FORT WAYNE, Indiana (WANE) — If Indiana can put $1 into a machine and get $7 back, feeding the machine sounds like a good idea.

According to Mindy Waldron, manager of the Allen County Health Department and member of the governor’s public health committee, this is exactly what Congress should be doing with public health funds.

“[It] It really equals economic development,” she told WANE 15.

How?

“There will be less insurance premiums and less unemployment,” she continued. “Progressive states that are doing well with public health funds have programs in place to address public health prevention efforts at the local level. And that’s our hope.”

Waldron has spent the past 10 months serving on Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s Public Health Commission. Holcomb asked the group to study Indiana’s public health system and make suggestions for improvements. The report was released this month in time for the 2023 legislative season.

Among the findings, both life expectancy and public health funding lag Hoosier, with Indiana landing 40th and 45th respectively among U.S. states.

Indiana spends $55 per person on public health, compared to the national average of $91.

Life expectancy in Indiana has declined since 2010, when it peaked at 77.5 years. Indiana’s life expectancy in 2019 put him at 77, almost two years below the U.S. average of 78.8, placing him 40th in the nation. Even more worrying is her nearly nine years gap between the Indiana county with the highest life expectancy and the county with the lowest life expectancy.

Governor’s Public Health Commission

Waldron knew Indiana was lagging behind other states, but seeing the details chilled him.

“I was very surprised by some statistics to see how low Indiana was on some of our parameters,” she said. Low or something like that.”

She hoped lawmakers understood the value of investing in Hoosier’s health.

“There is a lot to be gained and a lot to do in the next few years, given the opportunity.”