Ohio public health spending near bottom in the nation

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Mike DeWine put more money and focus on public health issues hammering Ohio — But sustaining or further increasing that funding will be a challenge as the economy staggers and state government braces for a drop in tax revenues (Source: “Ohio near the bottom for public health spending per person. Should we spend more?” Dayton Daily News, April 12, 2020).

“I’ve felt for a long time that we have not paid enough attention to public health. When I look at the problems that we face in Ohio, so many of the challenges that we face have to do with health issues. So I think (the coronavirus pandemic) is going to make us look really hard at that,” he said at one of his daily briefings on the crisis.

When it comes to spending on public health, Ohio has ranked near the bottom, according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota. Ohio’s per capita spending on public health was: $11 in 2005, $15 in 2010, $13 in 2018 — the latest data available. In 2018, Ohio ranked fourth from the bottom among 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In HPIO’s Health Value Dashboard, Ohio ranks 47^th in the nation (fourth from the bottom) among the 50 states and D.C. in public health and prevention and 51^st (last) in public health emergency preparedness.