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Monday, July 30, 2001
Hospital Features Healthy Program; State Touts Healthy Choices
Continuing to travel across Ohio as part of the Healthy Ohioans, Healthy Communities initiative, former senator and “state executive athletic director” Dick Schafrath is visiting Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk tomorrow to tout the positive benefits of healthy lifestyle choices and see first-hand one of the hospital’s community health programs. Following an educational speech from Schafrath, the hospital will feature its Fisher-Titus Medical Center Senior 55 Walk For Fitness program, a 10-week walking program for area senior citizens. Schafrath will lead the kick-off of the program with a group walk. In addition, Schafrath is speaking to employees of the Huron County Department of Job and Family Services. Fisher-Titus is working with the department to provide education about the benefits of walking for the department’s voluntary walking program, the Huron 100. The organization’s 40 employees have pledged to walk 100 miles in the next 12 weeks.

Schafrath plans to travel the state over the 18 months to promote healthy lifestyle choices to hospitals, schools, businesses and agencies. Hospitals interested in having Schafrath visit their facility should contact Lynne Ayres at OHA, 614/221-7614 or lynnea@ohanet.org. OHA will let members know Schafrath’s travel schedule as it becomes available. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Reality TV: Channel peers into Grant's ER
Columbus Business First
Monday, July 30, 2001

Cleveland extends lease on embattled city clinics
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Saturday, July 28, 2001

Medical care comes to county fair
Columbus Dispatch
Saturday, July 28, 2001

Tuesday, July 31, 2001
Governor Signs Uninsured Motorist Bill
Gov. Bob Taft today signed legislation addressing uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance coverage in the state of Ohio. Senate Bill 97, sponsored by Sen. Scott Nein (R-Middletown), attempts to resolve concerns raised by employers that recent Supreme Court rulings will make uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unaffordable or unavailable for them to offer their employees. OHA supports the legislation, which goes into effect 90 days after the governor’s signature. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

Governor Signs Clean Ohio Bill
Gov. Bob Taft last week signed House Bill 3, which establishes the Clean Ohio Fund. Sponsored by Rep. Charles Blasdel (R-Liverpool), the bill provides funding to state agencies, local governments, and private entities for: brownfield cleanup; natural resources, parks and recreation projects; recreational trails; and farmland preservation. The Clean Ohio Fund was originally created with the passage last fall of State Issue 1, which addresses Ohio's environmental and economic development needs. The bill goes into effect 90 days after the governor’s signature. For more information, visit http://lsc.state.oh.us/analyses/anh124.nsf/All%20House%20Bills%20and%20Resolutions/2842. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Demands on pharmacists are difficult to fill
Canton Repository
Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Face-lift puts hospital on road to full recovery
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Hospital closures up, beds down, but service may be improving
Columbus Daily Reporter
Tuesday, July 31, 2001

Wednesday, August 1, 2001
Columbus Hospitals Improve Free Care Communications
All ten acute-care Columbus hospitals have made significant improvements in communicating the availability of free care to uninsured patients, according to a study released yesterday by the Universal Health Care Action Network of Ohio (UHCAN). Working with community representatives, the hospitals have made the following improvements:

Better signage in English and other languages,

Easy-to-read handouts about free care,

Staff training on free care, and

Other strategies to educate patients about free care before they leave the hospital.

These additional efforts to promote free care follow a report released by UHCAN in December 2000 that found hospitals could do more to communicate with uninsured patients about the opportunity for free care. Prior to stepping up their communication efforts, hospitals in Franklin County had already provided approximately $89.9 million in care to uninsured patients in 1999, and received $40.9 million in Hospital Care Assurance Program distributions. Also important for uninsured patients is better access to primary and preventative care from physicians and clinics, not hospitals.

