Data Graphics

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new fact sheet titled “Uplifting Community Voices: Employment and maternal and child health.”

The factsheet highlights employment policies that support maternal and infant health, using the city of Cincinnati as a case study. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) interviewed two city of Cincinnati leaders, Latisha Hazell, Human Resources Director, and Laura Castillo, Director of the Department of Economic Inclusion.

Policies outlined in the brief are important because they empower individuals and parents, enhance job opportunities and have been demonstrated to improve birth outcomes.

As illustrated above, wage gaps between races and genders vary by occupation and factors such as discrimination, racism, type of job, education and work experience.

By implementing a living wage initiative and an updated parental leave policy, Cincinnati has championed evidence-based practices designed to increase equity and foster a supportive work environment for city employees and contractors.

“Employment can support health and reduce infant mortality when it provides access to a living wage, resources and benefits such as health insurance and paid leave,” the report states. “On the other hand, research indicates that unemployment during pregnancy is linked to lower birth weights and higher infant mortality rates. Working parents are essential contributors to Ohio’s economy. When their jobs support their ability to provide stable housing, high-quality child care and healthy food to their families, all Ohioans benefit.”

Recent analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that there are stark differences in financial insecurity across Ohio. As illustrated above, for example, Ohioans living in Appalachia were more likely to live below the federal poverty level than Ohioans in other parts of the state.

The analysis was included in HPIO’s recently released policy brief, Creating a Financially Prosperous Ohio: Strategies to Improve Family Financial Security.

The brief highlighted data connecting financial insecurity to a variety of negative health outcomes across generations, including exposure to adverse childhood experiences (potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood). This can negatively affect children’s long-term mental, physical and financial health.

Still, Ohioans are resilient, and Ohio leaders can create environments and opportunities that allow every family to thrive.The HPIO brief includes strategies for how public and private partners can support financial prosperity and prevent childhood adversity.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new policy brief titled “Protecting against the harms of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).”

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be traumatic, but the harms associated with ACEs are not inevitable. Protective factors are positive experiences, resources and assets, including supportive people, that can buffer children and families against the harmful effects of ACEs and trauma. They are also associated with improved health and well-being and are valuable for all people throughout life.

This brief describes:

• Policy options to foster and strengthen protective factors at all levels
• Protective factors that help children and families build resilience at the community, interpersonal and individual levels
• Analysis of Ohio protective factors data

As illustrated above, HPIO analysis of 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data shows that 87% of Ohio adults had someone in their household who made them feel safe and protected most or all of the time during childhood, and 94% of respondents said they had someone who tried to meet their basic needs most or all of the time. Unfortunately, individuals who experienced two or more ACEs were almost twice as likely to report not having an adult in their home who made them feel safe and protected, making them much more susceptible to poor health outcomes.

The paper’s release comes shortly after the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents. The report noted high levels of parental stress over the past decade, with almost half of parents (48%) saying that their stress was completely overwhelming most days. The advisory provides recommendations to support parental mental health and well-being, a key component in ensuring children are protected against ACEs.

Since 2020, HPIO has analyzed ACEs and what Ohio can do to address them. Informed by a  multi-sector advisory group, HPIO’s  Ohio ACEs Impact Project  includes a series of policy briefs and an  online resource page  to build on and amplify current efforts to address ACEs in Ohio.

Support for this project was provided by the Harmony Project and HPIO’s core funders.

In August, HPIO has released a new data snapshot highlighting health in rural and Appalachian Ohio.

Living in communities with access to opportunity and resources is a key contributor to Ohioans’ health, well-being and economic security. There are many positive aspects of living in rural areas of Ohio, but the more than 2.3 million Ohioans who live in rural counties face a number of challenges that contribute to poor health outcomes.

The snapshot illustrates differences in community conditions, access to care, poverty and chronic stress. It also highlights health outcomes, such as deaths among working-age Ohioans.

As illustrated above, the trauma and stress associated with poverty puts Ohioans with lower incomes at higher risk of tobacco use and associated harms, as well as mental distress. The higher poverty rate in rural, Appalachian counties is echoed in higher smoking rates and rates for mental distress.

The snapshot also includes links to resources for state and local leaders. According to the snapshot, “There are many effective strategies that state and local leaders can use to ensure that Ohioans living in rural areas have access to the resources and environments needed to promote health and well-being.”

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new report titled “Leveraging Medicaid to Support Housing and Nutrition in Ohio.”

In recognition of the health impacts and costs of unmet socials needs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2023 began offering additional opportunities to state Medicaid programs to pay for a discrete set of housing and nutrition services.

The report highlights that many Many Ohioans have unmet health-related social needs. For example, 14.1% of Ohioans are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for every person in the household to live an active, as displayed above.

The purpose of the new HPIO report is to provide state and local partners across Ohio with:

• An overview of the Ohio Medicaid program, a description of the federal Medicaid health-related social needs (HRSN) framework and examples of the relevant programs operating in Ohio

• Information about options for covering clinically appropriate, evidence-based housing and nutrition services through the Medicaid program

• Opportunities and challenges associated with financing housing and nutrition services through the Medicaid program

• Next steps for policymakers, health sector leaders, community-based organizations and philanthropic funders to support the financing of HRSN services through Medicaid

To inform this report, HPIO collected information about potentially Medicaid-reimbursable housing and nutrition services in Ohio and conducted a series of 10 key informant interviews with state and national experts. The report lays a foundation for considering the opportunities for Ohio to leverage Medicaid reimbursement for services that address unmet housing and nutrition needs.

September is Suicide Prevention Month and in July, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill designating Sept. 22 as Veterans Suicide Awareness and Prevention Day.

HPIO analysis of Veterans Administration data found that the suicide rate for veterans in 2021 was nearly 80% higher than Ohio overall, as illustrated above. Data also shows that veteran suicides are more often completed using a firearm. The VA data found that the veteran suicide rate in Ohio is about the same as the national veteran suicide rate, but is significantly higher than the national general population suicide rate.

“Suicide among Veterans is at a crisis level,” according to the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF). “Though we’ve come a long way in learning how to recognize the signs and what to do to help, we need to step up the effort to integrate suicide prevention practices within post-service culture, connect those in need to life-saving resources, and improve access to mental health care.”

To learn more about suicide prevention for veterans, visit OSPF’s website.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org 24/7 for free and confidential support.