• We‘ve won the first battle in the war
• 667 critical employers with 31,000 job openings

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has submitted its first waiver application to the federal government, known as 1135 or Appendix K, to provide the needed flexibility to address the coronavirus pandemic in the state.

This is in addition to previous emergency measures taken by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to help increase access to healthcare for millions of Ohioans.

“Removing restrictions like these during this pandemic will allow health care workers to focus on meeting the needs of Ohioans,” said Governor DeWine.

This waiver will allow Ohio to:

• Bolster the use of telehealth and other technology for health assessments and care planning;
• Waive signature requirements for a variety of providers to ensure safe distancing without compromising access to care;
• Ease obstacles to access nursing home care;
• Allow services to be provided at alternative locations; and
• Remove staffing-level requirements to give providers more flexibility.

Governor DeWine said, “upon approval, the waiver will be retroactively applied from March 1, 2020.”

“As we start a gradual walk to reopen Ohio, the things we are doing now with physical distancing and social distancing is more important than ever. We can’t stop now.”

Governor Mike DeWine said, “As we reopen Ohio, people will have to be very, very careful until we get a vaccine. You’ll have to weigh benefit vs. risk. You will have to make sure you’re wearing a mask when you go out, continue social distancing, etc. COVID19 is not going away until we get a vaccine.”

Meanwhile, Ohio Health Director, Dr Amy Acton said, “Ohio should be tremendously proud. We’ve won the first battle in the war, but we can’t stop here. There are other battles yet to fight. We must have our hospital capacity ready because we could see ongoing spikes of COVID19 until we have a vaccine.”

Also speaking during the statewide daily briefing, City of Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther in a tele-link said the city has built a 1,000-bed alternative care center at the Columbus Convention center as an expanded healthcare alternative site.

“Our greatest hope is that we never have to open this alternative care center, but we have to be prepared to make sure we are protecting the health and safety of Ohioans,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther.

On job openings in the state, Lt. Governor Jon Husted said, “there are 667 critical employers with 31,000 job openings in Ohio right now. These employers have created safe environments for their employees. We need you if you can answer the call.”