to ensuring that even more babies have a healthy start and a strong future.' CONTACT US Infant mortality refers to the death of a child before their first birthday and is often seen as a key indicator of overall public health. Indiana has long struggled to lower its rate, particularly among marginalized populations and in rural areas. For years, the state ranked among the worst in the nation. 'We are ecstatic that more Hoosier babies are celebrating their first birthdays,' said State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver. 'Seeing these efforts pay off is something to celebrate, and we are grateful to clinicians, healthcare centers and affiliates, local health departments and all our other partners for their collective efforts.' Indiana's rate still remains above the national average, however. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national infant mortality rate was 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. The federal 'Healthy People 2030 goal' is to lower the national rate to 5 deaths per 1,000 births. IDOH officials pointed to ongoing efforts through Health First Indiana. The initiative supports partnerships between the state health department and local groups to improve prenatal care access, support home visiting services, promote breastfeeding, and expand education on infant safe sleep practices. IDOH also reviews hospital discharge and fatality data to guide future interventions. Health First Indiana funding was slashed in the new state budget, however. A final analysis of the 2024 numbers is expected later this year. 'The critical work to further reduce infant mortality continues,' Weaver said. 'The Indiana Department of Health is committed to our role to decrease the number of infant deaths in Indiana and give the next generation of Hoosiers the best possible start.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Learn who is running for posts in the Waynesboro area in the May 20 primary
There are several positions on the ballot in the Waynesboro area in the May 20 primary, and some of the races are contested. The primary determines the Democratic and Republican candidates in the November general election. Ballots feature a total of four four-year seats on the Waynesboro Area School Board. The GOP candidate for the one Washington Township seat will be determined in the primary, with voters choosing between Lindsay Weaver and Steven McRae. No Democrats are running for the township school board seat. In the Borough of Waynesboro, there are two Republican candidates for two posts, Shane Harkins and Bradley Kiracofe. No Democrats are running. Franklin County voters: What to know before heading to the polls In the North End – Quincy Township, the Borough of Mont Alto and the Fifth Ward of Guilford Township – Democrat Kimberly Miles is running for the one school board seat. There are no Republican candidates. Miles is the only current school board member among the candidates. There is one council four-year seat in each of Waynesboro's three wards, with Republican contests in two of them. No Democrats are running for council. In Ward 1, Todd Blake and Janeen McChesney are the Republican candidates in the primary. In Ward 2, Brandon Boldyga and Ascohi Helman are candidates. In Ward 3, Randy Schriver is the only candidate. None of the candidates serve on council now. Dade Royer, a current borough council member, is one of two Republicans running for mayor. He is facing Douglas Carranza. No Democrats are running for mayor. In Washington Township, incumbent Republicans Barb McCracken and C. Stewart McCleaf are running for re-election to six-year terms on the board of supervisors. There are no Democrats running for the two township posts. The primary features one six-year seat on the Quincy Township Board of Supervisors. Republicans running for the position are Alan Peck, a current supervisor, and Richard M. Wagaman. No Democrats are running. Four four-year seats are available on Mont Alto Borough Council. Republicans candidates are Donna Henderson and Carla Bumbaugh, both current council members. There is one Democratic candidate, Pauline A. Baker. No one from either party is running for the four-year position of mayor. Polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 20. Mail-in and absentee ballots must be returned to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office by 8 p.m. on May 20. Ballots must physically be in the office by that time, a May 20 postmark is not sufficient. Only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote in the primary election. Additional information, including sample ballots, can be found on the Franklin County website. This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Waynesboro area primary election summary
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What to know about Waynesboro Area School Board candidate before May 20 primary
