THE GOSSIP - Future of the Cavs, Ohio Department of Insurance and Columbus City Schools

ODI WEBSITE PROVIDES STATE WAIVER INFORMATION - In an effort to continue updating stakeholders, consumers and job creators on important insurance issues, the Ohio Department of Insurance has created a webpage concerning the department’s application for a state innovation waiver.  The state innovation waiver, or 1332 waiver, was created in the Affordable Care Act and allows states to apply to the federal government to waive certain federal requirements in a way that more specifically fit the local needs of Ohioans.

This page is designed to provide information about the steps the department is undertaking to prepare a waiver application that could be submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which is the governing authority for such waivers.

In the coming weeks more information will be added to this page including an opportunity for comments that you may wish to provide regarding a 1332 waiver application.  In addition, we will provide updates to stakeholders and other interested parties who wish to receive them.  While we encourage you to follow along as we provide these updates, it’s also important to get a wide and diverse range of feedback to help guide the application process.

COLUMBUS CITY SCHOOLS EARNS FEDERAL FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT TO BOOST KIDS EATING OHIO APPLES - Columbus City Schools Earns Federal Farm to School Grant to Boost Kids Eating Ohio Apples

Building on efforts to encourage students to eat healthier, locally-produced foods - and support Ohio-based farmers and food producers - the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Columbus City Schools a nearly $100,000 grant to offer more sliced, fresh, local fruit in our cafeterias.

The District’s “Bigger Procurement, Smaller Bites” project was one of only 65 proposals across the country to receive a USDA Farm to School award, designed to increase the amount of local foods served in schools.

The plan is to purchase a fresh apple cutting system which will clean, slice, preserve, weigh, and bag local apples to be served in elementary schools. Cafeteria surveys have revealed that students eat more of the apples when pre-sliced.

Earlier this year, Columbus City Schools moved to purchase all of its apples from Ohio farms - a major undertaking given that the District purchases approximately three million apples each year.

The equipment will give the District the capacity to handle field-washed produce directly from Ohio producers in an efficient and cost-effective manner, effectively solving the biggest farm to school barrier to offering more fresh fruits and vegetables.