Ohio Senate Approves Bill to Limit Public Health Orders

After a lengthy floor debate on Wednesday, the Ohio Senate approved legislation to limit the power of public health authorities. SB 311 would prohibit the Department of Health quarantine and isolation orders from applying on a statewide, mandatory basis to people who have not been exposed or diagnosed with a disease. The bill would also allow the General Assembly to rescind public health orders.

The measure was approved 20-13 with three Republicans (Sens. Dolan, Kunze, Lehner) joining Democrats to oppose the bill.

On Thursday DeWine said he would veto the bill if it reached his desk. “This bill cannot become law,” he said. “It would make it impossible for a future governor, future health departments to deal with whatever the emerging health crisis is.”

SB 311 is one of several bills introduced by Republican legislators this year to rein in power of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The latest, introduced this week by two state representatives calls for an end to the COVID-19 state of emergency order. The bill called “Restore Ohio Now” would terminate the order and seek to terminate other health orders issued in response to the novel coronavirus, like the ban on mass gatherings. Gov. Mike DeWine declared the state of emergency March 9, the same day that the first COVID-19 cases in Ohio were reported.

Deadline Sunday!

Seeking Nomination for State EMS Board

The State Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services (EMFTS) is seeking nominations for two seats: emergency room pediatrician (seat #3) and hospital administrator (seat #4).

Nominees must be active in the practice of emergency medical services.

The timeline calls for Gov. Mike DeWine to make the appointment so the selected candidate may attend the December 16 EMFTS Board meeting. Candidates will need to submit a current CV and a State of Ohio Boards and Commissions application. Nominations are due by Sunday, September 27 so they may be submitted Monday morning.

Contact Executive Director Matt Harney, mattharney@OhioDO.org, to get the application form and other instructions.

COVID-19 Update

Five Ohio counties—Ashland, Delaware, Pike, Scioto, and Stark—moved to Red Level 3 this week. The designation, part of the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, indicates very high exposure and spread. In addition to those five, four other counties remain at Red Level: Butler, Mercer, Montgomery, and Putnam.

At his briefing yesterday, Gov. Mike DeWine noted the population of Ohioans living in yellow counties has decreased during the past four weeks indicating significant spread of the virus across the state.

The latest list of counties rated by highest occurrence includes a mix of urban, rural, and suburban counties in the top 20. Many are in the western part of the state.

The travel advisory this week discourages Ohioans to travel to Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, and Wisconsin—all which have positivity rates of 15% or more. Mississippi is also likely to have a positivity rate over 15% despite data irregularities this week.

DeWine unveiled a new case demographics dashboard on the coronavirus website this week. The new dashboard provides COVID-19 case data by race or ethnicity. The data can be broken down by age and county and compared to the overall Ohio population. A recommendation from the COVID-19 Minority Health Strikeforce, the dashboard is intended to help track health inequities and disparities and help put critical decisions into context for policymakers.

Medical Marijuana Numbers Released

Earlier this month, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy issued patient and caregiver statistics for the Medical Marijuana Control Program. These numbers, as of August 31, include:

• 168,678 Recommendations
• 131,654 Registered patients
  • 9,267 Patients with Veteran Status
  • 9,694 Patients with Indigent Status
  • 724 Patients with a Terminal Diagnosis
• 103,642 Unique patients who purchased medical marijuana (as reported to OARRS by licensed dispensaries)
• 14,775 Registered Caregivers

As of September 10, the State Medical Board has issued certificates to recommend to 670 physicians.

Watch for the OOA Medical Marijuana Education Course later this fall.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has several new publications, including information sheets on older adults and mental health, and a video series on treating suicidal patients during COVID-19.

National Physician Suicide Awareness Day is also in September. The day is a time to honor the memory of colleagues who have died by suicide, to continue to raise awareness, and to change the culture of medicine around this issue. Vision Zero calls on individuals, residency programs, health care organizations, and others to strive to break down stigma, open the conversation, decrease the fear of consequences, reach out to colleagues, recognize warning signs, and learn to approach colleagues who may be at risk.

The Council of Residency Director in Emergency Medicine has resources and other information.

The Physician Support Line, staffed by volunteer psychiatrists, offers free confidential peer support via telehealth during the pandemic. Hours are 8 am - 1 am every day. No appointment is necessary.

Physician-specific resources are also available from the Ohio Physician Wellness Coalition and Ohio Physicians Health Program.