(La Porte County, IN) - Efforts are being made to try and reduce the number of babies whose mothers smoked during their pregnancies in La Porte County.

Healthy Communities of La Porte County has added one more person to its staff to ensure expectant mothers are given quality prenatal care.

During last week’s La Porte County Commissioners meeting, Healthy Communities of La Porte County Executive Director Sue Reed said the new staff member is being trained for a new program to get women not to use tobacco or vape during pregnancy.

Reed says that participants would be held accountable.

“They’re periodically tested even with a breathalyzer which will pick up if they’re using tobacco or a saliva strip to determine if they’re vaping. There’s incentives along the way,” Reed said.  

Reed said a study last year found over 18 percent of women in La Porte County use tobacco during their pregnancies. The state average is 11 percent.

Reed also said the mortality rate in La Porte County is eight out of every 1,000 births compared to the state average of seven deaths per 1,000 births.