Indiana physicians who work with expectant mothers and infants should know about two recent developments in state efforts to reduce infant mortality.

First, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has published its proposed rule establishing a program to certify level-of-care designations for birth centers, obstetric units, neonatal units and perinatal centers. The measure grew out of Senate Bill 360, which ISMA supported during last year’s legislative session with the goal of helping to reduce infant mortality. Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted until Feb. 20, with the public hearing set for 10 am on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the ISDH, 2 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis. Instructions for downloading the text of the proposed rule and for filing comments are online.

Also, the Perinatal Substance Use Practice Bundle for Indiana hospitals is now available. Created by the Perinatal Substance Use Task Force of the Indiana Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (IPQIC), the toolkit is designed to standardize identification and intervention protocols at all stages for pregnant women and babies who may be exposed to harmful substances prenatally or who have a diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome. The toolkit and related resources are available online.