HPIO releases Public Health Basics brief

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The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new publication titled Public Health Basics, which offers detailed insights into the state's public health services, workforce and the challenges they encounter. 
 
“We often think about the decisions we make, like whether we go for our annual medical checkups, brush our teeth or exercise, as being the main contributors to our health,” according to the brief. “We forget or take for granted everything that makes it possible for us to be healthy and avoid illness, such as whether our food and water are safe, we have access to vaccines and know how to avoid health risks. Clinical care influences just 20% of our health outcomes, while the remaining is shaped by health behaviors (30%) and the social, economic and physical environment (50%). This is where public health plays a vital role.”
 
In 2021, the Ohio Department of Health spent $24 per capita on public health, far less than most other states (as illustrated above). Overall, Ohio’s investment in public health is lower than many other states at both the state and local levels.
 
HPIO has also released a companion Public Health Workforce fact sheet  and a one-page "quick facts" document that provides a brief overview of public health in Ohio.