Health Promotion / Healthcare Parity

Program Purpose:

To promote the health of people with disabilities and to increase the capacity of healthcare providers to provide quality health care to patients with disabilities.

Current projects include:

The Ohio Disability and Health Program

The Ohio Disability and Health Program (ODHP) is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant-funded state program with the goals to promote health, improve emergency preparedness, and increase access to care for Ohioans with disabilities. ODHP is a partnership amongst the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), the two Ohio UCEDDs (University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities) at the Ohio State University Nisonger Center and the University of Cincinnati (UC UCEDD), and the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC). Another key collaborator for this program is the disability community; a disability community advisory group has been formed to guide and assist in program activities. Learn more about ODHP’s many goals and projects at: www.nisonger.osu.edu/education-training/ohio-disability-health-program/.

Disability Education to Improve Healthcare Parity

We believe the best way to increase knowledge and improve attitudes of healthcare providers is to provide interactive, personal experiences with people who have disabilities. This will also allow them to feel more comfortable working with people who have disabilities, thereby improving the health care that is provided. Click here for more information about the projects below.

For more information on this topic, please visit the Alliance for Disability Education in Health Care Education.

Volunteers to Educate Healthcare Students about Disability

The Health Promotion/Healthcare Parity program has been working to include disability education for healthcare students at The Ohio State University Colleges of Medicine and Nursing. In correspondence with the development of the new LeadServeInspire medical curriculum at College of Medicine, we have been working to include formal and informal opportunities for students to directly interact with volunteers who have disabilities. At the College of Nursing, advanced nursing students in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program have engaged with volunteers with disabilities who are acting as panel discussants and as volunteer patients. Read more about our efforts to include disability education in healthcare curriculum at OSU here.

If you or a family member have a disability and are interested in volunteering your time to improve the education of healthcare students, We Need You! Learn more here: Volunteers to Educate Healthcare Students about Disability

Disability Continuing Education for Healthcare Providers

We developed two online disability training modules on Healthcare Access for Persons with Disabilities that have been accredited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for physicians, nurses, psychologists, and certified health education specialists. Part I focuses on physical and sensory disabilities, and Part II focuses on developmental disabilities.

» Click here to access the training modules

For more information please contact Susan Havercamp, Ph.D. at (614) 685-8724 or susan.havercamp@osumc.edu

Positive Exposure

With support from the Columbus Foundation, the Health Promotion/Healthcare Parity Program hosted Rick Guidotti, photographer and founder of Positive Exposure, to present a series of educational events for Ohio State University healthcare students, faculty, and staff, as well as the public at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and COSI in fall of 2013. Positive Exposure: The Spirit of Difference is a multimedia campaign to redefine our perceptions of beauty and to let people see individuals with genetic, cognitive, physical and behavioral differences as vibrant and valuable members of our society. Exposing medical students to disability-positive messages is a crucial element in helping future physicians to provide quality care to patients with disabilities and thereby reduce the health disparities faced by people with disabilities.

Photos from “Positive Exposure” photo shoot at COSI

B-HIP: Be Healthy Information Program

The B-HIP: Be Healthy Information Program was designed for children and adults with disabilities. Developed through a collaborative effort between the University of South Florida and the Ohio State University Nisonger Center, this program is intended to help children and adults with disabilities understand the relationship between living a healthy lifestyle, feeling good, and staying healthy. Click here for more information.

BHIP graphic