Health & Environment
State, localities start to spend the $507 million from National Opioids Settlement
Almost a year after distributions started from the National Opioid Settlement, only $7.1 million has been put to use so far in Indiana as local units of government wrestle with how to make the most of the payments. Over the next two decades, tens of billions of dollars will flow into state coffers nationally from […]
States lose track of thousands of foster children each year
Sharday Hamilton, a 28-year-old advocate for foster youth, homeless youth and runaways, still bears her own scars from running. There’s one near her left knee. She got it as a little girl, running away from her foster mother, who was trying to hit her with a bag of frozen food but who sometimes used a […]
Abortion providers amend suit, seeking injunctions against health exemption, hospital requirement
Indiana abortion providers on Thursday filed an amended complaint challenging the state’s near-total abortion ban and seeking new injunctions against health and hospital clauses they argue are overly narrow or unnecessary. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the amendment on behalf of Indiana’s Planned Parenthood, Women’s Med Group, All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center and […]
Judge denies request to quash attorney general’s civil demands
Two Indianapolis hospitals and a Goshen clinic will be forced to further answer civil demands on health care provided to transgender Hoosier minors, a judge has ruled. Marion Superior Judge Gary Miller on Wednesday denied the motion to quash sought by Indiana University Health, Eskenazi Health and Mosaic Health and Healing Arts in a one-paragraph […]
Halfway through Medicaid “unwinding,” where does Indiana stand?
As Indiana hits the halfway point for the Medicaid unwinding process, the rate of Hoosiers losing benefits seems to have slowed as the state reassesses the coverage of millions of beneficiaries following the expiration of pandemic protections. However, with a total of 231,403 Hoosiers kicked off of the rolls, Indiana could potentially exceed an earlier […]
State grants millions to early education providers in child care push
Twenty-one early education providers throughout Indiana — and potentially more — will expand their child care offerings with $8.7 million in grants, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced Thursday. “The first five years of a child’s life are the most significant to build a strong foundation for future success,” said Courtney Penn, […]
Indiana legislative committee weighs cannabis legalization but fails to make recommendations
Could Indiana be moving towards less stringent marijuana laws, or even total cannabis legalization? State lawmakers floated those questions Wednesday during a six-hour meeting at the Statehouse. The Interim Study Committee on Commerce and Economic Development is examining “the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Indiana as it relates to workforce impacts and teen use.” Although […]
Health entities providing gender-affirming care turn to court to quash Attorney General’s request
Three health care entities urged a Marion County judge to quash civil investigative demands from Attorney General Todd Rokita Tuesday, part of an ongoing battle over gender-affirming care. Marion County Judge Gary Miller said he would decide over the next 48 hours how to proceed with the request after a brief hearing Tuesday in which […]
New IU study highlights billions in annual losses from untreated mental illness in Indiana
Untreated mental illness in the Hoosier state comes at a cost of more than $4 billion a year, according to a new Indiana University study. The research published by the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health found that one in five Indiana residents with mental illness do not receive the treatment they need. […]
New local health initiatives taking shape across Indiana as novel state funding becomes available
Local health officials across Indiana are gearing up to receive their share of a historic wave of state funding meant to increase disease prevention efforts and improve Hoosiers’ overall well-being. The vast majority of Indiana’s counties opted to participate in a statewide program designed to revamp the state’s public health investment — which until now […]
Vaping is hurting, not helping, Indiana’s fight to be nicotine-free
Hoosier adults smoke cigarettes in greater numbers and with more frequency than people in most other states, a cause for alarm because smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death. Indiana’s smoking rate isn’t a new development, though, as our state has ranked among the worst in the nation for most of the last decade. Those relative figures disguise some significant progress, […]
Indiana budget panel approves new autism therapy reimbursements, despite reservations
State budget regulators on Friday approved a request from Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration to set new reimbursement rates for autism therapy services for Hoosier children with Medicaid. While the rate of $68 an hour is above what the FSSA originally proposed it is below an average rate of $91 an hour that has […]