Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Ohio House Passes Tobacco Allocation Bill
The House of Representatives last week passed Senate Bill 242, sponsored by Sen. James Carnes (R-St. Clairsville), which will allocate the funds Ohio receives from the national tobacco settlement for the next two years. The Ohio Senate must concur with minor changes made in the House before the bill heads to Gov. Bob Taft for final approval.

In the 2003/2004 plan, 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 also go to the state’s general revenue fund to help offset Ohio’s budget deficit. However, the legislature did allocate a significant portion of dollars to the Ohio Public Health Priorities Trust Fund, which has provided monies the past two years for hospital-based programs providing health care to uninsured individuals and pulmonary rehabilitation services to individuals who are unable to pay. OHA has been working with the Ohio Department of Health to continue that funding over the next two years. The funds, expected to be approximately $1.5 million over the next two years, would be distributed to hospitals through grants awarded by OHA’s Foundation for Healthy Communities. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

2 deny missing diagnosis
Dayton Daily News
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
DAYTON | A Miami Valley Hospital emergency room doctor and a physician’s assistant denied Tuesday they missed key signs that could have saved a Fairborn firefighter who returned a day later with a fatal bacterial infection.

Red Cross needs donations
Akron Beacon Journal
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
It was time for her regular blood donation to the American Red Cross at the Fairlawn Donor Center on West Market Street -- and this time she knew her blood was especially needed.

OPINION: Schuring’s efforts for hearing screenings will help all children
Canton Repository
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
For approximately the last three years, state Rep. Kirk Schuring has worked tirelessly for HB 150, the universal hearing screening bill. When Gov. Bob Taft signs this bill next month, this will enable all babies born in the state of Ohio to be screened for hearing loss at birth.

Thursday, March 28, 2002
House Panel Passes Drug Repository Bill
The House Health and Family Services Committee passed legislation requiring the Ohio Pharmacy Board to establish a drug repository program for the collection and redistribution of prescription drugs that are in their original unopened packaging. House Bill 221, sponsored by Rep. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), attempts to provide drugs to individuals who may not be able to afford them by making available drugs that have gone unused and would otherwise be discarded.

OHA offered its support for the intent of the legislation after a number of changes were made addressing patient safety. The bill also includes an OHA amendment clarifying that the program is voluntary for pharmacies, and language providing liability protections for hospitals that choose to donate unused pharmaceuticals to the program and to pharmacies that choose to participate in redistributing drugs. The bill is expected to be considered by the full House after the spring recess. (Jeff Klingler, jeffk@ohanet.org)

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The Hannah News Service has announced plans to make its StateHealthClips.com a subscriber-only service beginning April 15. OHA is exploring options to be able to continue to offer access to newspaper clips online to our members through HEALTH e-NEWS Plus.

DAILY NEWS CLIPS

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

Area blood supply runs low as snow reduces collections
Toledo Blade
Thursday, March 28, 2002
The cancellation of blood drives because of bad weather has reduced blood supplies for the American Red Cross, and officials are asking donors to help out.

New standards should clear the air
Cincinnati Enquirer
Thursday, March 28, 2002
Fewer people at the hospital with breathing trouble. Exhaust filters for lawn mowers. Cleaner burning but more expensive blends of gasoline. And no more taking a passing grade at the E-check station for granted.

OPINION: Get-well card for a nation: nationalized health care
Akron Beacon Journal
Thursday, March 28, 2002
And the most curious thing about that is how few of the people for whom the system still works -- and they're the ones who make the decisions -- are aware of it.

Friday, March 29, 2002
Grants Breathe Life Into Hospital Programs; Ongoing Support Needed
Ohio hospitals are helping some of the nearly 1 million Ohioans suffering from lung disease breathe a little easier through their pulmonary rehabilitation programs. Using funds from the Ohio Public Health Priorities Trust Fund, 30 Ohio hospitals received more than $372,000 in grants in the fall of 2001 for pulmonary rehabilitation programs from the Foundation for Healthy Communities, sponsored by the Ohio Hospital Association. The need for pulmonary rehabilitation in Ohio is great. An estimated 957,674 Ohioans, or about 8.5 percent of the population, are currently living with lung disease and in 1998, 16,651 Ohioans died from lung disease, according to the American Lung Association. For more, see the March issue of OHA HealthBeat at www.ohanet.org/healthbeat/healthbeat0302.htm.