The Health Policy Institute of Ohio celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Located in Columbus, Ohio, HPIO aims to “advance evidence-informed policies that improve health, achieve equity, and lead to sustainable healthcare spending in Ohio.” Interact for Health has been proud to partner with HPIO since their inception, and we are grateful for their thought leadership in health policy.
One of HPIO’s recent publications Unlocking Ohio’s economic potential: The impact of eliminating racial disparities on Ohio businesses, governments and communities is representative of their innovative work to uncover health disparities across the state. HPIO found that if racial and ethnic disparities were eradicated in Ohio, by 2050, the state could gain $79 billion or 10%, in annual economic output. Not only this, but by eliminating barriers to employment and healthcare that Black and Latino Ohioans face, there would no longer be 135,000 years of life lost annually due to premature death caused by lack of access to resources.
“As we seek health justice for all our communities, it’s crucial to have partners like HPIO, whose innovative and comprehensive research can inform funding for policymakers, grantmakers and community organizations,” said Ashlee Young, Vice President of Policy and Engagement at Interact for Health.
HPIO keeps Ohioans informed on local health trends with their Graphic of the Week and their biennial Health Value Dashboard which measures “Ohio’s performance on population health outcomes and healthcare spending” compared to other states and D.C. HPIO found that Ohio ranks 44th out of 50 states. This data is not only for citizens to stay up to date, but also for policymakers to see an unbiased look at how Ohio ranks for health value every other year. And, for the first time, the 2023 Health Value Dashboard contains an equity profile for LGBTQ+ Ohioans, which included staggering findings about how discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ Ohioans is linked with poorer health outcomes than their cisgender and non-queer counterparts.
HPIO has built a trusted reputation through their unflinching nonpartisan work to confront desperate health outcomes for Ohioans. Their dedication to improving health, achieving equity, and attaining sustainable healthcare spending in Ohio is not only recognized by Interact for Health, but seen as a guiding star when working to achieve health equity for all people—regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background—in Ohio. Join us in celebrating 20 years of Health Policy Institute of Ohio and their great work by subscribing to their mailing list!
