Latest news with #ColumbusPublicHealth
Axios
29-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Tackling racism as a public health crisis
Public health departments are reporting progress in incorporating racial equity into their ongoing initiatives. Catch up quick: Local and state officials made 2020 declarations condemning racism as a public health crisis. Data has long illustrated the health disparities between white and Black communities, including life expectancy. The problem gained renewed focus when the COVID-19 pandemic and protests happened simultaneously. Zoom in: Franklin County Public Health hired an associate director of equity and inclusion that year, and Columbus Public Health shifted resources to create a Center for Public Health Innovation. Both are training staff and working to address underlying, systemic issues that can worsen health. Franklin County created an equity advisory council of over 50 organizations that continues meeting monthly to support its efforts. What they're saying: Columbus' health commissioner, Mysheika Roberts, offered three examples of how the city's center has made a difference. 💉 Vaccine access: Giving recipients $100 gift cards and adding more clinic sites in 2021 through a "Vax Cash" program closed a 7% gap in COVID-19 vaccination rates between Franklin County's white and Black residents. 🚭 Flavored tobacco ban: This 2022 ordinance enforced by the health department has reduced Columbus' number of tobacco retailers, which have historically targeted Black communities. The city's smoking rate (13%) has also dropped below the state average (15%). 🚓 Office of Violence Prevention: This city initiative launched in 2023 was a recommendation of the Center for Public Health Innovation. Gun violence disproportionately impacts Black neighborhoods.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Columbus sues Trump administration over cuts to disease funding amid measles outbreaks
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The City of Columbus has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its cuts to infectious disease funding during a rise in measles outbreaks across the country, including in Ohio. City Attorney Zach Klein said Columbus Public Health has already had to terminate 11 infectious disease workers due to cuts in the funding, leaving only 11 employees left. 'The Trump administration's termination of billions of dollars in infectious disease funding is both dangerous and unconstitutional,' Klein said in a statement. 'The City cannot stay quiet on the sidelines as extremists within this administration continue to defy the Constitution and recklessly endanger the health and safety of our children and the public.' Ohio State faculty vote to join Big Ten alliance against Trump The city claims that the funding cuts are unconstitutional because the money was already approved by Congress. The city is asking for a judge to order the Trump administration to reinstate the grant programs and congressionally appropriated funding. Kansas City and Nashville also joined the lawsuit, along with Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston. Dkt.-1-ComplaintDownload Several states also previously sued the administration over the funding cuts. U.S. Health and Human Services Department spokesperson Andrew Nixon told the Associated Press earlier this month that it doesn't comment on pending litigation, but said the HHS 'will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Community leaders envision central Ohio's future amid federal spending cuts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus and Franklin County leaders on Thursday discussed the future of the capital city, but the work they're doing goes beyond central Ohio as what is happening at the federal level will have a significant impact on what's being done locally. The Funding Review Advisory Committee began in 2011, a few years after the 2008 recession. Since then, we've faced a global pandemic and even more recently, new federal cuts that impact local organizations. 'We are a very different community today than we were just 15 years ago,' Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said. 'Our growth is creating new needs, new challenges.' Rare Civil War flag to be sold at Columbus auction This committee is tasked with making sure tax dollars are used to make the city thrive. As Ginther said during the meeting, Columbus is facing new challenges; for example, the fact the city had to let go of 11 Columbus Public Health employees due to a federal funding pause, just as the state is seeing a growing measles outbreak. 'Half of Columbus Public Health's funding comes from federal grant,' Ginther said. 'That could be in jeopardy. I'm also concerned that our $7.5 million in federal community development block grants may be on the chopping block as well. $22 million comes into our Department of Development every year from the federal government.' The mayor also pointed out the U.S. House passed a Blueprint Resolution on Thursday, backed by President Donald Trump, that would lead to reduced spending over the next 10 years. After its passage, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, 'Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments and one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people while also preserving our essential programs.' The local committee co-chair, Sandy Doyle-Ahern, said that while this committee didn't form because of the new administration, new federal policies may impact its work. Prosecutors want Gaudreau brothers' blood alcohol levels excluded from case 'Obviously that there's a lot of concern about money that is no longer available or may not be available in the future, so we've got to take that into consideration and not work in a vacuum,' Doyle-Ahern said. The committee is made up of people who are involved in the cultural arts, travel and tourism sectors. Over the next nine months, the group will hear from different community leaders across the region. Some of those leaders said nothing is off the table for the fast-growing community. 'When we think about these big issues, we're thinking about homelessness, we're thinking about our social service agencies, so how do we keep food on the table, how do we keep roofs overhead? How do we make sure that we have a thriving arts community? How do we have a thriving tourism community that funds a lot of this work? How do we make sure that our young people, our babies are educated,' Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said. In about nine months, the committee will produce a report that provides an analysis of things like public funding trends and revenue utilization. Members said committee meetings are open to the public and they really want to hear community input. Former Ohio doctor's defamation case against Mount Carmel will go to trial 'It's going to be critical so we absolutely will be hearing from a number of different community leaders and sectors across the region,' Doyle-Ahern said. 'We're going to do a little bit of learning about the finance side first and then get into that. So we need a little patience to get there, but we will absolutely be getting it. It's critical to the end game.' 'They're tough conversations but we believe that the group that is assembled today has what it takes to help guide and instruct and provide a road map for Columbus and Franklin County for the next decade to come,' Hardin said. To learn more about the Funding Review Advisory Committee, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
