Final Call
Today is the Deadline!

The Ohio Osteopathic Foundation Student White Coat Fund helps you connect with the newest members of the Ohio osteopathic family. You can send well wishes to an incoming OU-HCOM student  when you sponsor the purchase of a white coat. The short coat, complete with OOA armpatch, is a welcome gift as students begin their medical career. Your message will be printed onto a notecard and tucked inside the coat pocket.

When you make your tax-deductible donation (in $45 increments), write your message in the comment box.

We’re currently at 63% of what we raised last year. Help us exceed last year’s total!

New COVID-19 Member Survey

The OOA has a new survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on member practices. It’s a brief questionnaire with 17 questions, including 10 quick yes/no questions. It will take less than four minutes to complete. Your participation helps the OOA develop programs and benefits to serve you.

In other pandemic news, Ohio saw its highest number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 this week since the pandemic began and a new record number of daily cases at 1,733. As of Tuesday, there were 1,122 patients being treated in Ohio’s hospitals, which includes 348 people in ICU and 174 on ventilators.

Thirteen Ohio counties are now at Red Level 3 on the state’s public health advisory system. That’s down from 23 last week. Red is the second-highest alert level. People in red counties are advised to refrain from leaving home as much as possible.

The Ohio Board of Pharmacy issued new regulations prohibiting pharmacies, clinics and other medical institutions from dispensing or selling hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19—and then reversed its decision after Gov. Mike DeWine called on the Board to halt the new rule. DeWine said treatment decisions should be between a doctor and a patient. He asked for the Board of Pharmacy and the State Medical Board to “revisit the issue, listen to the best medical science, and open the process up for comment and testimony from experts.”

Householder Ousted as Speaker

After an informal meeting on Tuesday, the Ohio House Republican caucus signaled its intent to remove Speaker Larry Householder, who was arrested and indicted on corruption allegations. Yesterday morning, the House met in a brief session and unanimously voted to remove Householder as speaker. Late that afternoon, Rep. Bob Cupp, of Lima, was elected speaker in a 55-38 vote, with all Democrats voting no, as well as a few Republicans. Cupp is a former Ohio Supreme court justice and state senator.

The week started with four candidates for Speaker in addition to Cupp: Reps. Rick Carfagna, Tim Ginter, Craig Riedel, and Jim Butler, who has served as Speaker Pro Tempore since January 2019. As the week progressed, Carfagna, Ginter, and Riedel withdrew in support of Cupp.

The position of House speaker is one of the three most important positions in state government and wields significant power in the legislative process.

Householder remains a state representative and has said he will not resign his seat. Lawmakers rejected a proposal to consider expelling him from the House. A federal grand jury formally indicted Householder, his long-time adviser Jeffrey Longstreth, former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges, and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes on Thursday, charging each with a single count of racketeering. They could each face up to 20 years in prison if they’re convicted for their alleged work to pass the bailout and block attempts to overturn it, according to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI.

Share Your Knowledge

The OOA continues to develop its roster of CME presenters. If you’re willing to share your knowledge and expertise with your peers, let us know by completing the online form.

In general, lecturers complete a simple disclosure form, provide objectives, a CV, headshot photo, and present their expertise with the help of slides. In the case of virtual programs, your presentation could be pre-recorded.

Having a list of physician speakers helps the OOA develop quality education programs. Whether your expertise is in billing/coding, a chronic condition, integrative medicine, pain management, physician wellness, among many other topics, you can help your DO colleagues enhance their own skills and maintain the requisite education for licensure and certification.

Register your interest today!