[Ohio-Talk] Ohio) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine visited with students at Oxford Elementary School in Cleveland Heights

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Ohio,

 

I have a question?

 

Do you think that the NFB or other networks should be included for those
students who may not benefit from glasses; to understand that their
educational experience will be just as important?

 

Here is the article.

 

(CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran
DeWine visited with students at Oxford Elementary School in Cleveland
Heights today as they received new prescription eyeglasses that will allow
them to see and learn more clearly.

 

"These students are seeing a whole new world than they were just a few
moments ago, it's truly a life-changing experience," said Governor DeWine.
"By helping our children see their best, we also help them to read their
best and learn their best."

 

The glasses were provided by the Vision to Learn program, a nonprofit that
works with schools to provide vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses to
students in high-need communities to help them thrive in the classroom. 

 

The program expanded to serve schools in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio this
spring. At Oxford Elementary School, 265 students were screened for vision
difficulties, with 74 being prescribed glasses.

 

Today's event marked the first wave of students to receive glasses. All
prescriptions are expected to be filled in the coming weeks.

 

"Experts tell us that 80 percent of a child's learning comes through their
sense of sight," said Governor DeWine. "Fortunately, we have leaders who are
doing innovative work to help connect more students with supports like eye
exams and glasses. These models are making a real difference. Now, it is
time to bring these proven solutions to more schools and more communities
across Ohio."

 

Vision to Learn will be teaming up with Sight for All United in the coming
school year to begin assisting more students in the Cleveland area. Sight
for All United shares a similar goal of eliminating barriers to sight for
young students throughout Ohio, especially those in areas with limited
access to eye care options.

 

CHILDREN'S VISION STRIKE FORCE

 

In his recent State of the State Address, Governor DeWine referenced the
work of Sight for All United to provide vision supports to students in the
Mahoning Valley. During his address, he announced plans to form a Children's
Vision Strike Force to scale these types of models statewide and provide
schools with the technical assistance they need to implement similar
programs.

 

Following today's event at Oxford Elementary School, Governor DeWine
announced the members of the new strike force.

 

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, will
serve as chair. Other members represent a cross-section of experts in the
eye care and education fields, as well as vision advocacy leaders and state
policymakers.

 

Members of the Children's Vision Strike Force include:

*           Bruce Vanderhoff, M.D., MBA, Director, Ohio Department of Health
(Chair)

*           Sergul Erzurum, M.D., Co-Founder & Board President, Sight for
All United; Vision to Learn Ohio Advisory Board Member

*           Shane Foster, O.D., Athens Eye Care Mobile Clinic; Chair, Vision
to Learn Ohio Advisory Board; and Immediate Past President, Ohio Optometric
Association

*           Jeffrey J. Walline, O.D., PhD, Acting Dean, The Ohio State
University College of Optometry

*           Stephen D. Dackin, Director, Ohio Department of Education and
Workforce

*           Kara Wente, Director, Ohio Department of Children and Youth

*           Maureen Corcoran, M.S. Ed., Director, Ohio Department of
Medicaid

*           Anne Gonzales, Executive Director, Ohio Vision Professionals
Board

*           Dion Manley, Board Member, Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools;
Optician

*           Paul Imhoff, Ed.D., Director of Government Relations, Buckeye
Association of School Administrators

*           Elizabeth Muckley, O.D., CEO and Executive Director, Ohio
Optometric Association

*           Walker Motley, M.S., M.D., Ohio Ophthalmological Society,
Cincinnati Children's Pediatric Ophthalmologist

*           Amy Pulles, CEO, Prevent Blindness Ohio

 

According to an ODH survey, in the 2022-2023 school year, more than 93,000
Ohio students were referred for a follow-up examination after receiving
vision screenings at their schools. Of those students, only about 17,000 had
a follow-up exam. It is estimated that at least 35,000 students who needed
glasses did not receive them.

 

The ODH survey asked caregivers what kept them from providing their children
with follow-up eye care. The barriers they listed included a lack of time,
lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or a lack of providers in their
area.

 

The strike force is tasked with overcoming those barriers, building off the
successful efforts of several local organizations involved in this work, and
scaling up to ensure a statewide reach.

 

"I am looking forward to getting to work with this talented group of
professionals to deliver strategies and solutions that will ensure we
fulfill our mission," Dr. Vanderhoff said. "We will work at a rapid pace to
find a pathway toward our ultimate goal of ensuring that every Ohio student
who needs glasses can get glasses."

 

The strike force will have its initial meeting on June 3 and plans to meet
at least monthly after that, with workgroups addressing specific issues
between strike force meetings.

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