10-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Federal health cuts cost Columbus jobs and grants
The impact of recent cuts to the federal Department of Health and Human Services continues to be felt locally. Catch up quick: A regional office in Chicago has shuttered, leaving the Midwest without a local point of contact for heating assistance, child care programs, Meals on Wheels and more. Over a dozen recently terminated grants will also affect Central Ohio. Zoom in: In one example that made headlines late last week, Columbus Public Health laid off 11 employees involved with infectious disease investigations due to a lost CDC grant. "This reduction in staff is particularly concerning during a national measles outbreak, including cases in Ohio," spokesperson Kelli Newman told Axios in an email. The Ohio Department of Health has lost over $250 million in grant funding, including that which impacted Columbus Public Health. Plus: A National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital was terminated. It was used to study the impact of puberty blockers on adolescents' health. At least eight grants totaling $12 million awarded to Ohio State University, most regarding LGBTQ+ health, are also gone.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ohio lawmakers debate whether to ban fluoride from public drinking water
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Some Ohio Republicans want to ban fluoride in public drinking water, because they say it's a matter of personal choice. 'I think it's important for an individual to be able to choose what sort of supplements they're taking, what sort of medical care they're doing, things like that,' Representative Levi Dean (R-Xenia) said. Dean, the freshman lawmaker, is behind House Bill 182. The legislation is short and to the point: 'No public water system shall add fluoride to the water supplied by the system.' Right now, there is a certain fluoride level that public water must be at. Some plants need to dampen it, some need to hike it up. Dean says those systems should not have that say. Columbus Public Health terminates some employees early due to federal funding cuts 'Your neighbor or the government shouldn't be able to tell you what you have to ingest into your body,' he said. 'If you want to apply fluoride, this bill still allows you to do that. It's just saying you can't force someone to swallow and ingest fluoride by putting it into the water stream.' Dean said this bill came about after he heard from some local elected officials 'who were interested in removing fluoride from the water,' but were not allowed to under Ohio law. Then, he said he heard the same from his constituents. 'They didn't want to have fluoride,' he said. 'They wanted to have personal choice.' What about the health benefits of fluoride? Dr. Matthew Messina, DDS and Associate Professor an The Ohio State College of Dentistry said in short, it helps stop tooth decay. 'Fluoride helps because it makes tooth enamel harder or stronger, more resistant to the acid, which reduces the risk of decay,' he said. Messina said controlled amounts of fluoride in drinking water helps 'build strong teeth for a lifetime.' He said one of the big benefits of having it in public water is that it reaches everyone. Former Ohio governor speaks about current political climate Dean argues, for the people who want it, it is in many toothpastes and mouth washes. 'I don't know why they wouldn't just brush their teeth with fluoride, which most of them probably already do,' Dean said. 'That's a better application in general.' 'We've been trying to tell people for generations to brush their teeth. But there's a sizable percentage of the people that still don't brush their teeth every day. So, this is a way that helps them get the benefits of fluoride in the water,' Messina said. But he said he thinks back to when fluoride was taken out of public water in Calgary, Alberta, Canada back in 2011 and where they are now, nearly a decade and a half later. 'They have discovered an increase in the prevalence of [tooth] decay in the community,' he said. There are more cavities which leads to unfortunately more dentistry being done. And so, they're seeing the cost of dental care going up.' Messina said fluoride in public water was 'hailed as one of the best and one of the most successful public health efforts in the 20th century,' and said going would mean that 'everybody would have to step up their game,' when it comes to oral hygiene. 'A huge achievement like that is something that we just don't ever want to risk going back from,' he said. Dean said under this bill, those who wanted to add fluoride to water themselves would not be stopped and said he already has an idea for a tweak to the legislation too. 'We could in the bill have an amendment to say, 'hey, your leftover reserve can be distributed to individuals who want to come and pick it up and then add it to their own water stream and drink it if they'd like,'' Dean said. 'Fluoride was added to water because it produced a tremendous effect in reducing decay in some of our most vulnerable populations,' Messina said. As far as leadership goes, Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he does not know whether he thinks fluoride should stay in water. 'Lots of people have been talked about that over the last few years and they were dismissed. And now there appears to be some science that says too much fluoride, including adding fluoride, is bad for folks. So, I mean, I not a scientist, I'm not a chemist,' Huffman said. 'We're going to sort of litigate that question, not in the courtroom, in the legislature here, over the next couple of months. So, I don't know the answer to your question.' On the other side of the aisle, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said as someone who has a background in public health, she thinks the bill is 'misguided.' 'I see this as a basic human right in the United States of America,' she said. 'I think the expectation of every household in this country is that you have access to clean tap water in your household. And anything that threatens that, I'm going to be opposed to.' The bill is assigned to the Ohio House Natural Resources Committee and awaits its first hearing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
