health
Health inequity alive and well in Ohio
Last month, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio released its annual Health Value Dashboard, its marquee report analyzing health outcomes and cost of healthcare in the state of Ohio. This year, the report had a special focus on health equity. This section covers both the progress the state has made on the health equity front […]
Commission on Minority Health asks for more supports to fight disparities
Racial disparities impact minorities from birth to death, everything from infant mortality to transportation to housing. The Ohio Commission on Minority Health has been trying to intervene to improve outcomes, and for that it needs more funding. Funding the effort could save the state money. “Our cost of health disparities is extremely significant for the […]
Biden administration proposes to strengthen patient privacy for those seeking abortions
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is trying to enhance the federal law that guards patient privacy to further protect those who seek legal abortion care and other reproductive health care services. The announcement comes amid two major ongoing federal court cases dealing with access to the abortion pill and fears that the pill’s U.S. Food […]
Air pollution impacting maternal, infant health of Ohioans
Improving air quality in the state would lead to better health for Ohioans, and could be done through policy changes, according to a policy think tank. In a recent examination of the connections between air pollution and health, the Health Policy Institute focused on maternal and infant health, lung and heart conditions and cognitive conditions, […]
How chronic disease drove an Ohio 27-year-old to bankruptcy
An array of different diseases attacked his colon while another clogged the arteries in Kolton Chapman’s brain. Derailing his semesters at Columbus State Community College and saddling Chapman, now 29, with $45,000 in debt he’d never pay off was just collateral damage. “I had been hounded by creditors, all of that, my credit score was […]
State health department fires employee over abortion drug reference in newsletter
Two Ohio Department of Health employees lost their jobs after the publication of a newsletter with notice of a training program for a drug used in medical abortions. One was fired, another resigned. Jessica Warner, who worked in the sexually transmitted infections unit of the Bureau of Infectious Diseases, authored the department’s STI prevention training […]
Ohio House passes bill aimed to lower patient costs on expensive prescriptions
The Ohio House unanimously passed legislation Wednesday that blocks health insurers from a comparatively stingier accounting practice that requires patients to pay more out of pocket to meet their deductible. To buy expensive drugs, some patients use third parties like charities or manufacturer coupons until they hit their deductibles, at which point insurers pick up […]
No vaccine mandate for state health department, spokeswoman says
The Ohio Department of Health will not require its employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to return to the office, a spokeswoman said this week. Some employees are already working on-site at the department, mostly on hybrid schedules. More employees and departments will be “gradually phased in” to working on site, according to department spokeswoman […]
New pandemic law takes effect; experts say it undermines public health
As of Wednesday, there are 132 new sheriffs in town. When the new coronavirus emerged in Ohio, state law conferred “ultimate authority in matters of quarantine and isolation” to the Ohio Department of Health. It was the ODH director, and the governor who appointed her, who called the shots. The paradigm shifted Wednesday via the […]
Former equity chief accused Ohio Department of Health of ‘toxic’ and ‘discriminatory’ culture
After a drawn-out drafting process, the Ohio Department of Health’s top spokeswoman agreed to stamp ODH’s name on a statement with the Ohio NAACP and Commission on Minority Health correcting a myth that racial minorities are less susceptible to COVID-19. However, communications director Arundi Venkayya clarified in an April 1, 2020 email that ODH would […]
Book spotlights Ohio hospital and the fractured health care system it operates in
Keith Swihart couldn’t afford his insulin, so he started rationing it out or skipping doses. It wasn’t laziness — Swihart had been working since he was 13. Even with health insurance from employers, he couldn’t afford his cost-share of the hormone he needed. His unmitigated diabetes went into a tailspin, costing him his sight in […]
Ohio lawmaker to retiring anti-vaccine leader: ‘You are wonderful, don’t leave!’
An Ohio House Republican lamented the retirement of an anti-vaccine activist Wednesday amid the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history. Michelle Cotterman — president of Health Freedom Ohio — recently said she will be stepping down from the helm of the organization. Rep. Diane Grendell, R-Geauga, responded to Cotterman’s Facebook post sharing the news. “I […]