News briefs – Sept. 6

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OHIO ASSOCIATION OF FOODBANKS AWARDED $2 MILLION GRANT – Here is a statement from Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director for the Ohio Association of Foodbanks:

“For the third consecutive year, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks and its network of strategic consortium members was awarded a federal Navigator grant by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This $2 million grant will allow us to provide Navigator services throughout Ohio, educating consumers about affordable health care coverage options and helping them to enroll in plans available through the federally-facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace.

“Since we began operating the largest Navigator program in Ohio in 2013, our trained navigators have helped more than 21,000 Ohioans enroll in Medicaid coverage or in a Qualified Health Plan through the Marketplace. Our consortium has participated in nearly 4,000 outreach and enrollment events in all 88 counties in Ohio. We look forward to building on this momentum in the coming year to ensure that Ohioans can make informed, appropriate decisions about their health insurance options and health care needs.

“Our project will once again be carried out in partnership with a consortium of regional and local organizations, knowledgeable about the specific needs of the uninsured and underinsured Ohioans in their geographic service areas. We are committed to providing informative and accessible services to make the process of selecting and enrolling in health care coverage a positive one.

“On behalf of our statewide consortium, we thank CMS for their continued partnership and leadership. We are excited to continue this important outreach in the great state of Ohio when open enrollment for 2016 plans begins November 1.”

ASHLAND CENTER FOR NONVIOLENCE TO HOLD ART AND ESSAY CONTESTS – The Ashland Center for Nonviolence at Ashland University is sponsoring an art contest as well as an essay contest for students in Ashland and Richland counties.

The Art Contest is for grades K-8 in both counties, while the Essay Contest is for high school students in grades 9 through 12 in both counties. Both programs are open to homeschooled students as well as students who attend public and private schools. The deadline for entries for both contests is Dec. 4, 2015, and prizewinners for each will be recognized at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration in AU’s Jack & Deb Miller Chapel on Monday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m.

“This is our second year of hosting these contests and we decided to do it again this year since last year’s contests were so successful,” said Dr. Craig Hovey, director of the Ashland Center for Nonviolence.

The Art Contest theme is “Living Together in Peace.”

“Art is a powerful way of sharing a student’s vision,” Hovey said. “Ashland and Richland county students from kindergarten to eighth grade are encouraged to think and create imaginatively, to offer a personal response to what ‘Living Together in Peace’ means to them.”

Essay guidelines and online submission instructions can be found at: www.ashland.edu/acn/essaycontest

OHIO FIREFIGHTERS CONTINUE TO HELP FIGHT WILDFIRES OUT WEST – A third 20-person Ohio Wildfire Crew was deployed out West this week to assist in fighting against the multiple wildfires in that part of the nation. Two crews and more than 45 firefighters have already spent more than two weeks assisting fire crews in the dangerous drought conditions present in the western United States.

“Ohio’s wildfire crews are well-prepared for these dangerous assignments and excel at working to protect people and property from these raging fires,” said Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Deputy Director and State Forester Robert Boyles. “We are prepared to continue offering our support, and our trained Ohio firefighters continue to volunteer to travel and help combat this ongoing natural disaster.”

Ohio’s first fire-fighting crew for this season served in northern California at the Forks Complex in the Shasta Trinity National Forest. The second Ohio Wildfire Crew worked in the state of Oregon at the Stouts Creek Fire and then at the Bear Gulch Spike Camp at the Canyon Creek Complex in Malheur National Forest. The third crew currently deployed is fighting the Bear Fire at the Gasquet Complex in Six Rivers National Forest in northern California.

The ODNR Division of Forestry keeps a list of trained and qualified Ohio firefighters who have indicated their willingness to travel out of state to fight wildfires. When significant wildfire activity occurs in other states, ODNR activates crews to send to those fires to protect people and property. Ohio firefighters are well-prepared to continue supporting the firefighting efforts out West.

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