Recent News
National Assembly on School-Based Health Care Creates State-National Partnership Committee; Ohio One of Four States Participating
NASBHC have been looking internally and externally and is building its capacity to meet its advocacy goals. Recently an ad-hoc group of state leaders and NASBHC Board members held an inaugural conference call to develop recommendations of a more formal state-national structure for review by the NASBHC Board of Directors. Participants on this call, including OSBHCA Executive Director Carrie Baker, were invited you to review what this important charge and the ‘Organizing Our Movement for School Based Health Care, A Brief Overview’ document developed by NASBHC consultants.
The committee will look at some of the proposed benefits and risks of a more formal state-national partnership, its structure, and how state associations like OSBHCA would benefit from a great formal partnership. Members are encouraged to contact Carrie Baker with feedback and/or their thoughts on this proposal.
SCHOOLS FACE MORE FISCAL PRESSURE WITH POTENTIAL FOR LOST BUSINESS TAX REVENUE
Already facing a squeeze under what critics have deemed an unconstitutional funding system, local schools got another dose of bad news this week with an appeals court decision that threatens a fairly new but substantial revenue stream. More...
FLORIDA-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FIRM TO BUY CLOSED STATE FACILITY IN CAMBRIDGE
A Southeast Ohio mental health facility closed by the state under budget duress will get new life as a privately run hospital, Gov. Ted Strickland announced Thursday.
Oglethorpe Inc., based in Tampa, Fla., plans to "phase in" the operation of a 48-bed in-patient psychiatric hospital and a 16-bed substance abuse treatment center at the site of the former Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare facility in Cambridge, according to the state. More...
LABOR UNION CANCELS PAID SICK DAY BALLOT ISSUE; STRICKLAND, BROWN SUPPORT FEDERAL MEASURE
After spending nearly $2 million on the campaign to require paid sick days in Ohio, the union behind Issue 4 agreed to scrap it Thursday after Gov. Ted Strickland committed to supporting a federal version.
Coming a day before ballot forms were to be finalized, the announcement prompted a flood of reaction from business groups and other stakeholders who have been preparing anxiously for months in anticipation of a bare-knuckled campaign over the proposal. More...
Governor's Regional Education Reform Meetings
7/1/08 COLUMBUS-As you may know, Ohio Governor Ted Strickalnd has been hosting regional education reform meetings around the state. It is imperative that school based health centers, and all those involved in supporting learning in Ohio, help the association promote healthy students with access to quality health care located where they are as a path to greater academic achievement. A second round of education forums will be held later in the fall of 2008 and will focus on how to properly finance a truly reformed system of education. The governor plans to introduce his education reform proposal in 2009.
“Ohio’s education system has many strengths, but despite our progress we haven’t kept pace with the rest of the world,” Strickland said. “It will take collaboration among business leaders, parents, students, teachers and school administrators to develop a plan that makes Ohio a leader in innovation and gives our students the preparation and skills they need to be successful in a global environment.”
Strickland also launched a Web site, http://www.ConversationOnEducation.Org, which provides the public and forum participants with details about the regional forums and will include ways to submit feedback during and after the forums.
The dates, times and locations for the “Governor’s Conversation on Education” regional forums are listed here. Each forum will be available through a live Webcast at http://www.ConversationOnEducation.Org.
Most regional forums will also air live on the local PBS station. Stations without a live broadcast will tape and air their local forums following the event. Feeds of the forums will be provided to media outlets by Ohio Government Television.
Educators, business leaders, parents and students, among others, will make up the live audiences. In addition, each school district in the region will be encouraged to organize at least one “watch party” for the broadcast or Webcast and conduct a facilitated group discussion following the forum.
At each meeting, Strickland will discuss his six principles for education reform and specific ideas while facilitating an interactive conversation with audience members and Webcast and television viewers.
Board Approves Director of State Advocacy
At their June meeting, the Board approved Heidi Welch as OSBHCA Director of State Advocacy. Heidi comes from the the office of State Representative Jim Raussen, who serves as the Chairman of the House Health Care Access and Affordability Committee. She brings to the Association a familiarity of the current State and Federal political climate, as well as an in depth understanding of health policy and the legislative process. Heidi will be a great contribution to our cause, as she worked with many interested parties in nutrition and health education standards, as well as mental and dental health advocacy for the state's children. Along with her experience in the legislature, she worked as an intern in a political fundraising firm. This experience further qualifies her as a helpful resource in event planning, as well as fundraising to OSBHCA.
As the Director of State Advocacy, Heidi will serve the Association by keeping our members updated on the latest developments in health education legislation. She will also be a vital tool in making the past, present and future success of OSBHCA visible to law makers around the state. In future newsletters, be on the look out for information on legislative site visits, state advocacy day, legislative teach-in's and other events that will ensure our participation in the state and federal democratic process!
If you have any questions or suggestions in regards to State Advocacy, feel free to contact Heidi at 614.222.8502 or by email at heidi@bakernonprofits.com.
Local tobacco prevention and cessation programs in Ohio report receiving notifcations from the Ohio Department of Health will not be able to fulfill contracts entered into by the Ohio Tobacco Prevention and Control Foundation (Source: "Community tobacco prevention, cessation programs snuffed out statewide," Wilmington News Journal, June 6, 2008). More...
A year after taking effect, Massachusetts's health care program halved the number of adults without coverage from about 13 percent to 7 percent, a comprehensive survey has found (Source: “Study Praises Mass. Health-Care Program,” Washington Post, June 5, 2008) More...From the Ohio Health Policy Insititute 5/16/08
Governor Ted Strickland signed House Bill 125 last Wednesday. (Source: "Governor signs health care simplification act," Dayton Business Journal, March 26, 2008.) Also known as the health care simplification act, the bill was sponsored by Matt Huffman, R-Lima, and requires that insurers provide physicians with a plain summary of contract terms and an updated source of rate information. The bill also bans clauses that require a doctor to accept all of an insurer's products or that keep doctors from accepting lower payment rates from another insurer. The bill also will create a "study committee to consider an Internet-based system for doctors to check a patient's eligibility, covered procedures, co-payments and deductible." For previous coverage of the bill, go here and here.
"One in three Americans say their families skipped medical care because they couldn't afford it, according to an AFL-CIO survey." (Source: "Americans skip medical care because of cost, AFL-CIO survey says," Plain Dealers, March 26, 2008.) "A quarter of the respondents said they had serious problems paying for the care they needed, and 79 percent said health care is a top voting issue for them." The online survey was conducted earlier this year and also included Ohio-specific results. "While 29 percent nationally said they did not fill a prescription or skipped doses because of cost, 35 percent of Ohioans surveyed answered that question similarly. Five percent of all survey takers said they had considered or filed for personal bankruptcy because of medical debt; the figure was 9 percent of Ohioans." Complete survey results are available here.
More schools offer expanded health centers
Program funds student care
One after another, they came streaming into see Carol Clements.
A stomach ache. A sore throat that might be strep. A headache. A bad cold. A scraped elbow in need of a Band-Aid. And maybe, a broken foot, but only X-rays would tell for sure.
"Do you feel real icky or just a little icky?" Clements asked a boy with a stomach ache.
All that before 10:30 on what she called a slow morning. More...
Legislator proposes subsidies to expand health coverage
GOP's Raussen introducing bill to cover about half of Ohio's uninsured
Subsidizing claims of more than $15,000 a year for certain chronic diseases and requiring insurance companies to cover those claims is a centerpiece of a health-care reform bill to be unveiled today in Columbus. More...
