A new report from Central Ohio health care providers shows mixed results for the region.
The Franklin County Health Needs Assessment 2013, a collaboration between several hospitals and public health providers, shows the region needs to improve access to routine care. OSU Medical Center CEO Dr. Steven Gabbe says County residents are more likely to visit an emergency room for less serious conditions than residents in rest of the state. And he says lack of routine prenatal care is reflected in pregnancy outcomes.
Gabbe: We have a higher rate of infant mortality and a higher rate of low birth weight births than does Ohio. Ohio itself has done very poorly in this category -- which is so important, in fact the leading cause of why babies die early in life is premature birth -- Franklin County has done even worse. We have a long way to go to improve the outcomes in pregnancy
Gabbe says the assessment also shows the region, which boasts a higher than average concentration of medical staff, does excel in some areas.
Gabbe: Our county actually does somewhat better in screening for some of the cancers; for cervical cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer -- we actually have more patient.. I'm sorry, more citizens who are screened than on average for the state or even the country.
The goal of the Central Ohio Health Council's assessment is to prioritize needs in the region, and bring hospitals and other providers together to work on a as-yet-undecided collaboration. the full assessment is available on their website, www.CentralOhioHospitals.org.