The Speaker’s Task Force on Education and Poverty (STFEP) was announced in March in addition to four other committees on topics ranging from the opiate crisis to energy policy. The common goal of the various tasks forces is to better understand the subject each committee is charged with and to make policy recommendations to the...
June 1, 2017
Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Second Workgroup Meeting: What’s to Come?
On Tuesday, May 30, 2017, the Department of Medicaid, with the assistance of the Department of Aging, convened a workgroup meeting for the implementation of the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program. The meeting was the second time the workgroup convened and was used to update stakeholders on the current endeavors in preparation of...
May 23, 2017
Ohio General Assembly Considering Implementing Multi-System Youth Recommendations
MULTI-SYSTEM YOUTH (MSY) refers to a child or youth with significant mental health, addiction and/or developmental delays who is involved or at risk of being involved with child protection and/or juvenile justice due to not being able to access the right services or supports to remain stable and in their own home. Multi-system youth have complex...
March 6, 2017
Governor’s DODD Budget Includes Investments in Waiver Spending and Rate Increases
Governor Kasich’s recently released executive budget includes several noteworthy adjustments to funding within the state’s developmental disabilities system. Touted as an extension of the state’s “historic” investments of the previous budget cycle, the proposal includes increased funding on several important initiatives.[i] However, the budget includes some notable cuts as well. Overall, the budget proposes a...
March 3, 2017
State Budget Update: Departments of Health, Mental Health and Addiction Services Testify before HHS Subcommittee
The House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Services heard testimony Thursday (March 2, 2017) morning from the directors of the Ohio departments of Health (ODH) and Mental Health and Addiction Services (ODMHAS) as it convened for its fourth hearing of H.B. 49, the executive budget proposal for fiscal years 2018-2019. ODH Testimony ODH Director...
December 21, 2016
Overdose Deaths Continue to Climb in Ohio for All Drug Categories
The Ohio Department of Health released the 2015 Ohio Drug Overdose Data in August. The data clearly show an increase in deaths from heroin and fentanyl at unprecedented rates. The administration highlighted the progress that is being made from policies and practices implemented in the past four years, namely the reduction in prescription opioids dispensed...
October 20, 2016
Prevention in Ohio: Examining Ohio’s Efforts to Curb the State’s Drug Epidemic through Prevention Education
In August, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office announced[1] the formation of a study committee to examine drug use prevention education in Ohio schools. The committee consists of members from both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate in addition to numerous educators, members of the law enforcement community, state agencies, and organizations that focus on...
August 12, 2016
What Happened to General Assistance in Ohio?
This year, we will reflect on a major milestone in social welfare history known as welfare reform. Enacted in 1996, TANF, or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, provides minimal cash assistance for very poor families with children, and funds other programs and services that aim to promote self-sufficiency. TANF replaced Aid to Families with Dependent...
July 8, 2016
County Profiles: What’s New, and What Can We Learn?
This week, we’re pleased to introduce updated county profile factsheets. Our hope is that you’ll find them to be a useful resource for better understanding the needs in your community and advocating for programs and policies that can improve health and social conditions around the state. The factsheets focus on data related to health and...
June 28, 2016
JMOC: Paying for Value
The Governor’s Office of Health Transformation (OHT) has made the transition to value-based payment its main focus since it was created in the beginning of the Kasich Administration. Now, before the budgetary swan song for this governor, many of the seeds planted in those early stages are starting to bear fruit and OHT is ramping...