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Monday, March 11, 2002
Tobacco Foundation Cessation and Prevention Grants Process Moving Forward
Application materials for tobacco cessation and prevention grants from the Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) will soon be available. The Grants Committee of TUPCF met Friday in Cleveland with representatives of the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC), a free consulting service made available through the Center of Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Legacy Foundation. TTAC helps states facilitate distribution of tobacco master settlement funds and is advising TUPCF about best practices from other states. The consortium is also assisting with development of the grant application, which will likely be released by June. It is still undecided how the approximately $9 million for the initial round of grants will be allocated; however, a preference will be given to community partnerships and regional coalitions.

To help organizations applying for a grant, a CDC-appointed task force developed a Guide to Community Preventative Services to assess the effectiveness of various community-based interventions for strategies to promote tobacco use prevention and control. A list of the task force’s recommended projects can be found at www.thecommunityguide.org. (Lynne Ayres, lynnea@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Heart transplant program on hold
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Sunday, March 10, 2002
University Hospitals of Cleveland has voluntarily halted its heart transplant program because there were too many unexpected deaths.

Officials hope to keep open former hospital
Youngstown Vindicator
Monday, March 11, 2002
WARREN -- The director of the Warren Redevelopment and Planning agency is optimistic something can be worked out to keep Riverside Square open.

OPINION: Health care coverage is enough to make you sick
Akron Beacon Journal
Sunday, March 10, 2002
I don't know about you, but I'm sick of health insurance.

Tuesday, March 12, 2002
AHA Calls for Response to ‘Code Blue’
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is running a new advertisement in Roll Call, a widely read Capitol Hill political publication, spreading the message that there's a “Code Blue” for thousands of America's hospitals due to payment cuts and soaring costs. The ad calls on Congress to reject budget-neutral payment adjustments and support key hospital Medicare and Medicaid legislation. The ad campaign was timed to coincide with key House and Senate committee hearings about the federal fiscal year 2003 budget. Congress is expected to release a budget resolution tomorrow, which will set spending targets for the continuing federal appropriations process. Stay tuned to HEALTH e-NEWS Plus this week for more information. Visit www.aha.org/ar/Resources/AdCodeBlue.asp for more information on AHA’s ad campaign. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Ohio pharmacies to swallow cut in Medicaid payments
Toledo Blade
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Pharmacies in Ohio yesterday were handed a prescription they don’t like, but conceded that they probably can live with.

Obesity: What's Feeding the Epidemic?
PR Newswire
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Survey of Cincinnati Women Reveals Alarming Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Today's Growing Health Issue.

OPINION: Reform public health
Toledo Blade
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
The nation’s public health departments are finding it difficult to manage modern hazards that only a few years ago were practically unknown. Changing that will require funding a restructuring of public health efforts in this country.

Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Tobacco Bill Passes Senate
A bill specifying how state tobacco dollars will be distributed passed the Ohio Senate today, and hearings have begun in the House finance committee. The bill determines how Ohio should allocate the funds it receives from the national tobacco settlement for the next two years.

Changes to the legislation prior to Senate passage call for the transfer of any revenue in excess of current tobacco revenue estimates to the Ohio Public Health Priorities Trust Fund and the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Trust Fund. Over the past two years, the Ohio Public Health Priorities Trust Fund has provided monies to the OHA Foundation for Healthy Communities. OHA is working with the Ohio Department of Health to continue that funding over the next two years. The funds would go toward programs providing health care to uninsured individuals and pulmonary rehabilitation services to individuals who are unable to pay.

The bulk of the state’s tobacco settlement dollars will go for primary and secondary education and to help rebuild Ohio school buildings. A large percentage will go to the state’s general revenue fund to help offset Ohio’s budget deficit. The legislation, Senate Bill 242, was sponsored by Sen. Jim Carnes (R-St. Clairsville), finance committee chair. The bill is expected to pass the House of Representatives quickly and should head to Gov. Bob Taft for final approval in the next few weeks. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Pharmacies brace for pain of Medicaid cuts
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Local pharmacies may be cutting services and closing early when a cut in state reimbursements takes effect in May.

