Health

On Aug. 1, Indiana began a new state policy to help people stop smoking. Now, most Hoosiers can now get smoking cessation medications straight from a pharmacist. State leaders hope this will combat Indiana's high smoking rate. 

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network released a report Thursday on what states have done to reduce cancer deaths – and organization leaders say Indiana lawmakers have largely fallen short.

A new statewide order begins Thursday, Aug. 1 which aims to lower Indiana's smoking rate. Now, most people in Indiana won’t need a doctors visit to receive tobacco cessation medications. They can go straight to a pharmacist. 

A new report says the number of Indiana children who died because of abuse or neglect went up, year-over-year.

Like many states, Indiana faces a nursing shortage. One health system and college in the state have partnered to address the problem.

Nicole Dempsey remembers crying in a pew at church, watching a video of a woman with long dark hair and deep brown eyes. The woman was talking about her abortion, and how a local organization called Heartbeats helped her heal.

"And I thought, 'Wow, that’s what’s been missing in my life for 24 years,'" Dempsey says.

"This is the spot," Marilyn Evans says, standing in the empty parking lot of the Women’s Med Center in Kettering, Ohio.

The Women's Med Center is the only health clinic for miles around that provides abortions. Now, it’s embroiled in a legal battle with the state that could lead to its closure – the clinic couldn’t obtain transfer agreements from local hospitals, as required under Ohio law.