Indiana Health Initiatives

Since Indiana is near the bottom of some key health issues compared to other states, Hospitals are joining forces to focus on wellness.

State hospitals will focus on 6 public health measures in an attempt to elevate our low ranking.
The six targeted areas and their rankings are listed here:

• Obesity – rank 31st
  Smoking – rank 50th
  Adult diabetes – rank 38th
  Childhood immunizations – rank 43rd
  Prenatal care in first trimester – rank 33rd
  Self-reported poor mental health – rank 46th

The initial strategies will include targeting hospital employees first to help with some of the reporting data and education for the families. Other strategies include utilizing partnerships with others, aligning hospital initiatives with county or state initiatives, like INShape Indiana, standardizing needs assessments and measurements, and utilizing existing resources and expertise within hospitals.

We should be able to improve these rankings.

*Source: Wellpoint State Health Index of 23 key public health metrics, 2004-05