Pennsylvania's primary election is May 20 and one of the positions on the ballot is a seat representing Washington Township on the Waynesboro Area School Board. Lindsay Weaver and Steven McRae are running in the primary for the opportunity to be the Republican candidate in the November general election. No Democrats are running for the township school board seat. Another election Q&A: Primary election is May 20. Learn about First Ward Waynesboro Borough Council candidates We asked the GOP candidates to respond to a few questions via email. Below are McRae's answers. Weaver did not respond to the Q&A. Age: 37 Town: Waynesboro Education: Bachelor's in Technology Education, Master's in Adult Education Professional Experience: For 3 years I taught Technology Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Edgewood Middle School in Harford County, MD. I worked with students of all learning styles and abilities and gained a lot of experience in curriculum development, lesson planning and classroom management. I was also published in the January 2014 edition of STEM Magazine where I discussed ways to implement STEM into the core education courses. While in education, I started a Science Olympiad club where students applied STEM to compete in regional, state and national levels. In the three years that I was the leader for the Science Olympiad club my Edgewood Middle School team made it to the Maryland State competition each year. I have also held leadership roles with training newly hired employees while working at Comcast over the past 10 years. After spending three years in the public education system I found that my passion had been drained due to the decisions of the school board that I worked under. I still have a passion for education, and I believe that being a school board member I can use my years of experience and my education to make improvements to the Waynesboro Area School District that will benefit students in their educational and professional endeavors. I believe that our entire education system is focused too much on standardized testing and basing a student's educational value on test scores and not practical, real-world education. I feel that, especially in the Waynesboro community, that more focus and opportunities for trade schools and apprenticeships should be implemented so that all students can succeed and not be judged solely on the scores of a standardized test. A major issue that is affecting our school systems nationwide now is the blurring of political values and educational values. While I am 100% for freedom of speech and expression, there should be no place in the classroom for educators to make any comments, suggestions or opinions on a student's gender identity, political beliefs, or anything else that is not pertinent to the subject that is to be taught within the classroom. I feel that a major change in education that needs to be addressed is determining who is responsible for student performance in the classroom. I believe that a change in the mindset needs to be made so that there is equal responsibility for the education and development of children between the teachers, parents and the students themselves. I want to fight for the common-sense education for WASD and be the voice of parents and students that may not align with the many "woke" political values forced on children. Schools should be about children making friends, developing social skills and getting the common sense education that can be used in the real world. I believe we need to focus on the basics of education to ensure a solid foundation for children and provide a stepping point for their future. I want to work with the businesses in the community to try and help promote or create possible apprenticeship opportunities as not all students will be college bound. I will fight for parental rights to know what their children are being taught in schools. I will be a voice for the parents, students and teachers to promote a stronger education so that we can create a better tomorrow. Washington Township is the only place where there is a contested school board race. In the Borough of Waynesboro, there are two Republican candidates for two posts, Shane Harkins and Bradley Kiracofe. No Democrats are running. In the North End – Quincy Township, the Borough of Mont Alto and the Fifth Ward of Guilford Township – Democrat Kimberly Miles is running for the one school board seat. There are no Republican candidates. Polls will be open for in-person voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 20. Mail-in and absentee ballots must be returned to the Franklin County Voter Registration Office by 8 p.m. May 20. Ballots must physically be in the office by that time. A May 20 postmark is not sufficient. Only registered Republicans and Democrats can vote in the primary election. Additional information, including sample ballots, can be found on the Franklin County website. This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: Republican Waynesboro School Board candidate Steven McRae answers QA
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What does the future hold for public health funding?
