Report: Ohio prepared to handle future health crisis

Ohio is ready to tackle the country's next public health emergency far more than most of our neighboring states, a new report from a D.C.-based policy group finds.

Why it matters: We're better prepared to deal with any future public health crises thanks to the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What they did: Trust for America's Health tracked a variety of indicators to rank states on their emergency preparedness, including public health spending, water quality, vaccination rates and virus testing capabilities.

• Ohio rated in the highest of three tiers, an improvement from our ranking in the prior year.

Details: The report credited our state for increasing its public health emergency response spending in the latest two-year budget and for one-third of hospitals receiving an "A" safety grade in 2021.

• Ohio's flu vaccination rate is middle-of-the-pack, but we got credit for broadening the scope of vaccine administrators in 2021 to include podiatrists, pharmacists and pharmacy interns.

Read the full report.