Health & Wellness

The members of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association focus on supporting public policy that supports health and wellness for Ohio’s children. By preventing injury and chronic illness in our youngest citizens, OCHA members are working to ensure a healthy future for our state.

In 2018, we commissioned a report from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio – the first of its kind in the country – to assess Ohio child health and healthcare in Ohio. You can learn more about this report and our leadership to improve child health here.

Researching Solutions to Complex Pediatric Health Conditions

Learn more about how Ohio’s children’s hospitals are working together to research solutions to healthcare issues.

Encouraging the Use of Bike Helmets by Ohio Children

OCHA is encouraging the Ohio General Assembly to pass legislation that would require minors to wear bike helmets while riding a bike or in a seat or trailer. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, up to 88 percent of head injuries in bike accidents could be prevented with helmet use. We support activities by the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to raise awareness of the importance of bike helmet safety in our state.

Addressing Prematurity in Ohio

Prematurity dramatically affects the health of children in Ohio, and is a leading cause of increased healthcare costs.Children’s hospitals are working to address the complex issue of prematurity by improving perinatal outcomes and health — reducing premature births and infant mortality.

Ensuring Safe Sleep for Infants

Ohio’s children’s hospitals are committed to educating parents on the importance of safe sleep environments for infants, including placing infants in a crib alone in a crib to sleep with no loose items in the crib (such as blankets, stuffed animals, crib bumpers, etc.). We are working with other providers and stakeholder groups to increase the effectiveness, breadth and depth of educational efforts.

Decreasing and Preventing Childhood Obesity

Healthy Choices for ChildrenCurrently, OCHA led efforts to pass the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children legislation (Amended Substitute Senate Bill 210), which was signed into law by Governor Strickland on June 18, 2010.

The legislation helps make Ohio a national leader in addressing childhood obesity by comprehensively addressing childhood obesity through a three-pronged approach in a setting where we know we can have an immediate impact – Ohio schools. The legislation encourages nutritious food choices, increases physical activity, improves physical education and requires Body Mass Index screenings of students.

OCHA helped coordinate the creation of the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children coalition, a statewide group of healthcare providers, child advocates, business leaders and other stakeholders, to support this important first step toward addressing the epidemic of childhood obesity in Ohio.

OCHA will continue to work to address the complex issue of childhood obesity through the coalition and other legislative and programatic efforts.

Supporting the Use of Booster Seats for Ohio’s Children

On October 7, 2009, House Bill 320 of the 127th General Assembly took effect, requiring children age 4-8 to be restrained in a booster seat while riding in a car. Members of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association are promoting this new law and also helping Ohio families comply through various education and outreach programs.