A new non-profit foundation that Indiana lawmakers have created will raise money for efforts to combat several of the state's health woes. The new Healthy Hoosiers Foundation will provide a way to increase initiatives that promote the health and well-being of Hoosiers, including steps increase childhood immunizations and reduce infant mortality and obesity and smoking rates. The Indiana State Health Department says money raised by the foundation this year will support the “Baby & Me Tobacco Free” program that helps pregnant women quit smoking. It says smoking while pregnant is one of the main causes of low birth weight in newborns, which is a leading indicator of infant mortality.
