The last thing anyone wants to experience, or watch a loved one go through, is the unimaginable grief of losing a new baby. However, as the years pass, the numbers of infant deaths continue at alarming rates; so, Columbus Regional Health, alongside many community groups, is working to reverse the odds.

Of the 50 states, Indiana has the seventh highest rate in the country at 7.3 deaths per 1,000 births. The national average is 5.8 per 1,000. In 2015, Bartholomew County had the worst infant mortality data in the state. Infant mortality is defined as any death of a child before his or her first birthday. 

“It was really a wakeup call,” said Patty Pigman, LCSW and Infant Mortality Prevention Co-Coordinator for Healthy Communities. “We knew we had to do something.” Healthy Communities is a collaborative effort comprised of Columbus Regional Health, schools, businesses, local government, churches, and others working together to address identified health needs. Healthy Communities is serving as the catalyst to drive infant mortality prevention work in southcentral Indiana.

As a result of the alarming data, Columbus Regional Hospital formed in 2018, one of the first Fetal and Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) teams in the region. 

The interdisciplinary team meets to review every case of infant death by gathering information and reviewing details of infant loss, and then discussing whether they were potentially preventable, or not. This work can help identify potential risk factors that can lead to an increased chance of infant death, and helps inform the outreach efforts of the awareness and education teams in the community. Chris Newkirk, BSN, RN, Columbus Regional Health Clinical Quality Advisor and FIMR member, said that a variety of risk factors contribute to infant mortality from the environment the baby is coming into to the mother’s personal health, even prior to pregnancy.

“The health of the mother affects the health of an infant, so when we think of a community (Bartholomew County) with high rates of smoking, illicit substance use, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. – those all play into the birth of a healthy baby,” Newkirk said. “And only 68 percent of Indiana moms receive prenatal care. Without that care, doctors cannot ensure that the mother is as healthy as she can be during her pregnancy.”

In 2019 Healthy Communities founded the community Infant Mortality Prevention Action Team. Pigman and Amanda Virostko, Co-Coordinator of the Infant Mortality Prevention Action Team of Healthy Communities lead the action team, which consists of more than 50 members representing key organizations in the community including police and fire departments, local physicians, nurses, social workers, higher education, social service agencies and more. The team discusses issues identified by the Bartholomew County FIMR team and works to create community-wide solutions. 


“We wanted everyone at the same table discussing this issue,” Newkirk said. “We are looking at both the mom’s health and infant’s health and in our first year, we are really trying to focus on tobacco cessation, providing connections to substance abuse treatment and infant safe sleep education.”

Safe sleep is one of the most controversial topics discussed. 

 “A big part of the work is helping people understand that it doesn’t just happen to ‘other people.’ It can happen to anyone and it is 100 percent preventable,” Pigman said. “There are still people out there that don’t believe that safe sleep practices matter. Behavior really has to change. Safe sleep is hard, but your baby is worth it.”

Every member of the action team has been through Safe Sleep Ambassador training, and Pigman said anyone caring for a child in any capacity should go through the training. 

Healthy Communities is also working with Family Service Inc. on creating a postpartum mood disorder support group and providing more resources for moms who experience depression and anxiety. 

“Pediatricians in town now screen more moms for depression at follow up appointments and there are protocols in place to get them help,” said Virostko. “It’s giving moms another touch point and another set of tools. Moms have to be mentally and physically healthy to be capable of caring for their baby.”

Other work underway includes: 

● Resources for tobacco cessation are being offered at provider offices at the onset of pregnancy as well as at the hospital just prior and following the birth of an infant. 
● With the opening of Columbus Regional Hospital Treatment and Support Center in 2019, the community is able to support local care for the mother needing treatment for substance use disorder.
● Safe sleep education has been integrated throughout the Columbus Regional Health system. The team has pushed out safe sleep education to every level of staff and also urged law enforcement and community members to share and spread this education with others. The team is exploring how to expand further into daycares and other service providers.

Virostko, Pigman presented at the seventh annual Labor of Love conference in Indianapolis in late 2019. The event is focused on improving outcomes for infants in Indiana. 

“We all want what is best for our babies and mothers,” Pigman said. “When we started our community team, there were only six other teams like it in the state. Now the state continues to work hard on growing this network.” Find out more about what is going on at the state level.

Special note: Healthy Communities initiative programs like this and many others are made possible due to the generous donor contributions and grants through Columbus Regional Health Foundation. Thank you!