Throughout the week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted provided updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced details of the Governor's Executive Budget for Fiscal Years 2022-2023, and more.
On Monday, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted unveiled their Executive Budget for Fiscal Years 2022 to 2023, which includes an aggressive plan to spur Ohio?s continued recovery by investing in communities, people, and businesses. Through the Investing In Ohio Initiative, the Executive Budget launches a strategic effort to invest more than $1 billion toward accelerating economic growth and ensuring economic vitality.
?We have a unique opportunity to make significant investments that will spur growth and economic renewal across the state,? said Governor DeWine. ?The Investing In Ohio Initiative supports both our people and our economy as we continue to prepare for the future and showcase Ohio as the premier place to live and work.?
At the onset of the pandemic, Governor DeWine took swift action to control state spending through targeted revenue reductions, which along with increased funding from the federal government, limited the economic impact of the pandemic on the state budget. The Investing In Ohio Initiative targets one-time investments to the most hard-hit industries in the pandemic.?
Governor DeWine?s proposed Executive Budget also invests in key administration initiatives, such as RecoveryOhio, Children?s Initiative, H2Ohio, workforce development, TechCred, and broadband.
The proposed Executive Budget "blue book," including Governor DeWine's full budget recommendations, and budget highlights, can be found on?budget.ohio.gov.
On Tuesday, Governor DeWine outlined steps that Ohio has taken and will take to address inequities in healthcare as they relate to vaccine accessibility.?
"There are Ohioans who simply do not have equal access to healthcare," said Governor DeWine. "We have worked hard to address these gaps, especially in our efforts to roll out the vaccine, but there is still more to do."?
Geography:?Instead of offering the "mega vaccination sites" being seen in other states, Ohio's vaccination plan focuses on ensuring that there are?multiple vaccine providers in every county in the state. This week, more than 700 providers across Ohio are receiving the vaccine to help ensure that?Ohioans have access to vaccine close to home. ?
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs):?These health centers serve highly vulnerable neighborhoods. Ohio's vaccination plan offers vaccines at these facilities for equitable distribution. More than 60 of these centers are receiving vaccine this week.? ?
Pop-up Vaccine Sites:?Ohio is working?with FQHCs, faith-based communities, and local health departments to pilot pop-up vaccination sites in at-risk communities. ?Two sites were hosted at an FQHC in Columbus last week and another pop-up vaccination site is scheduled this week in Cleveland.
Transportation:?The Ohio Department of Health is working with the Ohio Department of Medicaid to provide transportation options for those who want to receive the vaccine but face transportation barriers.
Local Health Departments:?Many local health departments are prioritizing underserved populations by partnering with organizations that work to serve African American, Hispanic and Latino, and other underserved populations to provide education and offer opportunities for vaccination when vaccine becomes available.
Education and Communication Strategies:?In addition to newspaper, television, and radio advertisements focused on reaching underserved populations, Ohio will also launch a series of virtual town hall meetings?to gain a better understanding of the barriers to vaccination and develop solutions.?The events will be coordinated in partnership with Ohio's Minority Health Vaccine Advisory Group, whose mission is to help advise the Ohio Department of Health on how to best deliver the vaccine to underserved populations and better ensure equity. The townhalls will be live-streamed during the week of February 22.?To learn how to participate in these events, visit?coronavirus.ohio.gov.?
Affordable Housing Vaccination Clinics:?Next week, the Ohio Department of Aging, in partnership with key state and local organizations, will off?er on-site vaccination clinics at affordable senior housing communities as part of its?Regional Rapid Response Program. On-site clinics will be coordinated with support from the Ohio National Guard.?
VACCINATION STATUS UPDATE
Governor DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine both received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday morning from?Dr. Kevin Sharrett at Kettering Health Network?s Jamestown office in Greene County. The DeWines became eligible for the vaccine this week as part of the 70 and older age group.
Those currently eligible to receive vaccine in Ohio are:?
Those 70 years of age and older?
Teachers and school personnel who are necessary for in-person learning in?specified counties
Individuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions?and?with developmental or intellectual disabilities
Individuals with severe congenital, early-onset, or inherited conditions and developmental or intellectual disabilities should have been contacted by their local county board of developmental disabilities to schedule their vaccination. If you believe that you or a loved one falls into this category and hasn't been contacted, please contact your county board of developmental disabilities.
