In mid-November, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) released a long-awaited comprehensive report on maternal mortality in Ohio. The report shows that there were 610 pregnancy-associated deaths, of which 186 were pregnancy-related, in Ohio between 2008 and 2016. The report finds that Black women were two and half times more likely to die of a...
Author: Tara Britton
September 20, 2019
Medicaid oversight committee meets for first time in months, gets updates from Ohio Medicaid director
The Director of the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Maureen Corcoran appeared before the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) for the first time in her tenure on Thursday. Since this was the first JMOC meeting of the 133rd General Assembly, there was a lot of content to cover, followed by a lot of questions over...
September 16, 2019
Ohio’s new budget includes funding for harm reduction, including syringe services programs
For the first time, Ohio’s state operating budget includes a dedicated line item that will fund harm reduction, including syringe services programs (SSPs) across the state. This funding was proposed and then ushered through budget deliberations by Senators Dave Burke (R-Marysville) and Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood). While many harm reduction initiatives, such as naloxone access and...
August 19, 2019
Plan to end HIV Epidemic: AFC, Community Solutions staff join roundtable discussion in Cincinnati
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) hosted a roundtable in Cincinnati on August 1 featuring the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Robert Redfield. Dr. Redfield is traveling around the country to states and counties that are eligible for new federal funding as part of the president’s recently announced plan...
July 29, 2019
Improving data reporting and transparency of data improves but more work left to do
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...
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...