Ohio near bottom for infectious disease readiness, study finds

Ohio ranks in the bottom tier of states in preparing for and handling outbreaks of infectious disease, according to a national report released this week (Source: “Report: Ohio under-prepared for outbreaks of infectious disease,” Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 18, 2015).

The state received points for just three of 10 indicators examined in the Trust for America’s Health report, “Outbreaks: Protecting Americans From Infectious Diseases.”

That means Ohio tied six other states — Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah — for last place. The five highest-scoring states — Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, New York and Virginia — received points for eight of 10 indicators.

“There’s still some significant policy work that needs to be done” in Ohio, said Jeffrey Levi, principal author of the report, which was funded by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Ohio fell short on several fronts, including in its funding of public health. It reduced spending at the state level between fiscal years 2014 and 2015, according to the report.