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Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Welcome to Maternal and Child Health

Welcome to the Indiana State Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Services (MCH'S) web site. This site contains information about the programs and staff of Maternal and Child Health Services (MCH'S), as well as data about the Maternal and Child population of Indiana.

We believe that leadership in State government means shaping policy that helps deliver coordinated services and promotes partnerships between government agencies, private sector providers, communities and the public in the most cooperative way possible.

You can move through the site by using the navigation bar at the top of each page to go to major areas of the site. The index list on the left hand side will change depending on what area you are looking at, and can be used to move to specific documents or pieces of information. You can click on the Maternal and Child Health logo to the left, or the painting, to return to this welcome page.

The Maternal & Child Health website is for sharing medical / genetics knowledge and resources with other health care practitioners, patients, and caregivers. You may explore by topic or request information on services or statistics by geographical area.

Vision / Purpose:

To improve the health status of families in the State of Indiana and to ensure that all children within the context of their family and culture will achieve and maintain the highest level of physical, mental, and emotional health in order to realize their human potential to the fullest. The goal of MCH is to make services available to all residents of Indiana. Emphasis is placed on ensuring services to childbearing women, infants, children, and adolescents (including children with special health care needs, low income populations, those with poor nutritional status and those who do not have access to health care). This vision is carried out in collaboration with local communities, other state agencies, organizations and individuals concerned with the health and well-being of families, women, infants, children, and adolescents.

Mission Statement:

In order to accomplish its mission, the INDIANA MATERNAL & CHILD HEALTH SERVICES will:

  1. Promote the delivery of high quality, comprehensive, family-centered health services for women, infants, children, and adolescents.

  2. Identify and assess the health factors and conditions of families that adversely affect their social, economic, and health status.

  3. Monitor relevant health status indicators to identify, assess, and pro-actively plan for current and future areas of need, including proposals for regulatory change.

  4. Promote early prenatal care, treatment for substance abuse, breastfeeding, provision of nutritious food, health education and referrals in preventative and primary health care services to improve pregnancy outcome and child health.

  5. Develop and promote effective outreach and identification, including the provision of culturally sensitive and competent care coordination and management.

  6. Establish policy and standards of care, and promote quality preventative health care services that emphasize early evaluation, prevention of regression of health status and promotion of maximum function.

  7. Strengthen outreach, educational and marketing efforts including communications to target high-risk populations, local agencies, and community organizations.

  8. Provide technical assistance to local communities to assure the development of systems of health, nutrition education and special health care services.

  9. Develop standards for health and nutrition services to evaluate the quality and outcomes of initiatives and to evaluate local project operations and management.

  10. Procure and appropriately utilize funds and other resources to improve the health of families, with emphasis on women, infants, children, adolescents and children with special health care needs.

Values:

The underlying values of Maternal & Child Health Services are:

  1. MCH is committed to comprehensive Family Centered Health Care that is culturally sensitive.

  2. Preventive Health Care Services; and Early Identification, Diagnosis, & Treatment are the most effective and efficient methods to safeguard the public’s health.

  3. MCH operates in collaboration with local communities, other state agencies, organizations and individuals concerned with the health and well-being of families, women, infants, and children.

Priority Health Needs:

  1. To improve pregnancy outcomes especially infant mortality, fetal deaths, and low birthweight and decrease disparities.

  2. To lower high risk pregnancy and teen birth rate.

  3. To reduce barriers to delivery of health and dental care of pregnant women, infants, children, children with special health care needs, adolescents and women.

  4. To build and strengthen systems of family support and family involvement that will assist families in seeking and receiving health and social services, including families of children with special health care needs.

  5. To reduce environmentally related health conditions like lead poisoning, asthma, and injury in all infants and children.

  6. To decrease tobacco use in Indiana.

  7. To promote systems that allow for early identification and tracking of children with special health care needs and that enhance the provision of services to them.

  8. To lower risk behaviors in adolescents.

  9. To increase immunization rates.

  10. To reduce obesity in Indiana.

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