OHIO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

CHALLENGE

Launch an intensive effort to preserve Medicaid funding for children's hospitals throughout Ohio. Slashing Medicaid costs – 50% of patient revenues for typical children's hospitals – were key to governor's strategy in dealing with Ohio's deteriorating fiscal climate. Dozens of other human service organizations would "come out of the woodwork" to protest similar state funding cuts.

APPROACH

Create and consistently disseminate key campaign message: "Help Children's Hospitals Treat Our Kids: Stop Medicaid Cuts" statewide via collateral and media. Mobilize children's hospital boards, medical professionals, staff and volunteers to help spread campaign messages in an articulate and persistent, consistent manner. Convince parents, doctors, nurses and others to fax and e-mail what amounted to more than 2,500 letters to legislators and the Governor via a Web-based Medicaid Action Center; hundreds more letters were hand-written.

RESULTS

Secured editorial endorsements from major daily newspapers in Akron, Cleveland, and Dayton, in addition to coverage in 50 Ohio newspapers and numerous TV and radio stations. Nearly 300 advocates rallied at the Ohio Statehouse, met with legislators and attended a government advocacy workshop. The Ohio General Assembly, despite the odds, made restoring funding to children's hospitals a top priority. Even the Governor was swayed, signing the Medicaid funding provisions of the budget into law.