T
he Indiana Hospital Association (IHA), in partnership with Governor Eric J. Holcomb and State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, recognized Indiana birthing hospitals this month for their commitment to infant and maternal health at IHA’s second annual INspire Hospital of Distinction recognition program.
INspire, funded by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH)’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.
“Indiana’s birthing hospitals are rightfully being celebrated for the great strides they are making that directly impact the lives of Hoosier moms and babies,” Gov. Holcomb said. “With their combination of passion and determination, together we will continue this important work to save lives and give every Hoosier newborn the best opportunity ahead.”
“The past 19 months have been incredibly challenging for our state, and our hospitals have been on the front lines of so many of those challenges,” Dr. Box said. “At a time where all of our focus has seemingly been on the COVID-19 pandemic, it is heartening to see the continued commitment to ensuring our mothers and babies have the best start possible.”
Box noted that among many successes despite the pandemic, IDOH rolled out My Healthy Baby, the State’s OB navigator home visiting program, to 22 counties and is on track to add another 23 counties this year.
“Indiana hospitals are grateful for the leadership of Gov. Holcomb and Dr. Box and are thrilled to be a partner in Indiana’s effort to reduce infant mortality,” said IHA President Brian Tabor. “We look forward to building on the progress we’ve made.”
Hospital award recipients earned either an INspire Hospital of Distinction or Category of Excellence recognition based on their performance in six key areas, including infant safe sleep, breastfeeding, tobacco prevention and cessation, perinatal substance use, obstetric hemorrhage, and maternal hypertension.