NURSING/ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
Of Ohio's 920 skilled nursing facilities, Ohio has administered first doses of vaccine in 100 percent of these facilities. The second dose has been given in 89 percent of facilities.??
Of Ohio's 645 assisted living facilities, Ohio has administered first doses in 86 percent of these facilities, and second doses have been administered in 48 percent of facilities.
Plans are in place to continue vaccinating in these facilities as new residents move in.
LONG-TERM CARE REVACCINATIONS
On Tuesday, Walgreens Pharmacy alerted the Ohio Department of Health that vaccines that had not been stored under the proper cold storage conditions were administered on Monday to some residents in?five long-term care facilities. Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, residents who received these vaccines will be revaccinated.?
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - DATAOHIO
Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced that the Ohio Department of Education is the latest agency to join the DataOhio portal, with seven key datasets and visualizations added on January 29, 2021.
The DataOhio Portal launched in?December of 2020 to the public?and featured more than 200 datasets and over 100 visualizations from four State of Ohio agencies. Nearly half of the datasets added to the portal are available to the public for the first time.
Users can view these newest datasets and visualizations under ?Recent Datasets? at Data.Ohio.Gov. The?DataOhio Portal?team continues to add additional agency datasets, visualizations, and portal features, with a new Agency being announced in the coming weeks, including additional Ohio Department of Education datasets and visualizations.?
On Wednesday, Governor DeWine detailed public safety and criminal justice projects prioritized as part of his Executive Budget proposal for the 2022 ? 2023 biennium.
"Crime can destroy lives, make our communities unlivable, and shatter all our dreams for the future. Every child deserves a safe?neighborhood to grow up in," said Governor DeWine. "These budget proposals are?focused on assisting local law enforcement in their work to catch criminals, prevent crime, and save lives."
A total of $10 million over the biennium would fund a grant program to help local law enforcement agencies outfit more officers with body cameras across the state. The use of body cameras is not mandated in Ohio. It is estimated that up to two-thirds of all law enforcement agencies in the state, primarily Ohio's smaller agencies, do not outfit their officers with cameras due to equipment and video storage costs.
Governor DeWine?s Executive Budget proposal doubles the investment in?Ohio?s Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC)?to $13 million over the biennium.?Governor DeWine created the ONIC in 2019 with a $6.5 million investment from the Ohio General Assembly in the previous operating budget.
A total of $8 million over the biennium would be allotted to a new grant program to assist local law enforcement in implementing new violence reduction strategies to prevent and solve crimes.
Governor DeWine?s Executive Budget proposal invests $4.6 million over the biennium into the?Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC)?which was created in 2019 with existing resources within the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
A $1 million investment over the biennium would assist local law enforcement agencies in recruiting and retaining qualified, diverse law enforcement officers. The Law Enforcement Recruitment Grant Program would be administered by the Ohio Law Enforcement Recruitment Office which was launched by Governor DeWine in June 2020 as a centralized resource for law enforcement agencies working to recruit more minorities and women. The office also assists authorities with policies and practices to screen out candidates not suited for a law enforcement career.
The Executive Budget proposal also invests a total of $1 million over the biennium into the?Ohio Governor?s Expedited Pardon Project. The project, which operates with the help of the law clinics at The Ohio State University and the University of Akron, puts certain rehabilitated citizens on a fast-track to be considered for a Governor?s Pardon.
The proposed Executive Budget "blue book," including Governor DeWine's full budget recommendations and budget highlights, can be found on?budget.ohio.gov.
On Thursday, Governor DeWine noted that Ohio is among the top five states for delivering COVID-19 vaccine doses to long-term care facility residents. As a result of this aggressive effort to vaccinate those in long-term care, Ohio is beginning to see a drop in cases.
Pfizer has notified Ohio that they believe they will increase their shipment of vaccine by 40 percent around mid-to-late February. Shipments could additionally increase even more by the end of March. Pfizer is?currently shipping approximately 73,000 doses to Ohio per week.
Moderna doses have increased from 73,200 two weeks ago to 105,600 doses that are expected next week.?
Ohio was one of the first states to draw unused doses from the long-term care program, and those 77,000 extra doses are being delivered this week to select CVS and Walgreens pharmacies.
ODJFS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TEAM?
Governor DeWine announced the formation of a new Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Public-Private Partnership Team?to improve Ohioans? experiences with the unemployment system. ?
