INDIANAPOLIS — A pilot program through the IU School of Medicine aims to keep Hoosier pregnant women and their babies healthy.
And it's happening at a time when new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show an alarming spike in the number of babies dying nationwide.
Infant mortality is up 3%, the biggest increase in two decades. Indiana's infant mortality rate is the seventh-highest in the country.
But in Marion County, a new program called Healthy Beginnings at Home is focused on improving birth outcomes and improving maternal mortality, too.
Housing is the key.
Healthy Beginnings at Home is making sure women who are housing-insecure have a roof over their heads during pregnancy.
At 2 months old, baby Elowyn is the picture of perfection.
Taylor Thompson's fourth child, her first daughter, is healthy, happiest in mom's arms and thanks to this pilot program, she's in a new apartment that's stable and safe.
"It's peaceful," Thompson said, "like we're at peace."
Shelter, that basic human need, is something Taylor never expected to struggle with. But earlier this year, she suddenly lost her job, her security and her home.
Taylor had a high-risk pregnancy with Elowyn. Medically, she could no longer work — it wasn't safe for her or the baby.
Then, she couldn't pay the rent.
"Even with me being high-risk and told to be on bed rest, I was still trying to work three days a week, and my doctor was just like, 'Either, like, you stop or we put you in the hospital,'" Thompson said. "I had to make the choice to walk away, and then, nobody wants to hire somebody that's pregnant. You're hit with bed rest, no job, now no home."
As a single mom, it was a devastating dilemma for her growing family.
"I didn't want to go to the shelter. You know, my car's not big enough to live in," Thompson said. "It goes through your mind like, 'What are my next steps?'"
Taylor is part of an alarming trend. An estimated 250 moms and babies in Indianapolis are housing-insecure each year: Hoosier women either on the streets, in shelters or domestic violence shelters, couch-surfing with friends or family, or facing eviction.
Indianapolis has the 14th highest eviction rate in the country, and it's second nationwide, only behind New York City, in the sheer number of evictions each year.
For pregnant women, lack of a stable home comes with dangerous health consequences. It's why the IU School of Medicine is working to help.
"Pregnant women who experience housing insecurity are at a 20% increased risk of having a pre-term birth. That risk rate is the same as smoking during pregnancy," said Jack Turman Jr., professor in the Department of Pediatrics with the IU School of Medicine. "The number one concern of these women for their health and the health of their babies is housing. That's loud and clear across the entire state. Any mother and baby living on the streets is just not acceptable."
Turman is leading a novel approach to improve birth outcomes and maternal mortality in Indianapolis through housing, with a $2.4 million grant awarded to the IU School of Medicine called Healthy Beginnings at Home.
Turman said that same program started in Ohio a couple of years ago with major success.
"They had no infant mortality, reduced pre-term birth, reduced NICU stays, and dramatically reduced Medicaid spending," Turman said.
Now, Indianapolis hopes for similar results.
"We're saving babies," Turman said. "Saving babies!"
They're saving babies like Elowyn.
Thompson is one of 10 Marion County moms enrolled right now. Over the next five years, Healthy Beginnings at Home hopes to enroll 100 pregnant moms.
Here's how it works:
Women with unstable housing have to be in their first or second trimester and with CareSource Medicaid. They get help finding a place to live, tapered rental assistance for 24 months and comprehensive case management.
Paige Klemme is the program's director, connecting personally with each mom every few days or so.
She knows housing saves lives.
"Oh yeah, I can definitely relate. I'm pregnant myself. Housing, that's not something you want to be focusing on when you're trying to bring a life into this world," Klemme said. "There's a roof over their heads — that's guaranteed."
"She's like our saving grace. She got us into a house pretty quickly," Thompson said. "This program, honestly, new beginnings, like it says."
Now, Thompson not only has an apartment of her own, she has a new job and that beautiful newborn who's healthy, safe and secure.
"I love her so much," Thompson said.
If you'd like to learn more about Healthy Beginnings at Home, including how to apply for the program, click here.