The following statement can be attributed to Deborah Feldman, President & CEO, Dayton Children’s Hospital and Chair, Board of Directors, Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, in response to the passage of the state biennial budget bill (Am. Sub. House Bill 166).

July 18, 2019 – We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Governor DeWine and legislative leaders for their commitment and diligence in working together to pass the state biennial budget.

Ohio’s children and families can celebrate today, as this is perhaps the most pro-children budget in recent history. The Governor laid a strong foundation in his original budget proposal, and legislative leaders ensured that the final version squarely places kids at the top of the state’s policy priorities.

Children are our state’s most precious asset – and our future workforce – so we are thankful that Ohio’s leaders recognize the importance of investing in kids today to build a better future for our state tomorrow with this robust pro-kid biennial budget.

We are grateful that the budget includes important, proactive child-health initiatives that have the potential to raise child health outcomes while preserving stable and predictable funding mechanisms for the more than 1.25 million children who rely on Medicaid for health care coverage.

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association and our six members – Akron Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dayton Children’s Hospital, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, ProMedica Russell J. Ebeid Children’s Hospital, and UH/Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital – work every day to save, protect and enhance the lives of Ohio’s children, and we are grateful to Ohio’s leaders for working with us to do so.