The Indiana Department of Health on Nov. 22 announced a partnership with Purdue University on an initiative aiming to increase health equity across the state.
The program, called the "Indiana Healthy Opportunities for People Everywhere" initiative, will deploy teams across the state to facilitate community-level conversations over the next two years to examine long-standing risk factors, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, on residents' health.
The initiative is funded by a $34.8 million grant from the CDC.
"Chronic disease, food insecurity, opioids, obesity and smoking were challenges for Indiana before the pandemic, and the last two years of isolation and treatment delays have only made them worse," said state Health Commissioner Kris Box, MD. "As we amplify pandemic recovery efforts, it’s more important than ever to understand and respond to the factors that make it difficult for people to get healthy and stay healthy, such as limited access to healthcare, affordable housing, transportation, childcare, and safe and secure employment. I-HOPE will help us do that."