OCHA Statement HB 12 Passage by Ohio House

The following statement can be attributed to Nick Lashutka, President & CEO, Ohio Children’s Hospital Association, in response to the Ohio House of Representatives passing HB 12 on the floor of the Ohio House:  

JUNE 13, 2019 – 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 – are committed to saving, protecting and enhancing the lives of Ohio’s children.

We applaud the overwhelming bi-partisan passage of HB 12 this afternoon by the Ohio House of Representatives, which will create the Ohio Children’s Behavioral Health Prevention Network. Thank you to Speaker Larry Householder and Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, as well as lead co-sponsors Reps. Don Manning and Thomas West, for their leadership and bi-partisan commitment to improving child health outcomes.

Many children in Ohio are in crisis due to mental and behavioral health conditions. Access to care is a challenge, and treatment is expensive and often only modestly successful. Prioritizing the prevention of mental and behavioral health disorders is cost-effective and often far more impactful. HB 12 will create a comprehensive, multi-sector learning network focused on prevention to support young children and their families in facilitating social, emotional, and behavioral development. Ohio’s children’s hospitals have successfully deployed a similar model in the state for safety outcomes with demonstrated results that have been expanded internationally.

We look forward to working with the Ohio Senate on this important legislation.

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Media contact: Hannah Saunders: 740-215-0759, hannah@krilecommunications.com