Indiana

Panelists at Side Effects Public Media’s two-part Happier Birth Days conversation answered viewer questions about maternal and infant health disparities in Indiana’s black communities. But there wasn’t time to answer all questions. Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr.

Some doctors see access to birth control as a tool in the fight to decrease maternal and infant mortality. Indiana has one of the nation’s worst rates of new mothers and infants dying, and those rates are even worse for black women.

But a history of abuse has led to distrust of health care professionals in communities of color. 

Former Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh died Thursday morning at the age of 91.

He was an icon in Indiana and a titan of the U.S. Senate, serving three terms from 1963 to 1981. Among his accomplishments was his authorship of Title IX in 1972, a law guaranteeing women access to educational and athletic programs in higher education.

Bayh said his inspiration for that – and his work on the failed Equal Rights Amendment – was his wife Marvella. They met at the 1951 National Farm Bureau speaking contest; as Bayh put it, "She won the competition, I won the girl."

An estimated 21 percent of Hoosiers smoke – one of the highest smoking rates in the country. 

But of the nine bills related to smoking, cigarettes, and e-liquids introduced at the Statehouse this session, only two are moving forward. 

The National Alliance for Mental Illness says about two million people with mental illnesses are booked into jails every year.

But most counties aren’t properly equipped to treat those people while they’re in custody. The problem is especially big in Indiana, where many jails are housing far more inmates than they are supposed to. 

Latosha Poston says she made a lot of mistakes in her life. Her legal troubles began in her teens after her first child was born in Indianapolis. Over the years, bad decisions led to some arrests, some convictions.

"Sometimes we get stuck in our past and let our past guide us," she says.

The 44-year-old has worked hard to straighten out her life. But her criminal records — all involving misdemeanors — continued to haunt her as she tried to find a decent job and place to live.

Indiana Medicaid recipients are getting better access to drugs for treating hepatitis C,  a change triggered by a class-action lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Indiana launched a new work requirement program through Medicaid on the first of the year.  It’s called “Gateway to Work” and is billed as a community engagement opportunity to help connect people with better employment opportunities.

But some worry the changes will result in Hoosiers losing health insurance.

Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old Democratic mayor of South Bend, Ind., announced last week that he intends to run for president.

An openly gay man and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Buttigieg has been identified by top Democrats — including former President Barack Obama – as a potential future leader for the party.

The Indiana University School of Medicine’s (IUSM) Evansville campus has a new home.

Once located on the campus of the University of Southern Indiana, the med school moved late last year to downtown Evansville. 

Side Effects asked Dr. Steven Becker, the school’s director and associate dean, about the move – and his plans.

In another step to lower its high maternal death rate, Indiana has joined the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health.

The alliance is a national group of public health organizations and hospitals that works to reduce poor birth outcomes. It analyzes hospital data and provides training materials on addressing health complications during pregnancy.

The impressive facade of the main church at Saint Meinrad Archabbey looks like it was taken straight out of Europe. Twin steeples topped by golden crosses loom over the rural Indiana landscape.

During the holiday season, it's a place of healing, as some St. Meinrad monks help people cope with their grief.

Addiction affects millions of Americans. At a live storytelling event, Indiana community members who struggle with addiction shared their stories of life in recovery.