Proposed Change to OOA Governance Documents

A resolution to amend the OOA Constitution and Bylaws will be on the agenda at the OOA House of Delegates, April 19. It is printed below. The House, the policy-making body for the osteopathic profession in Ohio, will meet in Columbus in conjunction with the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium.

Other topics for consideration include barriers to CPAP usage, poster exhibition participation, and delegation guidelines, as well as a review of 41 current policy positions.

Resolutions may be submitted by March 15 to Teri Collins at tcollins@OhioDO.org.

Resolution to Amend the OOA Constitution and Bylaws

WHEREAS, the Ohio Osteopathic Association Constitution and Bylaws were submitted to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Committee on Governance and Organization Structure (CAGOS) for approval at the AOA’s Board of Trustees Midyear Meeting; and

WHEREAS, the OOA’s Constitution and Bylaws, as submitted with editorial corrections, by the OOA and approved by OOA Speaker David A. Bitonte, DO, on February 20, 2024; and

WHEREAS, there is an ongoing need to review and amend the OOA Constitution and Bylaws in light of changes that may occur in the OOA’s administrative and governance infrastructure as well as its publications; and

WHEREAS, there has not been a consistent process to annually review the OOA Constitution and Bylaws to reflect those and any other changes affecting the Ohio Osteopathic Association, it’s administration, governance and members; and

WHEREAS, the Buckeye Osteopathic Physician magazine has been published intermittently; and

WHEREAS, the OOA Bylaws, Article VII, Section 7-Official Publication. states that “The Board of Trustees shall provide for the publication of an official journal of the association and such other publications as are deemed necessary or shall be directed by the membership” and that any amendments to the OOA Constitution and Bylaws will be published in the Buckeye Osteopathic Physician or other written membership communication at least one month before the session” (of the OOA House of Delegates); now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the following further editorial corrections and amendments to the OOA Constitution and Bylaws be submitted to the 2024 OOA House of Delegates; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Ohio Osteopathic Association Board of Trustees develop a process for annual review of the OOA’s Constitution and Bylaws by the OOA Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, appointed by the OOA President, and with the ex-officio participation of the OOA Speaker and Vice Speaker, to suggest any needed editorial corrections or constitution and bylaws changes that will be submitted to the OOA House of Delegates for their consideration to maintain the appropriate changes in the governance documents of the OOA.

ODH Warns Preventable Diseases on Rise

At a press conference this week, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, cautioned that historic diseases like measles, pertussis, and syphilis are making a comeback causing Ohioans to get sick.

Vanderhoff stressed the need for Ohioans to stay up-to-date with vaccinations. He said in 2022 there was an outbreak of measles in the state among “an under-vaccinated population.” Out of those 85 cases, 36 were severe enough to require hospitalization. This year, a case was reported in Dayton. Last year, Ohio saw 810 cases of pertussis, the highest number since 2014. There have been 105 cases so far this year. He also noted there have been cases of meningitis.

While there is no vaccine for syphilis, Vanderhoff said there are effective treatments. He asked health care providers to check pregnant women in particular because syphilis can result in miscarriages, stillbirth, and serious birth defects.

Updates on influenza, COVID-19, and RSV were also provided. Flu cases have recently increased again and Ohio is now designated as “very high” for influenza activity. There have been fewer cases of COVID-19 and RSV recently. For comparison, previously there were about 10,000-12,000 COVID cases weekly. That number is now around 7,000.

National Dignitaries to Attend Symposium

AOA President Ira P. Monka, DO, and ACOFP President-Elect Brian A. Kessler, DO, will be guest speakers at the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium, April 18-21.

Monka has served the AOA in many capacities including third vice president, member of the Bureau of State Government Affairs and program chair for OMED 2012. He is past president of the New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons and practices at the Medical Institute of New Jersey in Cedar Knolls. He has been named a “Top Doc” by New Jersey Monthly Magazine for several years.

Kessler will be installed as president of ACOFP during the organization’s annual meeting, April 3. He currently serves as dean at Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine. Previous positions include dean at Lincoln Memorial University and director of Medical Education at Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital. He was president of Ohio ACOFP in 2009-2010.

See the OOS program and register here.

