Forty-nine organizations and four individuals have joined together to form the Ohio Home-and Community-Based Services Coalition (OHCBSC). The coalition includes members from across the HCBS system, including providers and non-profits, and is led by well-known advocates and AOF members Disability Rights Ohio, Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council, Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice as well as the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. The OHCBSC has launched an informational website at www.ohiohcbscoalition.org.
“OHCBSC strives to ensure that home- and community-based services and supports are available to any Ohioan,” said Kerstin Sjoberg, Disability Rights Ohio executive director. “We maintain that all Ohioans have the right to choose where they receive their care, and it is the state's responsibility to ensure that OHCBSC has adequate to make an individual's choice a reality.”
Four areas of focus have been identified and prioritized to strengthen HCBS in Ohio. They include:
Expanding transitions from long-term care facilities to the community;
Identifying those most at-risk of institutionalization;
Preventing a reduction in individual services; and
Supporting and bolstering provider and workforce capacity.
AOF looks forward to supporting and amplifying OHCBSC policy priorities and initiatives in the next General Assembly session.