Ohio's ranking for public health emergency preparedness has risen by 9 percent since 2013 but still ranks below the national average, according to a new study from the non-profit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Lecia Bushak of member station WCPN in Cleveland reports.
Ohio ranked 6 on a 10-point scale for health preparedness, compared to the national average of 6.7. Rankings were based on things like hazard planning in schools, the number of paramedics in hospitals, relationships among agencies and the general public, and other factors.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Doctor Alonzo Plough says Ohio needs work in educating the community, when it comes to infectious disease outbreaks like measles.
PLOUGH: Ohio, like other states, can do a better job in getting good scientific information to parents so that they vaccinate their young children. (0:09)
Ohio’s biggest improvement was in environmental and occupational health preparedness with an 18% increase. But the report noted that the state still faces large challenges moving forward, like monitoring and responding to air pollution and childhood asthma.