Indiana State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver discussed the advantages of flexible public health funding. She is pictured at a state budget hearing on Dec. 16, 2024. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle) In a tight budget year when state-funded entities have been told that a flat appropriation is a win, Health First Indiana came off relatively well with only a modest $25 million cut over the next two-year budget cycle. Health First Indiana, a statewide effort to increase public health funding, launched in 2023 and earmarked $75 million in state funds the first year followed by $150 million in the next year. The current version of the budget sets funding at $100 million each year. But earlier this month, a handful of senators flagged concerns about the program and whether it was too flexible, openly musing about whether to introduce constraints on the funds. One questioned how long it would take to see results. Supporters of the program point to the flexibility as an advantage, allowing communities to spend their funds in whatever way meets six core public health services. 'Those big metrics move in five, maybe ten years in some instances. But at the same time, I recognize that people want to see (if) what's happening is making a difference,' said Public Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver. 'And it is.' She noted that every county had key performance indicators to meet, whether it was reducing their tobacco rate or reducing fall-related emergency visits for senior citizens. 'I know there was a concern about oversight but there's lots of layers of oversight,' Weaver said. 'Us sitting in Indianapolis and saying, 'Everybody in the state do the same thing' has not been successful. But I do truly believe we are already seeing results at the local level and these locally driven initiatives will make the biggest difference.' Specific rumors about questionable spending on undocumented immigrants hadn't yet crossed the building from the Senate into the House, where House Speaker Todd Huston said on Thursday that he hadn't heard 'any concerns' from his members other than the funding level. Rep. Matt Hostettler, R-Patoka, said the issue of money was why he voted against the proposal in 2023. 'When I voted against the public health spending, it was because it was one time money and we didn't know if it could continue,' said Hostettler. 'I don't mean to be prophetic, but here we sit and there's less and less money.' He pointed to an amendment he filed, but ultimately didn't call for a vote, that would have sunsetted the bill after two years, ensuring the program was a one-time appropriation. While he hasn't personally heard about whether undocumented immigrants had accessed the program, he said that it needed to be addressed if it was hindering access for Hoosiers. 'When this money was originally allocated, it was to support more healthy communities. And how do we measure that?' Hostettler asked. 'If there are people that are not Hoosiers that are taking advantage of it — and that's keeping Hoosiers from taking advantage of it — that's an issue.' An Indiana Capital Chronicle review of all 95 public health department expense reports didn't find any explicit public health funding for immigrants — undocumented or not — though the City of Fishers partnered with Hamilton County Immigration Welcome Center. However, 25 other local public health departments reported using their dollars to contract with translation services. Hostettler did flag one expense he found to be questionable: a $600 condom purchase in LaPorte County to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. 'Is that what we need to be doing? Was that the best expense of those $600 for that community? Maybe it was,' Hostettler said. 'When the expenditures range from that to possibly translation services — what do we really want to do?' Rep. Robin Shackleford, who serves as the ranking minority member on the House Public Health Committee alongside Hostettler, urged lawmakers with questions or concerns to visit the program's website. Each county's health goals and expenditures are publicly available for scrutiny. 'I think we have legislators that are so afraid that we're using any type of public assistance to go towards someone that is not from Indiana or not from this country … that it is fogging their vision,' said Shackleford, D-Indianapolis. 'What we really should be focusing on is the health of our state. And that is what I think these health departments are trying to focus on.' Though dollars were allotted in 2023, funds didn't start getting out in communities until January 2024, with 86 counties opting into the public health funding in the first year. Since then all have joined. As the new budget cycle approached quickly, the state reached out to the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University's Indianapolis campus in late 2024 to estimate the return on investment so far. With just eight months of data, from January to August, researchers estimated that the less than $75 million distributed so far had reaped $95 million in benefits, according to a December 2024 report. Valerie Yeager, the interim director of the university's Center for Health Policy, said that number was a 'conservative underestimate' that primarily focused on three key activities: blood pressure screenings, prenatal care and fall prevention services. At eight months, or two-thirds of the way through the first year, the departments received roughly $50 million in public health funding, Yeager observed. 'There's already a $95 million return. So that's (almost) a 200% return on the investment for just three of the activities that they've been doing,' Yeager told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. But payoffs may not be quick or even easy to measure. Reducing the number of falls in a community — one of the top reasons why an elderly Hoosier might enter long-term care — helps reduce community health care costs long-term by keeping a senior citizen in their home and out of a nursing home. Prenatal care, on the other hand, can be a quicker turnaround. Getting a pregnant mother connected with those health care services, which can include screenings for gestational diabetes or vitamin access, can result in a baby with a higher birth weight. A heavier baby is more likely to be born at full-term and spends less time in an intensive care unit. 