Healthy Families: Maternal/Infant Health
Our Healthy Family Priority is firmly grounded in programming that reduces Infant mortality and improves maternal/child health. In 2018 the Northern Indiana Hospital Region (including Elkhart, La Porte, Marshall, and Saint Joseph counties) had an infant mortality rate of 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births (CITE). This is higher on average than the state of Indiana, which saw a rate of 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same year. Of the deaths experienced in our region:
- 39.1% of mothers had no early perinatal care (PNC)
- 10.8% of mothers smoked
- 47.1% of mothers were on Medicaid
These numbers suggest that there is a high need to offer comprehensive maternal and child health services to the community (ISDH, 2018).
From 2019-2021 Beacon Community Impact will support strong programming that seeks to reduce infant mortality in our region. Our organization has adopted three focus areas of support:
Focus 1
Expand access to primary care services for underserved, high-risk pregnant women and their families.
Focus 2
Increase preconception and family planning engagement programs.
Focus 3
Provide programming that promotes positive perinatal care and healthy behaviors from family caregivers.
Community Partners
Community partners within this priority represent a wide range of programming aimed at improving the health of mothers and their children. Below is a list of our current partners with details on the programming they offer.
- Healthy Babies offers perinatal care coordination aimed at prevention, education and early intervention to enhance the health and lives of infants, young children and
- Healthy Families is a long-term home visiting program and that helps pregnant moms and parents of newborn infants by offering support about child development,
- The St. Joseph County Health Department (SJCHD) Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Program examines the social, economic, cultural, health, safety and systems issues related
Beacon Community Impact Programs
In addition to our externally funded community partners, Beacon Community Impact provides the following programming within our Healthy Family Priority:
- Offered to low-income families in Elkhart, Marshall and Saint Joseph Counties, the BABE Store provides basic supplies, such as diapers or clothes, in exchange
- BMTF is a program aimed at reducing poor maternal and infant health outcomes. Maternal and second-hand smoking is the leading cause of premature deliveries
- The Childhood Safety Class is designed to educate on a different safety topic each month. Topics are usually geared to seasons or any issue
- Cribs for Kids provides safe sleep education to families to reduce instances of infant mortality through SUIDs. Participants of the program receive a portable
- Provides sickle cell education, resource material, outreach and awareness activities for professionals, students, and the wider community. Screening is offered at awareness events.
- Care coordination for infants who test positive for sickle cell trait.
- PNCC provides basic prenatal care education and uses best practices to lessen the likelihood that infants in the program are born preterm or at
- 574.647.2100 or 574.647.2175 WIC provides supplemental foods, health care referrals and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding and non-breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants
