Ohio’s State Health Assessment and State Improvement Plan

In late spring 2022, the Ohio Department of Health selected Ohio University and its partners to facilitate development of the next State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Plan.  These companion products summarize key health priorities for our state for the period 2023-2025 and articulate areas where communities should focus efforts to improve health outcomes for residents.

Ohio University’s partners for this project include the University of Toledo, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center.  Both the University of Toledo and the Health Policy Institute of Ohio are members of the Ohio Alliance for Population Health; all three organizations have collaborated to support the OHIO Alliance for Population Health initiatives in the past.

The project is being directed by Dr. Lesli Johnson, a professor and evaluation expert within the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service.  The project includes several components, including extensive quantitative analysis using secondary data sources — such as public data sets — as well as primary data from surveys and discussion groups. More than 60 discussion groups will occur this fall and winter in an effort to capture the perspectives of a wide variety of Ohioans. Medical students from Ohio University and Ph.D. students from the University of Toledo are assisting to facilitate the discussion groups.

Additionally, this year’s State Health Assessment will include additional analyses related to Ohioans with disabilities and Ohioans living in Appalachian counties. Each of these analyses are expected to help inform the state of Ohio’s future planning efforts regarding resource disposition to improve health outcomes.