Book Your Hotel Room for the Symposium

The deadline for the room block at the Columbus Hilton for the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium is fast approaching. Book your room by the March 20 cut-off date and be sure to mention the code “OSP” to get the special discounted rate of $185/night. Reserve online or call the Hilton Columbus at Easton directly at 614-414-5000. The Symposium runs Wednesday evening, April 22 through noon Sunday, April 26.

The Symposium offers an estimated 30 hours of AOA Category 1-A credits, networking, the latest in the art and science of patient care, and much more. It is the premier osteopathic conference in the state. Register today!

A Death in the Family

Ohio Osteopathic Foundation Trustee Emeritus E. Lee Foster, DO, 83, passed away on Tuesday.

Dr. Foster, a family physician in Warren, was a leader of the Ohio profession. He was a life member of the OOA and served terms as OOA president, Western Reserve District Academy president, and Ohio ACOFP president. He served as a delegate at the OOA and AOA Houses for over 25 years.

He was the recipient of many honors throughout his career, including OOA Trustees Award, Ohio ACOFP Family Physician of the Year, Ohio ACOFP Distinguished Service Award, and OU-HCOM Trillium Award.

Always an advocate for osteopathic medical students, Dr. Foster served as director of Medical Education at Warren General Hospital (in addition to chief of staff and a Board trustee) and was one of the first full-time clinical faculty at OU-HCOM, where he later earned the rank of full professor of Family Medicine.

His obituary can be found here. To make a memorial contribution to the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation, go online or call the OOA office. A card is sent to the family informing them of the contribution in their loved one’s memory. No amounts are mentioned.

Coronavirus Update

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 59 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US. Of the cases, 14 were detected and tested in the US through US public health surveillance systems; this includes 12 people with travel history to China, and two involving person-to-person spread. The remaining 45 are people repatriated to the US by the Department of State; this includes three people who had been in Wuhan and 42 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

As of 2:00 pm yesterday, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and one person in the state is currently under investigation. But local health departments are monitoring 212 Ohioans who recently visited countries where the coronavirus is widespread. These individuals, who are not showing any symptoms, have been asked to self-quarantine and report their temperatures daily for at least two weeks.

If there is a confirmed case, the Ohio Department of Health will update the local health department and the general public to provide guidance as appropriate.

Links below are for health care professionals from the CDC and others:

CDC Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

CDC Flowchart to Identify and Assess the Disease

CDC Clinical Presentation

Coronavirus Patient Privacy Implications

ODH Letter to Health Alert Network

ICD-10-CM Official Coding Guidelines

Ohio Infant Mortality Report Released

The number of Ohio infants who died before their first birthdays dropped to 938 in 2018 from 982 in 2017, marking a second straight year of decline, according to a report released by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) this week. The number of black infant deaths declined almost 12% from 2017 to 2018, the first year-to-year decline in five years. However, disparities continued to persist with black infants dying at more than two-and-a-half times the rate of white infants.

The leading causes of infant deaths in Ohio in 2018 were:

• Prematurity-related conditions including pre-term birth, respiratory distress, and low birth weight (29%)
• Birth defects (21%)
• External injury (10%)
• Sudden infant death syndrome (8%)
• Obstetric conditions (6%)

Nine Ohio counties and metropolitan areas accounted for close to two-thirds of all infant deaths, and 90 percent of black infant deaths, in Ohio in 2018: Butler County, Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Columbus/Franklin County, Cincinnati/Hamilton County, Toledo/Lucas County, Youngstown/Mahoning County, Dayton/Montgomery County, Canton/Stark County, and Akron/Summit County.

The complete 2018 Ohio Infant Mortality Report, including data by county, is available here.

Resident Appointed to OOA Board

Samuel J. Nobilucci, DO, a second-year emergency medicine resident, was appointed to the OOA Board of Trustees last week. He attended his first meeting on Saturday. In his role, Nobilucci will serve as representative for all osteopathic medical residents in the state.

A 2018 graduate of Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, he previously served on the Board when he was president of OU-HCOM (Dublin) Student Government Association.

Nobilucci is serving his residency at Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe.

Residents may contact him at SNobilucci@adena.org.