Support Your Osteopathic Colleague

As you may know, our OOA President Charles D. Milligan, DO, had an accident while he was out-of-state celebrating a family wedding. The injury damaged his spinal cord and relegated him to a wheelchair with very limited mobility while leaving his mental ability completely unaffected. 

Dr. Milligan underwent daily physical and occupational therapy sessions at Edwin Shaw Rehabilitation facility but has recently been transferred home.  

This tragedy has given Dr. Milligan and his family many new challenges to tackle but his positive attitude endures as he continues with his daily physical therapy. In order to accommodate his transfer home, renovations were necessary to allow space for his wheelchair. The Milligan Family has created a fund to help offset some large costs in this transition, such as a vehicle with a wheelchair lift, ramps, etc.

Dr. Milligan has remained engaged in leading OOA and OOF business throughout the course of his injury. We are encouraged by the incremental progress he has been making and look forward to much more.

Dr. Milligan would like to thank everyone for their well wishes. It remains his goal to be able to get on stage to inaugurate Sandra L. Cook, DO, as the next OOA president in April. 

If you’d like to connect with Dr. Milligan, it would be helpful to contact his wife Darlene at 330-465-3041 (voice/text) to coordinate. If you would like to contribute to the fund, please do so at his GoFundMe page. 

If you have any additional questions, please contact Executive Director Matt Harney at mattharney@ohioDO.org.

Nominations are Open for OOA Awards

The OOA is accepting nominations for four awards — Distinguished Service, Meritorious Service, Humanitarian, Trustees — that will be presented during the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium in April. Consider nominating yourself or a colleague.

Send your letter of nomination to ctatman@OhioDO.org or use this form. A copy of the nominee’s CV  is encouraged but not required.

Get information about each award and a list of past recipients on the OOA website.

Vaping Cases in Ohio Continue to Increase

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and local health departments continue to investigate severe lung disease among people who reported recent vaping. As of yesterday, there were 89 cases in Ashtabula, Belmont, Brown, Butler (2), Champaign, Clark, Clermont (3), Cuyahoga (13), Darke, Fairfield, Franklin (12), Greene, Hamilton (3), Hancock, Jefferson, Lake (2), Lucas (4), Mahoning (2), Marion, Medina (3), Miami (2), Montgomery (6), Paulding, Portage (2), Preble, Richland (2), Ross, Seneca (2), Stark, Summit (7), Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union (2), Warren (2), Wayne (2), and Wood counties.

Patients range in age from 15 to 65 years, with the median age of 25. The majority, 69%, are male. Over 91% have been hospitalized. There have been no vaping deaths in Ohio.

According to the CDC there have been 52 deaths nationwide as of December 10. CDC uses the term e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).

Health care providers are encouraged to report a possible case to their local health department.

Grant Opportunities for Osteopathic Research

The American Osteopathic Association is offering grant funding to researchers conducting 18-month projects rooted in osteopathic principles and practice.

Researchers can apply for up to $100,000 in two areas: Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and Treatment on the Prevention and Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries (OMM/OMT); and Acute/Chronic Pain Management.

The deadline for application is January 31.

State Loan Repayment Program Accepting Applications

The Ohio Department of Health is now accepting applications for the Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program (OPLRP).

In exchange for loan repayment assistance of $25,000 annually, physicians commit to practice for a minimum of two years at an eligible site, accept Medicare and Medicaid, and see patients regardless of ability to pay.

The following primary care specialties are eligible:

• Family Practice
• General Internal Medicine
• Internal Medicine/Pediatrics
• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• General Pediatrics
• Adolescent Medicine
• Geriatrics
• Psychiatry (General, Child and Adolescent, Geriatric)

The application deadline is February 15. For complete details, see the ODH website.

Getting to Know You

Have you moved? Change your practice? Let us know!

You can easily update your profile through the OOA website. Go to the Members Only section after logging in at www.OhioDO.org. There, you can see the data we have on file for you.

Keeping your contact information current ensures you receive all of the OOA news.