Prognosis Ohio

In this episode, Dan Skinner talks with State Rep. Justin Pizzulli, Republican from Scioto County, and Rep. Anita Somani, Democrat from Dublin, about the bill they are sponsoring to cap taxpayer funded vouchers for private schools at $500,000. As the discussion reveals, the issue is about fairness, fiscal responsibility, but also opens larger questions such as: should public money be transferred to private schools at all?

On the first episode of the Fall 2023 season, things get wonky with the good people at Yuvo Health and My Community Health Center about how creative approaches to value-based care can improve care delivery at Ohio’s community health centers. Specifically, Yuvo is doing some really exciting work with My Community Health Center in Canton. Dan talks with Dr. Lora Council, Chief Medical Officer at Yuvo Health; Dr. Sarah Hoehnen, Chief Medical Officer at My Community Health Center; and Loren Anthes, who is Head of External Affairs at Yuvo Health. For more on Yuvo Health see their website. Connect with Yuvo on LinkedIn. For those new to value-based health care, the role of risk in health care, and other topics discussed on the show, the Commonwealth Fund also has a nice overview of value-based health care. Check it out here. Some shoutouts on the show: - Congrats to Julie DiRossi-King on becoming president and CEO of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers. - Learn more about the Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s Health Value Dashboard. Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.

On episode 129, Dan talks with Dr. Ean Bett, a family medicine physician in Columbus, about Medicare for All, single-payer healthcare, and national healthcare insurance. Dan mentions a Youtube video of Dr. Bett in conversation with Greg Moody, “Is Medicare for All the Answer.” USA Healthcare, an organization Dr. Bett is a founding member of, has a different approach from Medicare for All by educating around social values and has a slogan of “Universal. Simple. Affordable.” Dr. Bett references a 2018 Ohio Medicaid study that showed employment rates of people on Medicaid increased. Dr. Bett also shares information about Direct Primary Care, an innovative option to get around private insurance. Learn more about Dr. Ean Bett. Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Copywriting and production support by Angela Lin. Engineering support by Mike Foley. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.

On episode 127, Dan talks with Sherri Kovach and Jodi Keller with COTS Ohio about mass casualty preparedness in Ohio. Timestamps: 1:26 Assessment of Ohio’s state of preparation and scenario planning 7:30 Learning from the response to the East Palestine train derailment 15:08 The challenges of operating in the background 19:36 Fostering collaborating in cultures of competition 21:30 - COTS and national emergency preparedness 23:30 - The 2024 Eclipse Jodi and Sherri talk about planning for the worst case scenarios, coordinating the EMS response, and training with hospitals for such events. The thing that really keeps COTS up at night are “no-notice” incidents during a time when hospitals may already be overwhelmed and understaffed. They mention the shootings in Dayton, Columbine, Florida, and Las Vegas, as examples. COTS coordinates two healthcare coalitions, the Central Region Coalition with 15 counties and Southeast/Southeast Central Coalition. The coalitions are made up of hundreds of members that may be part of the healthcare response: hospitals, EMS, EMA, public health, long term care, dialysis centers, etc. Funding for COTS comes from the federal government’s Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) through the Ohio Department of Health. Sherri gives a special shoutout to Red, White, and Boom and the security and emergency response preparation for that event. They mention the stabbing at the Ohio State University in 2016 and how they learned some processes that they now have in place, including a notification process and communicating to get blood in. In response to the blood shortage at trauma centers during the COVID pandemic, COTS helped develop a shared plan among hospitals to conserve blood. COTS is already preparing for the eclipse on April 8, 2024. Learn more about COTS on their website. NAME CHECKS/RELATED EPISODES Dan mentions the current budget season, which he talks about with Tara Britton and Kelsey Bergfeld on episode 121. Dan brings up the train derailment in East Palestine. Listen to the Prognosis Ohio episode with River Valley Organizing and the Ohio Environmental Council discussing this disaster. One of Dan’s public health heroes, Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola, praised COTS and the work they do. Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Copywriting and production support by Angela Lin. Engineering support by Mike Foley, curator of the WCBE Podcast Experience. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.