Members of the team will include highly-skilled experts, most of whom are on loan from some of Ohio?s top banking and insurance companies:
Fifth Third Bank
Nationwide?
Western & Southern Financial Group
Encova Insurance
KeyBank
Pat Tiberi, President and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable, worked with business leaders to identify the best talent for the partnership team who have experience in large organizations? call centers, claims processes, and fraud detection.?
"These experts will provide recommendations and solutions to improve the call center, claims process, and fraud detection efforts in the state unemployment system," said Governor DeWine. "They?ll examine short-term and long-term improvements.?Our goal is quick action while keeping an eye on the long-term best processes going forward, and we will continue working to improve the unemployment system so that eligible Ohioans in need can receive the financial assistance they are counting on during this pandemic."?
The team currently has around 16 members but is expected to grow.
UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE
This week, Ohio has paid out nearly $100 million to more than 110,000 Ohioans receiving traditional unemployment.?This represents some extended weeks of benefits plus an additional $300 a week, which were included with the new federal aid.
Starting this Saturday, more than 155,000 Ohioans will also start seeing benefits from this new federal aid package. This includes Ohioans who recently lost a job as a result of the pandemic as well as Ohioans who continue to be impacted due to the pandemic.?
By the last week in February, all Ohioans impacted by unemployment will have the ability to claim all the weeks and supplements available under the law and receive the benefits they are owed.
OPIOID SETTLEMENT
Governor DeWine also commented on Ohio's?$24.7 million settlement with McKinsey & Co.?for its role in fueling the opioid crisis.?The settlement is part of a $573 million national settlement encompassing 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories.
Settlement funds will be distributed as part of the?OneOhio?plan which?focuses funding to programs that address prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery as well as criminal justice and public awareness costs that promote the overall health and well-being of Ohioans.
Ohio was one of the first states to file lawsuits against the opioid manufacturers and distributers that pushed millions of addictive pills into Ohio. Last year, the state developed the OneOhio partnership with Ohio townships, villages, cities, and counties that filed suit against these same companies.?
"Although McKinsey was not a part of the lawsuits that brought Ohio together under the OneOhio plan, I am pleased that Attorney General Dave Yost has decided to leverage this recent settlement to start the work of OneOhio and begin the development of a statewide foundation," said Governor DeWine. "We remain committed to holding these drug manufacturers and distributors accountable. When the settlements for those cases happen, Ohio will be ready to implement the necessary funding, programs, and services for Ohio?s communities."
Also on Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted announced that the first phase of the Broadband Telehealth Pilot Project at Switzerland of Ohio School District in rural Monroe County is fully operational after partnering with InnovateOhio, BroadbandOhio, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the?Ohio Department of Medicaid?last year. K-12 students in the district will now have access to mental health counselors in real time. Previously, counselors had a commute of up to 60 minutes to reach children in need.??
By connecting schools with mental health providers through telehealth, the project takes another step in the state?s efforts to expand and enhance high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved Ohioans.
?In less than a year after we announced the pilot project, we have delivered access to telehealth services to the 2,000 students and families in the largest, most rural school district in Ohio," said?Lt. Governor Husted.??Because this was the most difficult test-case, it now serves as roadmap for all schools in Ohio to deliver health and counseling services to students who previously had difficulty accessing them in a timely manner and who often went unserved.??
In March 2020, Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Husted announced the Telehealth Pilot Project, which would allow in-demand counseling for students by creating spaces within the school compliant with federal regulations and capable of live video and audio feed to meet this need in a virtualized manner.
Lt. Governor Husted also announced the launch of the second phase of the project, which will work to connect the school?s existing fiber-optic network directly to remote offices of mental health professionals, so students can have access to care and additional services, beyond the two counselors who physically work in the schools. The first such connection is with pilot project partner, Southeast Healthcare Facilities.
On Friday, Governor DeWine made several appointments, including to the Dentist Loan Repayment Advisory Board, Ohio Board of Motor Vehicle Repair,?Ohio Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, and others.?
As of Friday, there have been 914,530 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 11,571 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 47,338 people have been hospitalized, including 6,821 admissions to intensive care units.?
For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit?coronavirus.ohio.gov?or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
?30?
MEDIA CONTACT: Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities ? 150 E. Campus View Blvd ? Columbus, Ohio 43235
