Local leaders and health advocates are set to host a press conference this Friday morning, April 13th to express support for Medicaid and the Medicaid expansion in Ohio.
The event takes place at 10:00 a.m. Friday at the Northside Branch of the Chillicothe Ross County Public Library.
Speakers include Chillicothe Mayor, Luke Feeney; Cheryl Beverly, operator of Cheryl's House of Hope: and Michelle McAllister, Coordinator for the Heroin Partnership Project. Each speaker will outline how the expansion of Medicaid has impacted the city's ability to help serve at-risk populations and fight back against the opioid crisis.
More than 700,000 Ohioans benefit from the expansion of Medicaid, with the majority of beneficiaries being children, seniors and working families. A study by Harvard Medical School found that 151,257 Ohioans suffering from mental illness or substance use disorder would lose access to critical mental health services provided through Medicaid if the program were changed.