Mission
The Indianapolis Healthy Baby Consortium (IHBC) is dedicated to improving birth outcomes and reducing the overall number of babies who die before their first birthday in Marion County through advocacy, education, innovative initiatives, and policy development.
Why should infant mortality be a concern to a community?
An infant death is a measure of the health and well-being of children and the overall health of a community. It reflects the status of maternal health, the accessibility and quality of primary healthcare, and the availability of supportive services in the community.
In the Community
Members of the Consortium are active in the community through a variety of projects and activities including:
•Advocacy
•Accessing quality care
•Outreach
•Partnerships and collaborations
•Professional development opportunities
•Promotion of paternal involvement
•Safe sleep community education
History
In 1987, the Children’s Defense Fund, a Washington-based research group released disturbing statistics regarding infant mortality rates. For Indianapolis, their data revealed that in 1984, for every 1,000 black babies born, 25 would die prior to their first birthday and for all races, approximately 14 would die. These rates were unfortunately some of the highest in the country especially for a city the size of Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Campaign for Healthy Babies was formed in 1990 to address the high infant mortality rate in the city. It consisted of public and private organizations and community leaders with goals of increasing community awareness, developing and implementing successful strategies to address the issues, and to mobilize resources to reduce the county’s infant mortality rate.
In 1993, the Marion County Public Health Department (MCPHD) assumed responsibility for the campaign and the name was changed to the Indianapolis Healthy Babies Consortium (IHBC). New community initiatives under the IHBC included care coordination, community-wide education about infant mortality, perinatal substance and paternal involvement programs and the first fetal infant mortality review was conducted.
The IHBC consists of maternal and child health professionals dedicated to reducing infant mortality in our community. Also, the IHBC and the Indianapolis Fetal and Infant Mortality Review serve as a Community Action Network (CAN). The IHBC serves as a collaborator and partner with the Indianapolis Healthy Start Program (IHS). IHS, which is housed within the MCPHD, offers outreach and case management services, and health education to women and their families during pregnancy and until babies celebrate their second birthday.
Unfortunately, babies are still dying at an unacceptable rate in our community before they celebrate their first birthday. However, rates are declining through community-wide efforts.