The hospitals in the report are: Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital North, Doctors Hospital West, Grant Medical Center, Mt. Carmel East, Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s, Mt. Carmel West, The Ohio State Medical Center, Riverside Methodist Hospital, and University East Hospital. Visit www.uhcan.org for more information about UHCAN. (Mary Yost, maryy@ohanet.org)

Ohio Prepared for West Nile Virus
State and local health officials are prepared to handle the first positive indicator that the West Nile virus has officially arrived in Ohio. An infected blue jay was this week discovered in Lake County. In response, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has activated its Health Alert Network to notify hospital emergency rooms of the incident through Poison Control Centers. ODH is also notifying local health departments. The state has been preparing for the possibility of the virus entering Ohio since last year with its West Nile Virus Workgroup, which had developed a statewide plan that includes surveillance, public education and mosquito control.

ODH expects hospitals in northeast Ohio to receive an increased number of phone calls and emergency room visits in reaction to news of the virus. Hospitals can direct questions from patients to a toll-free information hotline for the public at 1-888-411-4142, which operates weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Questions regarding mosquito control or the reporting of dead cows or birds should be directed to local health departments.

West Nile virus, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes primarily to wild birds, is only spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito and not through contact with an animal or through person-to-person contact. The virus has affected a small number of people, none in Ohio, and human symptoms are generally mild. For more information, visit www.odh.state.oh.us, www.cdc.gov, or www.nwhc.usgs.gov. (Rick Sites, ricks@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Hospitals tell more visitors that free care is available
Columbus Dispatch
Wednesday, August 1, 2001

Schafrath talks of becoming healthier
Norwalk Reflector
Wednesday, August 1, 2001

7 local hospitals among Ohio's safest for employees
Cincinnati Business Courier
Wednesday, August 1, 2001

Thursday, August 2, 2001
Patient Rights Vote Expected Soon
The U.S. House of Representatives is currently at work debating a series of amendments in an attempt to pass H.R. 2563, the Patient Protection Act, before adjourning at the end of this week for a month-long recess. Following debate on the amendments, a vote on the bill is expected later this evening.

The first of the amendments calls for an expansion of medical savings accounts. The second represents a compromise reached yesterday between the White House and Rep. Charles Norwood (R-GA), who has been aligned with Democrats on the issue but is seeking to avoid a presidential veto. A key provision of the Norwood amendment establishes $1.5 million caps for non-economic and punitive damages awarded in patient lawsuits against insurers.

The third amendment pertains to tort reform and includes provisions supported by OHA that would place time limits on lawsuits, cap damages, require juries to be informed when plaintiffs have recovered money from other sources, provide for several (or proportional) liability, and protect against lawsuits for products that meet standards of the Food and Drug Administration.

The bill, which is likely to differ significantly from the Senate version, will go to conference committee when Congress returns from break in September. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Fostoria hospital OKs expansion
Findlay Courier
Thursday, August 2, 2001

Handling surge of patients
Hamilton Journal-News
Thursday, August 2, 2001

Findlay challenges minors who smoke
Toledo Blade
Thursday, August 2, 2001

Friday, August 3, 2001
AHA, McKesson Create Award to Recognize Patient Safety, Quality Leaders
The American Hospital Association (AHA) in partnership with the McKesson Corp. is creating a new awards program next year to recognize leadership and innovation in patient safety and successful quality of care initiatives. Besides recognizing leaders in the field of patient safety and quality of care, the program will be used to communicate best practices to the rest of the health care field. The program is expected to include $100,000 in direct prize money. The first awards will be given in 2002, with the application process beginning this fall. Information on the award and how to apply for it will be available at http://www.aha.org and http://www.mckesson.com. McKesson is a distributor of pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical supplies, and automation services to retail pharmacies and hospitals.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

For your daily health care news digest, go to the Hannah News Service's StateHealthClips.com.

Women want physicians to be their partners, research says
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Friday, August 3, 2001

Middletown Regional Hospital plan hits bump
Dayton Daily News
Friday, August 3, 2001

OPINION
Holding patients captive
Toledo Blade
Friday, August 3, 2001

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