Children’s Vision Strike Force meets for first time
The first meeting of Ohio’s Children’s Vision Strike Force took place Monday at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) offices.
Governor Mike DeWine announced plans for the Strike Force during his State of the State Address in April. The group is tasked with scaling up the successful efforts of several local organizations to ensure every student who fails a vision screening has a follow-up comprehensive eye exam and is able to receive glasses if they need them.
“I am excited for our Children’s Vision Strike Force to begin their work to connect all of our school children with the vision resources they need to read and learn at their very best,” said Governor DeWine. “We have organizations in Ohio who already provide eye care services for entire schools. Our Strike Force will work quickly to build upon this framework and take these proven models statewide.”
ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, chairs the Strike Force, whose members represent a cross-section of experts in the eye care and education fields, as well as vision advocacy leaders and state policymakers.
“Knowing how important vision is to learning for Ohio’s children, I’m encouraged by the Governor’s leadership on this issue and am gratified by the commitment shown by the professionals and leaders who gathered for today’s first Strike Force meeting,” Dr. Vanderhoff said. “I’m confident that, together, we will achieve Governor DeWine’s goal of ensuring that every child in Ohio who needs glasses will get glasses.”
Governor DeWine announced the members of the Strike Force as part of a recent visit to Oxford Elementary School in Cleveland Heights, where the Governor and First Lady Fran DeWine witnessed students receive new prescription eyeglasses through one of the nonprofit programs the Strike Force hopes to emulate statewide.
According to ODH surveys, many Ohio students who fail a vision screening at their school never receive a follow-up comprehensive eye exam. It is estimated that, in the 2022-23 school year alone, at least 35,000 students who needed glasses did not receive them.
Barriers to follow-up eye care include a lack of time, lack of insurance, lack of transportation or a lack of providers in their area.
At the Strike Force meeting, ODH experts presented members with background on ODH’s Children’s Vision Program, statistics from the department’s vision screening surveys and how vision affects learning.
Members then heard from two fellow members and leaders of groups currently doing this work in Ohio: Sergul Erzurum, M.D., Co-Founder & Board President, Sight for All United; and Shane Foster, O.D., Athens Eye Care Mobile Clinic.
Discussions then began on options for how to implement a statewide model of that work.
The Strike Force plans to meet at least monthly, with workgroups addressing specific issues between Strike Force meetings.
More information about the Strike Force will be made available on the Ohio Department of Health’s website: ODH.Ohio.gov.
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