On episode 125, Dan talks with obstetrician-gynecologist and State Rep. Anita Somani about abortion and reproductive rights, the impact anti-transgender legislation is poised to have on Ohio patients; and balancing life as a physician-legislator. SEGMENT TIMESTAMPS 2:00: On being a physician and legislator 5:30: The state budget and the stakes for social and economic policy 8:45: Abortion and reproductive health care 14:50: The hypocrisy of bills that hurt children and children’s mental health while trumpeting support for child health 17:59: “What’s behind these bills?” 19:56: The relationship between democratic responsiveness and health 25:40: The wave of anti-transgender bills moving through the Statehouse: what Rep. Somani’s experience can teach us. In the interview, Rep. Somani talks about the Heartbeat Bill and current penalties for physicians who don’t report abortions. Rep. Somani maintains, among other things, that Ohio’s infant and maternal mortality rates have gone up in direct correlation with abortion restrictions. In his 2023 State of the State address Gov. DeWine identified mental health and children’s needs as a major priority. However, Rep. Somani talks about the inherent hypocrisy of the bills the Ohio General Assembly has introduced — specifically HB 6, the anti-trans sports bill, and HB 51, which loosens gun restrictions — and the impact these bills will have on students’ mental health. Dan asks Rep. Somani about democratic responsiveness and the current assault on voting rights, including House Joint Resolution 1, which would raise the threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments on the ballot to 60%. In response, Rep. Somani reflects on the in-state support for reproductive rights and abortion rights, as demonstrated by groups collecting 7,000 signatures when they only needed 1,000 signatures to get the language certified to be on the ballot. Read more about Rep. Anita Somani in her bio. Check out a podcast produced by the Columbus Medical Association, in which Rep. Somani talks about her first few weeks at the Statehouse. NAME CHECKS / RELATED EPISODES Rep. Somani gives a shoutout to podcasts, from which she gets her news despite her busy schedule, whether that’s Apple News, The Daily, or local podcasts like Prognosis Ohio! Dan mentions previous episodes on the COVID-19 public health emergency unwind and the current budget process, both of which are high stakes for health policy in Ohio In talking about gerrymandering, Rep. Somani gives a special shoutout to Voters Not Politicians, Michigan’s redistricting independent commission. Dan mentions David Pepper, who was previously on the podcast to discuss democratic accountability, gerrymandering, and autocracy. SUPPORT WCBE and Prognosis Ohio! WCBE is currently in the midst of a fund drive. Please donate if you can! You can also support Prognosis Ohio through Patreon. Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Engineering support provided by Mike Foley at WCBE. Copywriting and production support by Angela Lin. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.

Dan talks with State Representative and House Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells about his background, bills he has introduced and supported, and his health priorities in the Ohio Statehouse as Assistant Minority Leader. After surviving lead poisoning as a kid, Rep. Jarrells introduced H.B. 587, laying the groundwork for securing a historic $150 million in ARPA funding for lead poison prevention. This money will fund the remediation and mitigation of lead out of homes, but it does not address lead in pipes. Rep. Jarrells also authored H.B. 453, which established the “Recovery is Beautiful” specialty license plate and demonstrated recovery-oriented systems of care that puts recovery at the forefront of policy. H.B. 281, which was signed into law, removed derogatory language from Ohio Revised Code. This bill was the most comprehensive change in terms of terminology since the Ohio Revised Code was rewritten and issued into law in 1974. Read more about Rep. Jarrells on his website and the Ohio House website.

Dan Skinner talks with Tara Britton of the Center for Community Solutions and Kelsey Bergfeld of Advocates for Ohio's Future about the state budget and their organizations’ policy priorities. Topics include SNAP benefits, Medicaid, harm reduction, doula services, and the workplace. Show notes at prognosisohio.com and wcbe.org. Support Prognosis Ohio here. 2:30 - The State Budget and the Public Health Emergency Unwind 5:55 - Building on Medicaid 10:12 - Support for Building on Medicaid? 15:31 - Addiction and Harm Reduction 19:37 - Doula Care 21:15 - Support for Workers 23:14 - The Stakes of the 2023 Biennial Budget Hosted and produced by Dan Skinner. Copywriting and production support by Angela Lin. Prognosis Ohio is a member of the WCBE Podcast Experience and the Health Podcast Network. Prognosis Ohio is a production of Prognosis Ohio, LLC.