Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Before the coronavirus outbreak, Governor Mike DeWine put more money and focus on public health issues hammering Ohio — but sustaining or further increasing that funding will be a challenge as the economy staggers and state government braces for a drop in tax revenues (Source: “Ohio Near the Bottom for Public Health Spending Per Person. Should We Spend More?” Dayton Daily News, April 12, 2020).
“I’ve felt for a long time that we have not paid enough attention to public health. When I look at the problems that we face in Ohio, so many of the challenges that we face have to do with health issues. So I think (the COVID-19 pandemic) is going to make us look really hard at that,” he said at one of his daily briefings on the crisis.
When it comes to spending on public health, Ohio has ranked near the bottom, according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center at the University of Minnesota. Ohio’s per capita spending on public health was $11 in 2005, $15 in 2010, and $13 in 2018 (2018 is the latest data available). In 2018, Ohio ranked fourth from the bottom among 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In the Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s Health Value Dashboard, Ohio ranks 47th in the nation (fourth from the bottom) among the 50 states and D.C. in public health and prevention and 51st (last) in public health emergency preparedness.