About Cincinnati Children's
Government Relations

About the Office of Government Relations

Legislative Priorities

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center actively supports legislation that will help the hospital fulfill its mission to improve child health and transform delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation. For patients from our community, the nation and the world, the care we provide will achieve the best: medical and quality of life outcomes, patient and family experience and value, today and in the future. As such, staff in the Office of Government Relations work in close collaboration with city, state and federal legislators to identify and advance legislation that meets this goal.

Get Involved

Cincinnati Children’s works with community leaders, organizations and policymakers at the city, state and national levels to bring attention to child health issues. Cincinnati Children’s advocates for policies that keep children healthy and safe and ensure their access to high quality health care. Cincinnati Children’s wants to maintain a strong pediatric workforce and foster innovation in pediatric research and clinical care. Additionally, Cincinnati Children’s has developed comprehensive initiatives in its core community health program areas: early childhood development, asthma, childhood obesity, injury prevention and prematurity.

Cincinnati Children’s also provides policy expertise grounded in scientific and clinical knowledge, and brings leadership to drive change that will improve health outcomes for children and families. Cincinnati Children’s believes in an interdisciplinary approach to advocacy that utilizes the support and expertise of hospital staff and senior leadership, patient families and community partners. Strategies include public education, legislative advocacy and grassroots mobilization. Cincinnati Children’s experts are available to meet with government officials, testify before committees and help analyze the impact of policies on children and child health.

Find Your Elected Officials

Legislative Priorities for Developing the Next Generation of Diverse Child Health Researchers

Investing in child and adolescent health research, conducted by diverse researchers, benefits individual children and their lifelong health, their families, communities, and the overall economic, educational, and general health of our nation. Policies and programs are urgently needed to create and enhance career pathways for child and adolescent health researchers and to increase diversity in this research workforce.

Cincinnati Children's and the Coalition for Pediatric Medical Research have led two national conferences on this issue and have developed a policy brief that promotes legislative priorities to address these urgent needs. More than 20 organizations involved in pediatric research have endorsed the brief and work groups are being formed to further this work. Contact conrad.cole@cchmc.org to learn how you can get involved in increasing the diversity of the next generation of child and adolescent health researchers.

Download the Policy Brief

Ensuring ARPA-H Enables a Focus on Child and Adolescent Health & Lifespan Research

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) supports transformative research to drive biomedical and health breakthroughs – ranging from molecular to societal – to provide transformative health solutions for all. However, as the ARPA-H continues gain momentum and define its scope, the agency must ensure that its structure supports research focused on child and adolescent health and health across the lifespan. Historically, pediatric and developmental research has received disproportionately low funding from federal research programs, which represents a missed opportunity to improve the longitudinal health of all Americans. Failing to recognize this history – and plan accordingly in ARPA-H’s implementation – could lead to similar impediments within the agency.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital, in collaboration with fifteen organizations involved in pediatric research and Faegre Drinker regulatory consultants, has developed a white paper that offers recommendations for policymakers and the newly established agency to address these urgent needs. This white paper will serve as a foundation upon which to inform and influence the structure and priorities of ARPA-H to ensure that pediatric research is fairly represented within the new agency. Contact brian.varisco@cchmc.org to learn more and how you can get involved.

Download the White Paper

Partnerships

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, our partnerships play a crucial role in how we care for our patients.

Thanks to these many partnerships, our care team has access to a vast network of resources, can stay abreast of new developments that affect children’s health and bring our own discoveries to as many patients as possible. Our partnerships—a sample of which are detailed below—benefit patient families served by our hospital, but also improve access to care and the quality of care for children throughout Ohio and beyond.

Children’s Hospital Association

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is a voice for health systems devoted to the well-being of America's 70 million children and their families and they work to ensure children's access to health care and the continuing ability of children's hospitals to provide services needed by children. CHA is comprised of not-for-profit organizations of children's hospitals, large pediatric units of medical centers and related health systems, including those that specialize in rehabilitative care of children with serious chronic or congenital illnesses.

Coalition of Independent Children's Hospitals

A partnership with more than 24 other pediatric research based children’s hospitals to advocate for more focus and funding in pediatric research.

Ohio Children’s Hospital Association

The Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA) is the voice of Ohio's youngest patients, their families and health care providers. OCHA’s six member hospitals are dedicated to saving, protecting and enhancing children’s lives. Ohio has arguably the strongest network of children’s hospitals in the nation—hospitals that are committed to ensuring that all three million Ohio children have access to the highest quality health care possible. OCHA serve children from all 88 Ohio counties, all 50 states, and dozens of international countries. And, every child receives the medical care they need—regardless of their family’s ability to pay for the care provided. Nothing matters more to the future of our state, nation and world than protecting the health and well-being of our children. Sustaining and growing our investment in saving, protecting and enhancing the lives of children is both good medicine and sound public policy.

Voices for Ohio’s Children

Voices for Ohio’s Children advocates for public policy that improves the well-being of Ohio’s children and their families by building nonpartisan collaborations among the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. VOC’s vision is for children’s interests to be at the top of every community’s agenda so all of Ohio’s children are poised for success.

Kentucky Youth Advocates

KYA is a non-partisan, non-profit, children's advocacy organization. KYA represents a voice for Kentucky's most precious asset – its youth. KYA believes that Kentucky's youth deserve the opportunities and resources necessary to ensure their productive development and health. KYA works on behalf of Kentucky's children with the state legislature, the community, and the media. KYA listens to children, their families, and service providers who are reluctant or unable to raise questions about existing policies.

Contact Us

Physical Location:

400 Oak Street, 8^th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Phone: 513-803-2372
Fax: 1-866-422-6038

Mailing Address:

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Office of Government Relations
3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 2049
Cincinnati, OH 45229

About Cincinnati Children'sGovernment Relations