How Are You? Take the Well-Being Survey

The Ohio Physicians Health Program (OPHP) is conducting a statewide COVID-19 well-being survey to gather the perspectives of health care professionals working across all disciplines, on the types of services needed to support their well-being and the type of infrastructure that needs to be in place. Understanding the current status of stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and physical exhaustion is critical.

Your insight will not only benefit the current system of support for health care professionals, but also better equip Ohio for future crises.

OPHP has partnered with the evaluation team at Mighty Crow to design this survey and analyze the results. The survey is funded through a grant from the Federation of State Medical Boards.

OPHP provides a compassionate, supportive, and safe environment for health care professionals to receive confidential services to improve their health and well-being.

The survey is anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. 

DeWine Vetoes Fireworks Bill, No Action Yet on Vaccination Bill

Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed SB 113, the fireworks bill, this afternoon. The bill would have allowed Ohioans to discharge commercial-grade fireworks on specified holidays with minimal safety restrictions in place.

Recall the OOA signed on to a letter last week asking DeWine to veto the bill. As a member of the Ohio Fireworks Safety Coalition, the OOA continued this week to urge DeWine to use his veto power to keep Ohioans safe. Nationwide, about 15,600 people went to emergency rooms last year because of fireworks injuries, a 56 percent increase from the 10,000 injured in 2019. The increase came at a time when many hospitals across the country were overwhelmed by the COVID pandemic.

In his veto message DeWine said:

Since the Scottown, Ohio, (Lawrence County) fireworks store tragedy in 1996, there have been two major studies, one by Battelle Labs in 2000 and another study by Southwest Research Institute in 2008 (produced for the fireworks industry) to help find better ways to build and operate fireworks stores. SB 113 does not require compliance with the safety measures outlined in these studies but nevertheless doubles the square footage of stores that are selling these devices to the public.

SB 113 would be a dramatic change in Ohio law, which would make Ohio one of the least restrictive states in regard to fireworks laws. For these reasons, this veto is in the public interest.

The issue of fireworks safety was front and center over the holiday weekend when an NHL goalie, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets, died after suffering chest trauma from an errant fireworks blast in Michigan. In Michigan, it is legal to discharge consumer-grade fireworks from personal property.

Just before adjourning for its summer break, the Ohio General approved legislation to prohibit public universities from mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. The last-minute provision was added to HB 244, legislation that originally dealt with school enrollment for military children.

The bill specifies vaccinations under emergency use authorization, which is the current status of all three COVID-19 vaccines. It also prohibits schools and universities from placing requirements, such as mask-wearing or social distancing, on unvaccinated students.

The bill is on DeWine’s desk. He has not stated his intentions, though previously when talking about a similar anti-vaccination bill he said he would veto it.

Ohio to Enter Medical Licensure Compact Next Year

The new state law authorizing Ohio to enter into the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact gives the State Medical Board (SMBO) until September 29, 2022, to implement the system. Physicians from any state with Compact membership, including Ohio, who meet the qualifications will be eligible for licensure in any other participating state. Physicians can still license directly through SMBO as the Compact will only be an additional option for multi-state licensees.

The Compact only includes the licensing of physicians. Physicians who choose to obtain licensure through the Compact, whether as an Ohio physician who wants to practice outside of Ohio or as an out-of-state physician who wants to practice in Ohio, will have a licensure process different than the path currently followed by physicians seeking licensure in Ohio today. Out-of-state physicians can continue to seek licensure directly through the state of Ohio today and after implementation of the Compact.

Ohio is the 35th state to join the Compact and is the second largest state behind Texas.

Additional information on the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact can be found here. For questions, email SMBO at contact@med.ohio.gov.

Watch Your Mailbox!

In the coming week you can expect to receive a brochure in the mail from the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation, the OOA’s charitable arm. It outlines the OOF priorities for the year and how you can help reach these goals. 

Founded in 1963, OOF supports osteopathic education and research in Ohio. From June 1975 until April 1983, it was funded by a mandatory assessment on members, unanimously approved by the OOA House of Delegates, to specifically support the osteopathic medical school at Ohio University. Today, the OOF depends on tax-deductible contributions and grants from other foundations and governmental agencies to carry on its work. 

Per the CARES Act, non-itemizers may deduct up to $300 of qualified charitable contributions in computing their 2021 adjusted gross income and $600 for a joint return.

We encourage you to donate online or you can simply return the brochure that’ll arrive soon. With your support we can strengthen the osteopathic profession and continue development of the osteopathic leaders of tomorrow!

COVID-19 Update

As of this afternoon, 48.04% in Ohio have started the vaccine process. That equates to more than 5.61 million Ohioans. Over 5.25 million, or 44.94%, have completed the vaccination series.

Three counties have reached 50% or greater complete vaccinations: Delaware, Lake, and Medina.

A surprising number of new cases as reported by the Ohio Department of Health last week was the result of data entry errors in Butler County.

According to the CDC, the highly transmissible Delta variant, first identified in India, is now the dominant strain in the US, making up 51.7% of all new cases. In addition, cases have increased nearly 11% in the past week; hospitalizations have risen by 7%; and deaths have declined by 13%, according to the CDC data. On Wednesday, the global death toll surpassed 4 million people according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The US has the highest number of fatalities, accounting for 15% of the global total, followed by Brazil and India.