Latest news with #Vavilala
Chicago Tribune
17-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Lake, Porter counties navigate Health First Indiana budget cuts
The Lake County Health Department will shift its plan for its Health First Indiana key performance indicator for maternal and child health as its program funding from 2025 to 2026 will drastically decrease. Health First Indiana was created by Senate Enrolled Act 4, which was legislation that passed in the 2023 legislative session, to address public health in Indiana. The program establishes a public health infrastructure through a state and local partnership where each county, after choosing to opt in, can determine which health services to invest in based on community needs. The state funded the program $75 million in fiscal year 2024 and $150 million in fiscal year 2025. For fiscal years 2026 and 2027, Health First Indiana will be funded $40 million per year, $80 million total, said Porter County Health Department Administrator Carrie Gschwind. Porter County received approximately $3.39 million in Health First Indiana funds in 2025, and has been notified it will receive approximately $906,000 in 2026, Gschwind said. 'We will have to cut some programming with the 73% reduction and are currently working with our team and partners to determine the most strategic course of action to make the most impact on the health outcomes of the residents of Porter County, keeping in mind those county-level key performance indicators, in light of the reduced funding,' Gschwind said. Lake County Health Department Administrator Sheila Paul told the Lake County Council Tuesday the department will take a 'big gut punch' after learning it would receive $2.5 million in Health First Indiana funding in 2026 compared to the $9 million received in 2025. 'Lake County deserves a public health infrastructure that is proactive, not reactive. Continued investment is key to making that vision a reality,' said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala. As part of the Health First Indiana program, Lake County established a goal to decrease the rate of mothers not receiving early prenatal care from 33.7% in 2022 to 28% in 2027. Another goal under the same umbrella is to decrease the count of congenital syphilis cases in Lake County from 4 in 2023 to zero in 2027. Initially, the Lake County Health Department had planned to hire six people to meet its key performance indicator for maternal and child health, Paul told the council. But with the decrease in funding, that program was scrapped, she said. Vavilala told the Post-Tribune the plan was to open two maternal health clinics – in the northern and southern portions of the county – staffed with a dedicated team of nurse practitioners, social workers and clerical staff. The clinics and staff would provide comprehensive support to expectant mothers, including prenatal care access, social support and child safety education, Vavilala said. 'Our vision was to take a holistic approach to maternal and infant health, targeting the systemic factors that contribute to poor outcomes,' Vavilala said. 'Disappointingly, with the potential reduction in Health First Indiana funding, we will not have the resources to staff or equip these clinics.' But Vavilala said Lake County is committed to improving prenatal care access. Department officials will continue to work closely with community partners and enhance internal education and outreach to support maternal and child health throughout the county, she said. 'Establishing two fully staffed clinics would require significant investment overall,' Vavilala said. 'While we continue to believe in the importance of these services, the financial realities make this model unsustainable under the revised funding.' Beyond this programming, Vavilala said the Lake County Health Department is still evaluating how else the reduced funds may impact programming. 'Our goal is to maximize impact with the resources we have and to minimize disruption to essential services. At this time, no final decisions have been made, and we are actively engaging with internal teams and local stakeholders to determine the best path forward,' Vavilala said. Health First Indiana was established to help local health departments address health challenges and make health care equitable to all, Vavilala said. So a reduction in the program will impact the county's ability to expand essential services that address pressing public health issues, she said. 'With fewer resources, we may have to scale back or delay programs that directly address health disparities, connect residents to care, and support long-term prevention. This not only limits the reach of our work but also slows progress toward measurable improvements in community health outcomes,' Vavilala said.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lake County unveils mobile clinic to help expand health outreach
For Lake County Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala, the new mobile health clinic is a game changer to improve health outcomes across the county. 'We believe it's a major step to make the preventative services more accessible for Lake County residents,' Vavilala said at Friday's ribbon cutting for the mobile clinic. 'By taking our services directly to the neighborhoods, schools, as well as community centers and ensuring people get resources they need there. we can break barriers to care, support school health also preventative care close to home and provide health education to people of all ages. 'We strongly believe transportation and bus schedules should not prevent people from accessing health care. The clinic is (meant) to eliminate these barriers and bring essential services directly to every zip code and every area.' Attendees got to walk through the mobile clinic, which includes an exam room and a blood draw station. Vavilala said the mobile clinic cost around $250,000, which was paid for out of the $4.87 million in state funding the health department received as part of the Health First Indiana initiative, which was created in 2023 by the Indiana legislature. Vavilala said Lake County Health Department staff visited Plymouth and Porter County to see how their units work. Vavilala said now that the clinic is up and running the health department will post on social media where the clinic will be traveling as well as give residents the chance to request the mobile clinic to come to their communities. 'We will closely work with schools, closely work with the community center, medical providers, as well as the local organizations to ensure our clinic reaches those with the greatest need and the right services at each community,' Vavilala said. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb pitched Health First Indiana as a way to improve the overall health of Hoosiers, an area where the state consistently ranks among the worst in the nation. As of June 2024, the state rate of children under 3 years old receiving the recommended vaccine series is 59.1% and the Lake County rate is 43%, which ranks the county at 89 out of 92 counties. The state infant mortality rate is 6.8% the county rate is 7.26%, and the state adult obesity rate is 43.6% while the county rate is 44.7%, according to the scorecard. The state smoking rate during pregnancy is 6.6% while the county rate is 3.8%, and the state rate for smoking is 21% and the county rate is 18.6%. The state suicide rate is 15.77% while the county rate is 12.3%, according to the scorecard. Many of the department's community partners were present at the clinic's launch, including Purdue Extension Nutrition Service, Gary Harm Reduction, Tobacco Free — Lake County, Mental Health America, St. John Fire Department, and Franciscan Health's Prenatal Assistance Program. One of Health First Indiana's particular areas of focus has been improving infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly among Black women. A'onesty Cross and Jackie Carter are Community Health Prenatal Care Coordinators with Franciscan, with Cross focusing on the education component and Carter gathering and reporting the data to the state. Cross said the program ensures that pregnant moms have a doctor, insurance, and perinatal education, which focuses on safe and healthy habits and advocating for yourself. Once babies are born, the moms are educated on putting baby to sleep safely and car seat safety. They have access to a diaper pantry and a clinical therapist for moms, free of charge, she said. 'We make sure they have wraparound services,' Cross said. 'We want to see all babies reach their first birthday.' Carter works with the state's Fetal Infant Mortality Review Team, which implements ways to educate moms to avoid future infant deaths. Recently, she said they've seen an uptick in sleeping-related deaths, so Carter and the team have discussed with moms how important it is to put baby 'alone, on their back and in a crib,' Cross said. Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, D-Hammond, said the mobile clinic is one way to provide health care 'wherever it is (needed).' 'I think there are identifiable metrics that we can see the positive results of the (Health First Indiana) investment,' Repay said. 'I think today we have more or less anecdotal positive events occurring from it, but I want evidence and I believe we'll get it. I think we're doing good work, it just needs to be measured and I hope that the state understands that and continues to support the programs in Lake County.' cnance@
Chicago Tribune
09-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County unveils mobile clinic to help expand health outreach
For Lake County Health Officer Dr. Chandana Vavilala, the new mobile health clinic is a game changer to improve health outcomes across the county. 'We believe it's a major step to make the preventative services more accessible for Lake County residents,' Vavilala said at Friday's ribbon cutting for the mobile clinic. 'By taking our services directly to the neighborhoods, schools, as well as community centers and ensuring people get resources they need there. we can break barriers to care, support school health also preventative care close to home and provide health education to people of all ages. 'We strongly believe transportation and bus schedules should not prevent people from accessing health care. The clinic is (meant) to eliminate these barriers and bring essential services directly to every zip code and every area.' Attendees got to walk through the mobile clinic, which includes an exam room and a blood draw station. Vavilala said the mobile clinic cost around $250,000, which was paid for out of the $4.87 million in state funding the health department received as part of the Health First Indiana initiative, which was created in 2023 by the Indiana legislature. Vavilala said Lake County Health Department staff visited Plymouth and Porter County to see how their units work. Vavilala said now that the clinic is up and running the health department will post on social media where the clinic will be traveling as well as give residents the chance to request the mobile clinic to come to their communities. 'We will closely work with schools, closely work with the community center, medical providers, as well as the local organizations to ensure our clinic reaches those with the greatest need and the right services at each community,' Vavilala said. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb pitched Health First Indiana as a way to improve the overall health of Hoosiers, an area where the state consistently ranks among the worst in the nation. As of June 2024, the state rate of children under 3 years old receiving the recommended vaccine series is 59.1% and the Lake County rate is 43%, which ranks the county at 89 out of 92 counties. The state infant mortality rate is 6.8% the county rate is 7.26%, and the state adult obesity rate is 43.6% while the county rate is 44.7%, according to the scorecard. The state smoking rate during pregnancy is 6.6% while the county rate is 3.8%, and the state rate for smoking is 21% and the county rate is 18.6%. The state suicide rate is 15.77% while the county rate is 12.3%, according to the scorecard. Many of the department's community partners were present at the clinic's launch, including Purdue Extension Nutrition Service, Gary Harm Reduction, Tobacco Free — Lake County, Mental Health America, St. John Fire Department, and Franciscan Health's Prenatal Assistance Program. One of Health First Indiana's particular areas of focus has been improving infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly among Black women. A'onesty Cross and Jackie Carter are Community Health Prenatal Care Coordinators with Franciscan, with Cross focusing on the education component and Carter gathering and reporting the data to the state. Cross said the program ensures that pregnant moms have a doctor, insurance, and perinatal education, which focuses on safe and healthy habits and advocating for yourself. Once babies are born, the moms are educated on putting baby to sleep safely and car seat safety. They have access to a diaper pantry and a clinical therapist for moms, free of charge, she said. 'We make sure they have wraparound services,' Cross said. 'We want to see all babies reach their first birthday.' Carter works with the state's Fetal Infant Mortality Review Team, which implements ways to educate moms to avoid future infant deaths. Recently, she said they've seen an uptick in sleeping-related deaths, so Carter and the team have discussed with moms how important it is to put baby 'alone, on their back and in a crib,' Cross said. Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, D-Hammond, said the mobile clinic is one way to provide health care 'wherever it is (needed).' 'I think there are identifiable metrics that we can see the positive results of the (Health First Indiana) investment,' Repay said. 'I think today we have more or less anecdotal positive events occurring from it, but I want evidence and I believe we'll get it. I think we're doing good work, it just needs to be measured and I hope that the state understands that and continues to support the programs in Lake County.'
