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Tobacco
Funds to Help the Uninsured COLUMBUS
- Ohio hospitals are receiving $762,317 in tobacco grants toward
programs which will benefit uninsured pregnant women and children. The
Foundation for Healthy Communities, an arm of the Ohio Hospital
Association, is acting as a clearinghouse to funds made available
through the Ohio Department of Health. “These funds provide hospitals
the opportunity go beyond delivery of basic health care services to
uninsured pregnant women and children. These funds can be used to
address a myriad of socio-economic and psychological issues facing
families without access and resources to adequate medical care,” said
Lynne Ayres, director of the foundation. Several
of the first–time grants will address smoking cessation and
prevention. For example, the Saving our Children from Secondhand Smoke
sponsored by Community Health Partners in Lorain will educate the local
childcare provider network about protecting the daycare environment from
the effect of tobacco products. Other
new programs will offer social work and mental health services to
identify and treat emotional and behavioral problems. For example, Miami
Valley Hospital in Dayton will dedicate a social worker to a 17-county
area to assist uninsured patients with obtaining basic medical care. St.
Vincent Medical Center in Toledo will collaborate with several partners
in Lucas County to identify children with emotional problems and provide
psychological counseling services at primary care sites. Certain
grants are targeting services for high-risk-populations. The Ohio State
University Medical Center in Columbus will provide prenatal and
postpartum care to uninsured Hispanic women. Summa Health in Akron is
serving diabetic pregnant patients. The
funds may also be applied toward preventative education, in-home visits
and for on-going incentives for women and children to continue
participating in programs with long-term benefits. For example, Good
Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati is planning to implement an injury
prevention program for pregnant teens and Hispanic women. Several
of the grants represent continuation of tobacco grants funded by the
Foundation last year. These projects successfully assisted uninsured
pregnant woman and children through expanded prenatal care, school-based
and mobile health centers, and high-risk populations and immigrants.
Ayres said, “Based on results, the Foundation board saw fit to
continue effective programs which were making a difference in the
quality of life for uninsured pregnant women and their babies.” The
Foundation announced awards of $762,317 to 19 hospitals. Using Ohio
Public Health Priorities Trust Funds monies, created out of the national
tobacco settlement, the Foundation awarded first-time grants to the
following hospitals:
These
institutions are receiving renewal grants:
The
Foundation for Healthy Communities was created and endowed by Ohio
hospitals in 1994 to promote creative collaborations for better health.
It encourages hospitals and health systems to move beyond traditional
roles of healing illness and injury and develop promising methods for
promoting health in ways that will help all members of their community
realize their potential. The
Foundation is an arm of the Ohio Hospital Association. OHA represents
more than 170 hospitals and 40 health systems throughout Ohio. OHA’s
mission is to provide leadership. OHA works with members in meeting the
health care needs and improving the health status of the communities
they serve. Visit OHA and learn more about the Foundation for Healthy
Communities at www.ohanet.org. ### |
