Ohio Department of Health
Sponsor claims bill would bring ‘safer abortions’
A physician and co-sponsor of an abortion bill said the legislation could bring about safer abortion procedures for those choosing to have them. Senate Bill 157’s aim is to create a database of what bill sponsors call “botched abortion” cases and criminalize physician inaction. Doctors who don’t follow the proposed law could face first-degree felony […]
Abortion rates rise in Ohio despite efforts to ban it
Over the last year, state data shows that abortions have risen in Ohio despite several efforts to deepen regulations on the practice. The 2020 “induced abortions” report from the Ohio Department of Health shows terminated pregnancies increased by 3% from 2019 to 2020. Since 2000, however, there has been a steady decline in abortions, about […]
COVID-19 in schools: details on the ODH prevention guide
Coming alongside renewed calls from the CDC for mask wearing, even by the vaccinated, the Ohio Department of Health laid out ways in which K-12 schools should be preventing COVID-19 in the upcoming school year. With no requirement for masks included in the recommendations, announced on Monday, the Ohio Department of Health is counting on […]
New guidance for schools on COVID-19 won’t include mask mandate
The Ohio Department of Health said new COVID-19 guidance for schools as they plan for a new school year will include safety recommendations, but no mandate for mask-wearing, even for the unvaccinated. In a press call on Monday, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for the ODH, said guidelines would be released on the state’s […]
Latest increase in cases, hospitalizations has Ohio health officials pushing vaccines
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff acknowledges that as the public face of the Ohio Department of Health he is repeating himself a lot these days. But the message is important enough to continue repeating in simple terms, ODH’s chief medical officer said Wednesday. “It really comes down to, are you vaccinated and safe or are you unvaccinated […]
States follow Ohio’s lead in announcing their own vaccine lotteries
What some Ohio lawmakers saw as a wasteful gameshow gimmick, other governors saw as an opportunity. It took only a few weeks after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the Vax-A-Million for other states to introduce their own vaccine lottery programs. There are cash prizes in Oregon, music festival tickets awarded in Delaware and even custom rifles […]
History Thursday: 1955 rollout of polio vaccine resembles COVID-19 era
The thousands of “Polio Pioneers” in Ohio, one official said, were short in stature but giants went it came to being medical trailblazers. These were children in Richland and Montgomery counties who participated in a polio vaccine trial in 1954, with a nation desperate for a breakthrough against a disease that killed thousands and left […]
Dental care remains neglected in state, nation
One of the leading health care needs in the state of Ohio is one that’s most neglected, especially when it comes to low-income communities. As dental director at the Cincinnati Health Department and as part of the CincySmiles dental clinic program, Dr. Larry Hill’s major task was making sure low-income and high risk populations had […]
Some city health depts. in Ohio may be forced to merge with counties
Municipal health districts in some Ohio cities may be forced to merge with their county’s health departments within the next few years to save money and consolidate resources. Officials in several of the small- and medium-sized cities that may be affected are critical of the state meddling with their local affairs. All 88 counties in […]
Bill would let Ohio health orders expire without legislative approval
In about two months, Ohio lawmakers will gain the power to strike down public health orders they disagree with through a majority vote. Some Republican legislators are continuing to seek other ways to curtail the authority of the state health department. A new bill proposes to let health orders expire without lawmakers having to necessarily […]
Details emerge on proposed bill to restrict ‘vaccine passports’ in Ohio
Republican-sponsored legislation will seek to prohibit the Ohio government from instituting a “vaccine passport” program, but the drafted proposal does not appear to restrict private businesses from doing so. Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, is soon introducing this bill in the Ohio House of Representatives. It has already received support from fellow Republican lawmakers. The term […]
Judge blocks Ohio’s abortion disposal law
A Hamilton County judge has blocked an Ohio law regulating disposal of surgical abortion tissue that was set to take effect Tuesday. Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison Hatheway granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday pausing the enactment of the law temporarily. The judge said because the state has not created forms, rules and regulations […]