HPIO releases two new policy briefs

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released two new policy briefs, one examining mental illness in Ohio and the other spotlighting health disparities among the state’s various regions.
 
Mental Health in Ohio (pdf, 4 pages) uses data from the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey (OFHS) to profile the approximately 600,000 Ohioans who reported 14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past 30 days as of when they were surveyed.

 
Unhealthy Differences: Regional Health Disparities in Ohio (pdf, 8 pages) is the third in a series of HPIO policy briefs that uses OFHS data to spotlight health disparities. This one examines differences between the state’s Appalachian, rural, suburban and urban regions.

Policymakers and other decision makers may look to the findings in theses an other HPIO briefs as they shape strategies to build health equity and improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of all populations in Ohio’s communities.