Indiana is cutting offices focused on public health, eliminating over twenty positions and purging health equity language from its website as part of Gov. Mike Braun's campaign to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in state government.
In a report released this week, Braun's administration detailed the programs that have been eliminated or face planned cuts, including in the Indiana Department of Health and the Family and Social Services Administration.
The changes stem from one of Braun's early executive orders which required state agencies to eliminate any initiatives labeled "diversity, equity, and inclusion," or DEI. Across state agencies, the Braun administration flagged 70 instances of DEI training, instruction or programming that have since been eliminated.
Changes to the Indiana Department of Health
Many of the changes directly impact initiatives within the Indiana Department of Health. Those include eliminating coordinator positions focused on health disparities and maternal health equity.
The Office of Minority Health is statutorily required and remains, according to the report. But the state cut 19 contract positions within that office. WFYI emailed five staff members from the office for comment on the cuts and most of those emails were flagged as undeliverable.
After WFYI reached out to the office, a spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Health emailed WFYI a statement.
"The Indiana Department of Health maintains the Office of Minority Health as required by statute," wrote Lisa Welch with the Indiana Department of Health. She directed any further questions to the Governor's office.
Other changes to the Department of Health:
- Language about health equity was removed from department materials. For example, state applications for local grants to review public health data on fetal infant mortality no longer include language that was considered equity-related.
- Indiana's Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) removed all DEI wording from its website except for a federally required civil rights statement.
Changes to the Family Social Services Administration
Within the Family and Social Services Administration, the report outlines plans to eliminate the Office of Healthy Opportunities, which assists people in accessing services, including housing and education, that could impact health outcomes.
Other changes to the Family and Social Services Administration:
- The administration changed the mission statement for Indiana 211 to remove the words "by promoting equity." The free call service helps connect Hoosiers with resources.
- Under new guidance, a 211 community calendar will no longer list any events that "violate Indiana state policy."
In a statement, Governor Braun said that the changes replace what he described as "politically charged" DEI initiatives with "a level playing field where every single Hoosier has the chance to get ahead with hard work."
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