November 24, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF APPALCHIA ORGANIZES FORUM
TO IDENTIFY KEY REGIONAL ISSUES FOR HEALTH, EDUCATION

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On November 17, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia (GOA) sponsored a “Regional Health and Educational Issues Forum” at the Ohio University Inn in Athens. The purpose of the forum, facilitated by the Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs, was to identify key issues and needs relating to health, health care resources and access to health care in Appalachian Ohio. The education portion of the forum focused on access to higher education and retention of students.

Health Forum Identifies Obesity as Top Priority

Among the health care issues discussed were: medical malpractice insurance; access and availability of medical services; medical training and education; gaps between medical resources and local providers; financial liability of healthcare professionals; reimbursement; behavioral healthcare; disease prevalence and risk factors; and health data clearinghouse resources.

At the conclusion of the health forum, participants prioritized the top three issues for the Appalachian region. These included access to and availability of medical services, medical education and reimbursement issues. Forum members also discussed several diseases and risk factors during the meeting, concluding that health risks associated with obesity need to be a top priority for the Appalachian Ohio region.

“I greatly appreciate the assistance of regional health experts in determining priority health issues for the 29 counties,” said T.J. Justice, GOA Director and Appalachian Regional Commission State Alternate. “This information will assist GOA as we prioritize projects and funding for the coming fiscal year.”

Participants in the health forum included state officials from the Ohio Department of Health, hospital administrators and physicians, executives from statewide healthcare associations, community development specialists, local development district directors, health service networks, health care educators from Ohio University and Hocking College, social service agencies and economic development representatives.

Education Issues Focus on High School to College Transition

Issues associated with the higher education and retention session included preparation for college while in high school; lack of information and misinformation regarding availability of financial aid and the application process; student self confidence and self esteem; academic preparation; rising tuition costs; one-on-one mentoring at high schools and colleges; and identifying college students who are likely to drop out and providing support to them.

“What we found is that many of the issues are interrelated,” Justice summarized. “Overall, intervention at both the high school and college levels can increase the college-going rate and college completion. Finding solutions for this segment of our population will not be a simple task, but one that certainly is critical for economic development and improving community capacity region wide.”

Participants in the education forum included administrators from public and private colleges, high school administrators, state and federal government officials, local development district directors and social service agencies related to increasing the college-going rate of the region ’s students.

Since its inception, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia has represented the interests of the 29 Ohio Appalachian counties in state and federal government in order to facilitate economic and community development throughout the region.

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