Free HHS Webinar for Clinicians

Ohio is experiencing an increase in syphilis cases, including congenital syphilis. According to the CDC, cases in the US increased 15% from 2019 to 2020, and by 32% from 2020 to 2021. The US Department of Health and Human Services is hosting a free webinar for clinicians and other health care providers on Wednesday, February 28 (12-1pm) on Missed Opportunities for Preventing Congenital Syphilis.

Objectives of the presentation include:

• Understand the epidemiology of syphilis and congenital syphilis in the US.
• Diagnosis and counsel about syphilis and congenital syphilis.
• Practical implementation of syphilis screening and treatment in the clinical setting.
• Discuss missed opportunities to prevent congenital syphilis in the US and possible interventions.

Register here.

SMBO Advances Two Possible MedMar Conditions

The State Medical Board of Ohio accepted female orgasmic difficulty disorder (FOD) and autism spectrum disorder as potential qualifying conditions for a medical marijuana recommendation. The two conditions, approved last week, will move forward for expert review and public comment.

The SMBO Medical Marijuana Committee reviewed four petitions that were received during the November 1-December 31, 2023, submission period. Two petitions failed to meet the statutory and rule requirements for consideration by the board and were recommended for rejection.

The Board determined the petitions for FOD and autism spectrum disorder met the requirements of new scientific information outlined in the Ohio Administrative Code. Petitions for autism were rejected by the board in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Written public comment will be accepted through February 29 by emailing MedicalMarijuana@med.ohio.gov.

Final action is expected this summer.

The OOA Medical Marijuana Education Course is available on-demand on the OOA website. This is an approved course for either your initial certificate to recommend (CTR) application or the required annual education.

Because it is available on demand, you can take the two-hour course at your convenience. Upon registering, you’ll receive an automated email with a link to the video and a separate link to complete the attestation form.

OOA members get a $50 discount on the registration fee. Get the course here.

New Tool Provides Nursing Home Info

The Ohio Nursing Home Quality Navigator, an online dashboard, launched this week to help Ohioans make informed decisions about nursing home care.

A recommendation of the Governor’s Nursing Home Quality & Accountability Task Force, the Navigator includes a searchable map of all active nursing homes in Ohio with care quality metrics, facility comparison functionality, and other features, such as staffing ratios, specialty services offered, and the number of health and safety violations a nursing home received.

Other data available for each facility also includes its number of beds, CMS Five-Star Quality Rating, resident and family satisfaction survey scores, and other information provided by the facility, such as whether it allows pets, alcohol, or smoking, any religious affiliation, and what special care services it might offer.

The Navigator allows Ohioans to find nursing homes in their area by searching for their zip code or city name. Entering one of these types of search terms will generate a map of that area and highlight the nursing homes within a range of anywhere from five to 100 miles. Ohioans can then see a list of those nursing homes and select one for further details about that facility.

The Ohio Nursing Home Quality Navigator is available at Aging.Ohio.gov/Navigator.

VOC Now Available On-Demand

The VOC, held last weekend, was a tremendous success! Forty Ohio DOs participated. Thank you to all attendees and speakers, including three Ohioans: Dawn Dillinger, DO; Jane Balbo, DO; and Heath Joliff, DO.

Even if you missed the live event, you can still sign-up for the lectures on-demand. All 48 presentations are available for viewing. Choose which lectures and purchase credits in 8-hour increments.

OOA members get a discount on registration through March 31. Register here.

Meet the Challenge

The Ohio Osteopathic Political Action Committee (OOPAC) supports candidates for the Ohio General Assembly who have demonstrated policy positions that align with osteopathic medicine. In addition to donations to candidate campaigns, OOPAC shapes health care policy by educating legislators about issues and how proposed legislation can affect patients and communities. A strong PAC helps to open doors and strengthen the osteopathic voice at the Ohio Statehouse.

In conjunction with the annual House of Delegates meeting, OOPAC issues a fundraising challenge among OOA’s ten districts. It is a friendly competition to see which local academy contributes the most, in the aggregate and per capita, with the winning districts announced at the HOD. In addition, all contributors are listed on a giant poster displayed throughout the HOD and Ohio Osteopathic Symposium.

Make your OOPAC contribution and see a list of contributors here.

The Ohio primary election is March 19, but early voting is already underway. See the Ohio Secretary of State website for information.