As parents of newborns and toddlers will attest, diapers are a commodity they need plenty of and paying for them can put a sizeable crimp in a family’s monthly budget.
Which is why in 2016 an enterprising and creative-minded mother of two named Rachael Suskovich, who realized she was spending at least $50 each shopping trip on diapering essentials, realized that many of her fellow Hoosiers may have difficulty meeting that expense. So Suskovich made it her mission to speak with community leaders and ask them what families needed the most and the same answer kept coming up, diapers. Shortly thereafter, the Indiana Diaper Bank was born, and recently Eskenazi Health and the Indiana Diaper Bank announced they were partnering together to create the Eskenazi Health Diaper program aimed at helping Marion County families provide diapers for their children.
Eskenazi Health providers have seen firsthand how important access to diapers is to the well-being and health of a child, as well as the financial well-being of the family. According to the Indiana Diaper Bank, one in three Indiana families struggle to afford diapers for their children. The Indiana Diaper Bank collects diapers and distributes them through community partners like Eskenazi Health, to the parents and their children who are in need of them. By distributing to nonprofit partner organizations including homeless and domestic violence shelters, day care programs, foster care programs and children’s hospitals, the Indiana Diaper Bank endeavors to serve more children in Indiana for a broader impact.
Eskenazi Health patients are screened for social factors such as food, housing and transportation insecurities. With the addition of the Eskenazi Health Diaper Program, patients at birth to three years of age will now be screened for diaper needs. Similar to how Eskenazi Health supports patients with housing, food and transportation necessities, qualifying patients will now receive diapers for their children. While Eskenazi Health understands one pack of diapers will not fix patients’ unmet diaper needs, this new program will help alleviate stress, allow parents to go to work and send their children to daycare with diapers.
According to the Indiana Diaper Bank, which distributes approximately 40,000 diapers each month, Indiana ranks higher than the national average for children living in poverty. Those children are at greatest risk of diaper need and the effects that brings. Until recently, these struggling families had very few places to turn for front-line diaper programs.
Changing diapers when needed is important for a number of reasons including:
• Health — Babies are more vulnerable to painful rashes and urinary tract infections, leading to more trips to the doctor.
• Missing work or school — Three in five parents miss work or school because they cannot afford the diapers needed to leave their baby at childcare.
• Development — A wet or dirty diaper prohibits babies from engaging and exploring their environments.
• Stress — Parents dealing with poverty might have to choose among buying food, paying bills, or buying diapers. That’s why one third of households get stressed over diapers.
Diapers are available at Eskenazi Health Center locations to Eskenazi Health patients through the partnership with the Indiana Diaper Bank and direct donations received from the community. Individuals interested in learning more or becoming involved in the Eskenazi Health Diaper Program or the Indiana Diaper Bank may visit the Indiana Diaper Bank website at https://www.indianadiaperbank.org/give-diapers or speak with a health care provider at an Eskenazi Health Center location. Please visit https://www.eskenazihealth.edu/locations/primary-care-sites for a list of Eskenazi Health Center locations.
Nydia Nunez-Estrada, M.D.
Family Medicine Specialist at Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington