INDIANAPOLIS (AP): The Indiana State Department of Health has begun a new hotline emphasizing services that can help reduce infant death in Indiana.

The agency on Monday began operating the Maternal and Child Health MOMS Helpline. It’s aimed at improving pregnant women’s access to early and regular prenatal care and connecting them with a network of prenatal and child health care services within their local communities, state agencies and other organizations around Indiana.

Diana Feliciano is the Helpline manager, and says the goal is to keep children healthy. “We try to connect all our callers within a network of prenatal and child healthcare services within their local communities, state agencies, and organizations throughout the state.”

She says that means helping women find doctors, get transportation for prenatal or well baby checkups, and locate financial assistance for housing, or to buy cribs and car seats.

The helpline incorporates many of the services from the old Indiana Family Helpline. It can connect Hoosiers with services that include, locating a health care provider, prenatal services, immunizations, baby items such as cribs and car seats and transportation providers

The hotline is available at 1-844-624-6667 Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Indiana News Service contributed this story