Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force meets Friday in Greencastle

The National Leadership Academy for the Public's Health has selected the Terre Haute-based Rural Health Innovation Collaborative to lead the West Central Indiana Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force, also known as Wabash Valley Healthy Moms and Babies.

The Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force in Putnam County will meet Friday, Sept. 19 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Almost Home in Greencastle.

Indiana has a history of high infant mortality rates (7.7 deaths per 1,000 live births), ranking sixth worst in the nation. This tragic public health problem is amplified in Indiana's rural communities where infant mortality rates between 11-13 (per 1,000) are routinely observed.

In rural Indiana, poor access to prenatal care, poverty, high smoking rates, poor maternal and infant nutrition and unsafe infant sleep practices contribute to high infant mortality rates.

Attempts to improve birth outcomes by focusing on altering personal health behaviors have not proven successful

However, community-based programming that simultaneously intervenes at individual, family and community levels show promise in improving birth outcomes. Innovative solutions that incorporate this multilevel approach to improve birth outcomes are needed in rural communities across America.

The West Central Indiana Infant Mortality Reduction Task Force, a community-academic-government partnership, was formed with the mission of developing a network of community-based solutions that promote and support healthy pregnancies and families in Indiana's rural communities and thus decrease Indiana's rural infant mortality rate.