'We take all of those potential … dollars saved as a result of avoided health care services,' said Yeager. 'What we will also begin to see are things like reductions in maternal deaths and reductions in infant deaths if we can increase the number of women in Indiana who also receive prenatal care early in their pregnancy.' Nearly one-quarter of pregnant Hoosiers don't receive prenatal care in the first trimester while another seven percent never get any care at all, Yeager said. The report further expands on this statistic by citing research estimating $4,113 in savings for each birth when women access prenatal care. In the eight months analyzed, public health funding was used to provide or refer 11,918 women to prenatal services, generating an estimated $49,000 in savings. 'It's a really comprehensive and very basic — but essential — service that we need to make sure is provided,' Yeager said. 'Previously, public health agencies were working at such a deficit that … the Health First Indiana dollars are strategic investment for Hoosiers because it creates opportunities for the agencies to add essential services that they weren't previously able to provide.' Much of the efforts include partnerships with outside organizations, such as pregnancy resource centers to connect women to prenatal care. Other connections include school health services to target youth vaping and teaching local Amish communities how to Stop The Bleed, a life-saving emergency skill. 'I think of it as the foundation of our house was broken and it needs to be repaired. The Health First Indiana dollars are lifting the house back up to have a stable foundation. It's not building a massive new addition or making a mega mansion, it's fixing the foundation so that public health is resourced to do the crucial work necessary to reduce health care needs and health care spending by keeping people healthy,' said Yeager. 'It costs far less to keep people healthy than it does to make them well again,' she continued. And while a few senators, albeit influential ones, have questions about the program, the public funding has an 'excited' supporter in Senate Majority Leader Rodric Bray. 'I've heard and talked to a number of local health departments. They're enthused about the money and things that they're able to do with it. They're talking about hitting on some things that really matter to the health of Hoosiers and they're excited about that. Frankly, I'm excited about that,' Bray, R-Martinsville, told reporters on Thursday. He pointed to the possibility of improved health rankings but acknowledged funding difficulties in this budget cycle. Many local public health departments have used the dollars to hire nurses dedicated to maternal and infant health or to limiting the spread of infectious diseases. CONTACT US 'I'm not trying to argue that we'll give it more money than we did in 2023 but there's value in, at least, giving as much money. Because those folks have invested their time and people are there working,' Bray said. 'They want to make sure that those jobs are going to continue to be there and continuing to have funding for that is important. At least to me.' Weaver also noted that the program had the support of Gov. Mike Braun himself, whose budget first included that $100 million annual appropriation for public health funding. On the campaign trail, Braun identified public health as 'a good place' for investing state funds. 'Frankly, in Indiana, we can't afford not to invest in public health and those prevention programs. We've had poor health outcomes, including infant mortality and maternal mortality, for some time. We need to do something different and we need to make a difference,' Weaver said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
St. Vincent recognized for infant, maternal health
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say Ascension St. Vincent has been recognized for excellence in infant and maternal health. Officials say the hospital has been recognized by the Indiana Hospital Association (IHA), in partnership with State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP, for its commitment across all of its delivering hospitals to infant and maternal health at the fifth annual INspire Hospital of Distinction recognition program. Southwestern IN towns to receive new Main Street designations Ascension St. Vincent officials say INspire, funded by the Indiana Department of Health's Safety PIN grant, was developed to implement the delivery of best practice care for Hoosier moms and babies and recognize hospitals for excellence in addressing key drivers of infant and maternal health. Bud's Rockin' Country Bar & Grill named in nationwide lawsuit Ascension St. Vincent's Evansville location, alongside the Women and Infants Hospital, earned an INspire Hospital of Distinction recognition based on implementing 'best practices' in key areas, including infant safe sleep, breastfeeding, perinatal substance use, social drivers of health, obstetric hemorrhage and maternal hypertension. 'We are incredibly proud to receive this award from the Indiana Hospital Association,' said Kevin Speer, JD, Senior Vice President, Ascension and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension St. Vincent Indiana. 'As a vital community resource, this hospital further expresses our commitment to the health and well-being of our communities and responding to the needs of individuals. This recognition highlights the dedication and hard work of our entire team in implementing best practices and providing exceptional care to all we serve.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