Health board hires translator to help Spanish-speaking patients
New Philadelphia Times-Reporter
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Members of the Tuscarawas County Board of Health gave health department administrators approval Tuesday night to hire a Spanish-language translator for up to four hours a week.

Cleveland hosts cancer summit
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
About 200 doctors are in Cleveland for a three-day conference on prostate cancer surgery that will be televised to hundreds more doctors around the world.

Thursday, March 14, 2002
House Releases Budget Resolution for FFY 2003
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday released its budget resolution for federal fiscal year 2003, calling for $350 billion over the next ten years to modernize and improve the Medicare program. The funding is slated to create a prescription drug benefit for Medicare beneficiaries, but would also include provider payment adjustments. Of the total $350 billion, a $5 billion increase is allotted for both 2003 and 2004. Also encouraging is that the resolution makes no specific mention that those adjustments have to be budget-neutral, as President George W. Bush’s $190 billion budget proposal did. However, the resolution does not specifically outline any payment fixes to providers for Medicaid and would produce a $46 billion deficit in 2003.

The budget resolution sets the target guidelines for the continuing federal appropriations process. A Senate budget resolution is expected next week. Following that, Congress will convene in conference committee and will likely release the final budget resolution mid-April before the various committees can draft any appropriations legislation later this year.

Both OHA and the American Hospital Association (AHA) are advocating for no new cuts to provider payments, a correction to the pending payment cuts, and more funding for proactive payment measures. Hospitals are encouraged to continue contacting their legislators about the important pending legislation. A template budget issues letter was sent to OHA members last week and is available at www.ohanet.org/government/fedcorrespondence/031302_reimbursement.pdf. (Jonathan Archey, jonathana@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Red Cross seeks blood donors
Canton Repository
Thursday, March 14, 2002
Following 9/11, people donated blood because there was a tragedy. However, the need for blood is ongoing, and patients in hospitals need help now.

Medical needs getting attention
Cincinnati Enquirer
Thursday, March 14, 2002
Women's health is attracting big bucks after decades of getting little or no attention, Ginger Graham said Wednesday as Speaking of Women's Health began its seventh annual national conference.

Friday, March 15, 2002
JCAHO Campaign Encourages Patient Involvement in Health Care
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) at a news conference yesterday rolled out a new campaign to urge patients to get more involved in their care. Through the campaign, dubbed “Speak Up” and endorsed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, JCAHO is emphasizing patients should be partners with their health care practitioners to help improve patient safety and prevent medical errors.

A brochure targeted to consumers is available on the JCAHO Web site at www.jcaho.org/speakup_bro.html. The brochures also are being tailored to specific organizations, beginning with hospitals, and will contain a blank panel to permit hospitals and other health care organizations to add information about their commitment to patient safety and their logo. Artwork for hospitals will be available online next week.

OHA, in cooperation with the Ohio State Medical Association, through the Ohio Patient Safety Institute (OPSI) is working to support hospitals’ quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. OHA supports the Joint Commission’s assertion that patients should be an active participant in their care. Through OPSI, a patient medication safety brochure has been designed to help patients use their medications safely and ask the right questions of their health care practitioners. The new medication safety brochures are available online at www.ohiopatientsafety.org. (Rosalie Weakland, rosaliew@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Hospital puts doctor in charge
Cincinnati Enquirer
Friday, March 15, 2002
For the first time in decades, a doctor has been named to run day-to-day operations at University Hospital.

Dismissed ex-worker sues hospital
Cincinnati Enquirer
Friday, March 15, 2002
HAMILTON — A former patient representative has sued Middletown Regional Hospital, claiming she was forced to retire after her concerns raised an anthrax scare that cost the hospital thousands of dollars.

Hospital, paper fight over open meetings
Findlay Courier
Friday, March 15, 2002
KENTON -- The Kenton Times newspaper and Hardin Memorial Hospital battled in court Thursday over whether hospital board meetings should be open to the public.