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Components of Ohio’s Public Health Advisory System
On July 8, Ohio Department of Health Interim Director Lance D. Himes ordered the implementation of the Public Health Advisory System (PHAS) to supplement statewide orders, inform Ohioans about their risk of contracting the virus, and to combat COVID -19. The PHAS is a color-coded system that is used to assess the degree of COVID-19…
Read MoreGuidance and Plans for Reopening K-12 Schools in the Fall
After schools were closed on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear how school districts would reopen for Ohio’s 1.7 million students in the fall. In a press conference on July 2, Governor DeWine announced a new set of guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Department of Education (ODE)…
Read MoreCoronavirus Updates June 26
Governor DeWine held COVID-19 press briefings on Tuesday and Thursday this week. This week, coronavirus cases began to trend upward above the daily averages. We expect Governor DeWine to lay out his plan to reopen Ohio’s K-12 schools next week. Below is a list of actions taken in Ohio as of June 26, 2020, with…
Read MorePolice Reform Initiatives in Ohio
Police reform is gaining sustained, national attention amid continuing protests across the country. In Ohio, a police reform bill, House Bill 703, has been drafted in the House and Ohio House Democrats have put forward a variety of bill ideas to address police and civil justice reform. Governor DeWine and Attorney General Yost unveiled several…
Read MoreCoronavirus Updates June 19
Governor DeWine held COVID-19 press briefings on Tuesday and Thursday this week. This week, much focus has been directed to R0 (R Naught) numbers or basic reproduction numbers of the virus. While many areas of Ohio are seeing a plateau in coronavirus cases, some have started to see a slight uptick and pop up testing…
Read MoreResolutions in Ohio to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis
Major health disparities exist between white Americans and black Americans. For example, black women are four times more likely to die of pregnancy complications than white women and the average life expectancy of black Americans is four years lower than the rest of the population. In Ohio, black Ohioans are more likely to die of…
Read MoreCoronavirus Update June 12
Governor DeWine held press briefings on Tuesday and Thursday this week. One of the big announcements for the week was that Dr. Amy Acton has stepped down as the director for the Ohio Department of Health. She’s been leading Ohio through the pandemic, and will continue to do so in a new role as health…
Read MoreCoronavirus Updates June 5
This week, Governor DeWine held a press conference on Tuesday and one on Friday. Governor DeWine cancelled his 2 p.m. press conference on Thursday and asked Ohioans instead to observe a moment of silence at 2:00 p.m. in remembrance of George Floyd. The statewide moment of silence corresponded with the scheduled start of the memorial…
Read MoreChanges in Health Insurance Coverage Due to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the economy and is changing how people are covered by health insurance. Many people get their health coverage through their employers, others receive Medicaid coverage, some get coverage through an Affordable Care Act (ACA) plan, and before the pandemic, between 6% and 7% of Ohioans were uninsured. As a result…
Read MoreCoronavirus Update May 29
Over the last several weeks, Governor DeWine’s daily press briefings have been reduced to around 2-3 briefings a week. Many aspects of Ohio’s economy have begun reopening, but there are still a few more to be announced. Below is a list of actions taken in Ohio as of May 29, 2020, with dates they…
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