Ohio Leaders Recognize September as Sepsis Awareness Month

Gov. Mike DeWine recently joined local leaders and students in New Philadelphia to celebrate a $6 million expansion at Buckeye Career Center, adding 13,000 square feet of instructional space for health care training. The project, supported by state and local funds, includes new labs for nursing, pharmacy and medical assistant programs. With enrollment at its highest level in a decade, per a state release, the Buckeye Career Center continues to expand opportunities across more than 30 career-technical programs. Learn more here.

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel is teaming up with the Ohio Department of Health to launch the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge in schools this fall. The 90-day program encourages students to build healthy habits in exercise, sleep and nutrition through a goal-setting system with Bronze, Silver and Gold achievement levels. Tressel discussed the initiative with ODH director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, on the agency's “Healthy Perspectives” podcast, sharing lessons from his career as a national championship football coach. The challenge is designed to make health fun while helping students form lifelong wellness routines. Learn more about the challenge and find links to watch the…

Beginning Oct. 1, the Ohio Department of Health will require hospitals to report all hospitalizations related to COVID-19, influenza and RSV. To make this process easier, CliniSync will automatically submit the required data on behalf of member hospitals. OHA was a founding partner of the Ohio Health Information Partnership which runs CliniSync. If an organization prefers to do its own reporting, it can opt out by completing a form and notifying CliniSync in writing. Hospitals that take no action will have their reporting managed by CliniSync. Please contact Phil Ennen with questions.

Dovetailing with Sepsis Awareness Month, OHA will host a webinar from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 that delves into nurse-driven sepsis protocol. The session, entitled, “Sepsis Identification, Response and Implementation of a Nurse-Driven Protocol,” will share strategies to strengthen early recognition and treatment of sepsis. Presenters include Summa Health System's Michelle Evans, Sepsis Program coordinator, and Crystal Bleigh, clinical nurse specialist. Find more details and secure your spot for the upcoming virtual event on the OHA website here.