STATEHOUSE — State Representative Cindy Ziemke (R-Batesville) said she is looking forward to local communities tackling health challenges like diabetes and obesity through a new state grant she helped create.
In 2021, Ziemke supported a law creating the Indiana Health Issues and Challenges Grants, which will award $50 million to local and statewide service providers, and planning organizations to address longstanding problems. Now, the Indiana Department of Health is accepting grant applications, and Ziemke, a member of the House Public Health Committee, said she hopes local providers like health departments, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations apply.
“The COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need to take a closer look at public health across the state,” Ziemke said. “We must invest in the well-being of all Hoosiers, and these grants will provide additional tools for our communities to address common health issues.”
Funding can be used to prevent or reduce mental and physical health issues for Hoosiers, including in the areas of tobacco use, food insecurity, obesity, lead exposure, hepatitis C, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and cancer.
Applications for Indiana Health Issues and Challenges Grants are due by March 31, 2022, with award notices issued by the Indiana Department of Health by July 1, 2022.
For more information and to apply, Ziemke encourages organizations to visit in.gov/health/grant-opportunities and click on “Health Issues and Challenges Grant.”
(State Representative Cindy Ziemke press release)
