Regenstrief to assess impact of direct cash payments on maternal and child health
Regenstrief Institute is partnering with the City of Indianapolis and other local organizations on a first‑of‑its‑kind Indianapolis initiative providing direct cash assistance over three years to low-income expectant mothers in neighborhoods with the city’s highest infant‑mortality rates.
Regenstrief’s Jill Inderstrodt, PhD, MPH, and Katie Allen, PhD, will lead the program’s evaluation component.
The $2.3 million initiative is open to Indianapolis residents 18 or older who are up to 24 weeks pregnant, have a household income of $39,000 or less, and live in the following zip codes, which experience the highest infant mortality rates in the city: 46241, 46222, 46237, 46219, 46218, 46201, and 46235.
The BRIDGE project began in New York City, is privately funded and has active and soon-to-launch initiatives in at least 16 states. The BIRTH Fund (Building Independent Resilient Thriving Homes) is locally and privately funded with support from the Indianapolis Foundation, Glick Philanthropies, Herbert Simon Family Foundation, Elevance Health and other donors.
