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09/18/2019
Ohio Department of Health Releases 2019 State Health Assessment
This month, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) officially released its 2019 State Health Assessment.
The 2019 State Health Assessment (SHA) is a comprehensive look at the health status of Ohio's residents and includes a summary report of key health factors across the state prepared by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO). This year, ODH added an interactive website to make data more easily accessible for local partners.
The SHA reports that the overall well-being for Ohioans has declined, and that the average life expectancy for Ohioans has dropped from 77.6 years in 2010 to 76.5 years in 2017. The assessment also found that many Ohioans lack the opportunity to reach their full health potential and that underlying drivers of health, such as adverse childhood experiences and tobacco use, must be addressed. The 2019 report and accompanying documents may be found on the ODH and HPIO websites.
Local public health, health care and other community organizations are encouraged to use these assessment resources to guide health and well-being improvement efforts. ODH and HPIO worked throughout the summer to identify objectives, strategies and measures to address priority health issues and track progress over time. The resulting State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) will be released later this year. ODH will also share guidance to assist state and local partners with aligning actions with the SHIP for greater impact.
(Health Policy Institute of Ohio)