A Healthier Beginning: Indiana’s Infant Mortality Declines Through Innovation
- leslieadair
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Indiana is on track to report its lowest infant mortality rate in state history, a major milestone in a journey that began with a bold public health initiative in 2019. Provisional data released this week by the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) shows the state’s infant mortality rate dropped to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, down from 6.6 in 2023. If this rate holds, it will mark Indiana’s lowest infant mortality since tracking began in 1900.
This encouraging trend reflects years of focused effort from clinicians, public health officials, and community-based organizations all working together to give Hoosier babies the healthiest possible start in life. At the heart of this effort is a 2019 call from then-Governor Eric Holcomb to reduce Indiana’s infant mortality rate and improve safe sleep practices statewide.
That call to action helped inspire the development of the Safe Sleep Simulation toolkit, an immersive, hands-on educational resource that equips caregivers with the knowledge and confidence to create safe sleep environments for infants. By simulating real-life scenarios, this powerful tool brings awareness to common but risky habits and empowers families to make safer choices.
“Education is prevention,” said Ethel Massing, CEO of Safe Sleep Simulation, who helped launch the simulation initiative. “We knew we needed a tool that could be used with caregivers within their communities, with a visual and tactile way to learn about infant safe sleep. And we’re seeing the results.”
Led by the Indiana Department of Health and community health leaders like Healthier Moms & Babies, Safe Sleep Simulation has been embraced across the state by local health departments, hospitals, and home visiting programs. These partners have been instrumental in delivering safe sleep education directly to families, especially in high-risk and underserved areas.
In Fort Wayne, innovative partnerships have further expanded the reach and creativity of Safe Sleep education. Fort Wayne Community Schools has integrated the Safe Sleep Toolkit into their health education curriculum, ensuring that students receive early, foundational knowledge about infant sleep safety. Meanwhile, students at Amp Lab at Electric Works have taken on Safe Sleep as a real-world challenge developing creative, youth-oriented messaging strategies to better engage their peers and younger audiences. This student-driven innovation caught the attention of the Indiana Department of Health, which has since supported two years of internships focused on advancing this work.
Most recently, the program became a central feature of Vigo County’s new Safe Sleep Trailer, Indiana’s first mobile education unit dedicated to infant sleep safety, which launched in June 2025 with funding from Health First Indiana. Safe Sleep Simulation is proud to sponsor the trailer by providing safe sleep kits and educational materials that help bring this hands-on learning experience to life. While the Vigo County team will lead the community training efforts, our support ensures that families across the state have access to engaging, life-saving education. The trailer proudly features the Safe Sleep Simulation logo, extending awareness and visibility as it travels to communities across Indiana, literally meeting families where they are.
Health First Indiana, a critical public health funding and support program, has also played a pivotal role in reducing infant deaths statewide. Its investments have improved prenatal care access, supported breastfeeding, expanded home visits, and enhanced data collection to better target interventions. Although recent budget cuts have posed challenges, the impact of these early, strategic investments is already being felt.
“We are ecstatic that more Hoosier babies are celebrating their first birthdays,” said State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver. Echoing that optimism, Ethel Massing, CEO of Safe Sleep Simulation, emphasized that this progress is the result of strong collaboration between state and local health efforts. She credited innovations like Safe Sleep Simulation and the tireless work of organizations such as Healthier Moms & Babies with helping families make informed, life-saving decisions.
While Indiana still surpasses the national average infant mortality rate of 5.6 (as of 2023), the progress is undeniable, and the momentum is strong. The ultimate goal remains clear: to ensure every baby in Indiana has a safe sleep environment and the opportunity to thrive.
As Governor Mike Braun recently noted, “We are committed to ensuring that even more babies have a healthy start and a strong future.”
Thanks to grassroots innovation, statewide leadership, and dedicated partners like IDOH and Healthier Moms & Babies, Indiana is closer than ever to achieving that vision.