State Rep. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) said he is looking forward to local communities tackling health challenges like diabetes and obesity through a new state grant he helped create.

In 2021, Baird supported a law creating the Indiana Health Issues and Challenges Grants, which will award $50 million to local and statewide service providers, and planning organizations to address longstanding problems. Now, the Indiana Department of Health is accepting grant applications, and Baird said he hopes local providers like health departments, municipalities and nonprofit organizations apply.

"Some of Indiana's national health rankings demonstrate the need for addressing these persistent health challenges," Baird said. "We need to be more proactive if our state is to continue being a top destination for families and businesses in the Midwest."

Funding can be used to prevent or reduce mental and physical health issues for Hoosiers, including in the areas of tobacco use, food insecurity, obesity, lead exposure, hepatitis C, and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma and cancer.

Applications for Indiana Health Issues and Challenges Grants are due by March 31, 2022, with award notices issued by the Indiana Department of Health by July 1, 2022.

For more information and to apply, Baird encourages organizations to visit in.gov/health/grant-opportunities and click on "Health Issues and Challenges Grant."