The Ohio Checkbook

The Ohio Checkbook serves as the singular and most trusted resource for Ohioans to obtain both local and state financial information. To find out more about how Ohio government is, "...putting transparency at your fingertips," please visit:  Ohio Checkbook - Home

The FY22 Minority Health Month RFP - Round 2 Process is open.

Please visit the following link to access the RFP. We look forward to receiving your completed application!

https://www.mih.ohio.gov/Home/Grant-Opportunities

Congratulations Dr. Deena Chisolm!

The Commission wishes to congratulate Dr. Deena Chisolm, Immediate Past Commission Board Chair, on being named on of seven 2021 YWCA Women of Achievement. Pictured below left to right: Dr. Olivia Thomas, Former Commission Board Chair, Commission Director, Angela Dawson and Dr. Deena Chisolm.

Ohio Health Equity Work Group

The Commission on Minority Health is a part of the Ohio Health Equity Work Group which was coordinated by the Ohio Department of Health to focus on COVID response and recovery from a health equity lens.  This resulted in multiple recommendations to address racial and ethnic populations along with the creation of the comprehensive report – Ohio’s COVID-19 Populations Needs Assessment – Minimizing the Disparate Impact of the Pandemic and Building Foundations for Health Equity.

The report identifies the unique needs of Ohio’s diverse populations at-risk for disparities in accessing COVID-19 protective strategies and the foundations for long-term wellness.

The report provided recommendations about:

HOW to equitably design, resource, and implement CDC protections to prevent disease spread and lay foundations for long-term wellness.

WHAT public interventions need to take place in order to reduce the disparate impact and promote long-term population wellness. 

https://cph.osu.edu/inequitable-burdens-covid-19

                                                Photo by, Rob Hardin

Dr. Olivia Thomas, Nationwide Children’s Hospital: Lifetime Achievement winner, Columbus CEO Healthcare Achievement Awards 2021

As shared in an article written by Laura Newpoff, of Columbus CEO, "...when Dr. Olivia Thomas was growing up in a small Kentucky town, she was the neighborhood babysitter who fixed all the cuts and bruises when children fell off their bikes or got hurt playing sports. During high school, she was drawn to the sciences, and she loved the experiments she got to work on in the lab. In the late 1960s, she’d combine those two interests to begin the educational journey of a medical doctor at a time when the Civil Rights Act had just allowed Black students to be admitted into all U.S. medical schools."

Click HERE to read the full story.

The Ohio Conference of the NAACP, Ohio Commission on Minority Health and the Ohio Department of Health have prepared this joint statement providing information to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial and ethnic minority communities. 

The community spread of COVID-19 is an unfortunate reality. It is important to dispel myths that convey racial and ethnic minorities are less susceptible to COVID-19.  This is simply not true. Access to care can be a challenge for minorities which could result in a greater impact from COVID-19. The response to COVID-19 requires intentional strategies to ensure those who are most vulnerable within racial and ethnic minority populations have access to testing, treatment and critical resources. Racial and ethnic minorities are encouraged to be proactive in their efforts to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19.  It is important to heed the advice of public health leaders and healthcare providers which encourages social distancing and good hygiene practices. On March 15, 2020 the national NAACP hosted an Emergency Tele-Townhall on COVID-19. This national broadcast discussed the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. More information on the Tele-Townhall can be found at https://naacp.org/emergency-coronavirus-tele-town-hall/.  For up-to-date information about the impact of COVID-19 on Ohio please visit  http://coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH. The phones are staffed from 9:00am to 8:00pm each day.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200514/franklin-county-lsquoracism-is-public-health-crisisrsquo

The Franklin County Board of Health has joined a growing number of cities and counties that have declared racism a public health crisis.

The board also said it acknowledged the health impact of racism in Ohio and Franklin County is affecting the entire community.

The board of health said racism and segregation in Ohio and Franklin County have exacerbated a health divide resulting in black Ohioans having lower life expectancies than white Ohioans, being far more likely than other races to die prematurely, and to die of heart disease or stroke, according to the Health Policy Institute of Ohio.

https://www.dispatch.com/news/20200601/businesses-join-columbus-city-council-anti-racism-resolution

Columbus City Council’s resolution calls for the city to address minority health inequities, including a systematic, data-driven focus on poverty, economic mobility and other factors that impact the social determinants of health.

Cleveland council committee approves resolution that would declare racism a public health crisis

https://www.cleveland19.com/2020/06/01/cleveland-council-committee-approves-resolution-that-would-declare-racism-public-health-crisis/