Heading into the 2020-21 state budget, The Center for Community Solutions closely examined the cause behind declining enrollment in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, a larger proportion of the TANF caseload consisting of child-only cases (where children are living with another relative who isn’t their parent and receive cash assistance) and the...
Author: Tara Britton
June 10, 2019
Feds float idea of re-evaluating poverty measures: Why you should pay attention
Last month, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), issued a notice that it’s looking at various inflation measures and how those measures influence the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) and other Census Bureau income measures. What does this mean? Currently, the OPM is tied to the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI is an inflation measure...
March 25, 2019
Governor’s budget makes effort to address high infant mortality rate, more work needed on Ohio’s maternal mortality rate
Ohio continues to grapple with an unacceptably high rate of infant mortality, especially among black babies born in the state. Governor Mike DeWine’s budget for 2020-2021 seeks to address this issue through increased funding for home visiting and the continuation of efforts employed over the last few years. Let’s take some time to dig in...
March 18, 2019
A first look at health and human services in Governor Mike DeWine’s budget
Gov. Mike DeWine introduces first state budget, proclaiming “For too long, we’ve tinkered at the margins” Last Friday, Governor Mike DeWine introduced the details of his first state budget, after previewing several initiatives during the first half of March. Overall, the 2020-2021 budget is framed as an investment in Ohio’s future. DeWine stated that “for...
March 15, 2019
The Ohio budget process
An odd-numbered year in Ohio means the state budget bill has been introduced. Every two years, the governor releases budget recommendations and the General Assembly takes the first half of the year to consider the proposal and develop its own versions of a budget for the state. By June 30, the General Assembly must present...
November 19, 2018
Many questions remain about maternal mortality in Ohio, so what are next steps?
We are reading and seeing personal stories from across the nation of women suffering from complications of pregnancy and families who have lost mothers, babies or both. Back in April, The Center for Community Solutions began to review existing maternal mortality and morbidity data in Ohio. The most recent data available from the Ohio Department...
October 1, 2018
Election Day is coming; what three questions are we asking candidates about behavioral health?
This year, as we head towards Election Day, The Center for Community Solutions is posing 18 questions for the upcoming 2018 election. These questions are based on the research that Community Solutions conducted and compiled over the past several years on our six policy priority areas. We pose three questions for each priority area. We...
September 10, 2018
A Declining OWF Caseload Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
While Ohio’s economy has certainly been on the upswing since the end of the Great Recession, many Ohioans are still struggling to provide even the most basic necessities for their families like personal hygiene items, clothes, cleaning products and diapers. For very low-income families, Ohio Works First (OWF), Ohio’s cash assistance program under the federal...
May 29, 2018
Advocacy Tips for HHS Leaders at Capacity Clinic
Last Thursday, The Center for Community Solutions hosted its first ever Advocacy Capacity Clinic. The Clinic offered an opportunity for health and human services leaders in the region to learn the ins and outs of advocacy, and then get specific questions answered about how their organizations could become more involved in the advocacy process. A...
April 30, 2018
Putting the “Mother” Back into Maternal and Infant Health
April 30, 2018 In the United States, women are dying from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth at a higher rate than other industrialized nations, and the rate is increasing. Understanding this issue is complex; even just understanding the terminology describing deaths and complications related to pregnancy and childbirth is quite an undertaking. It’s important...
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