Groundwork Ohio and Ohio Department of Medicaid Highlight Importance of Medicaid for Ohio's Youngest Children

State leaders discuss how Medicaid strengthens the health and well-being of mothers, babies, and young children.

July 28, 2026 - Columbus, OH – Today, Ohio leaders highlighted the important role Medicaid plays in improving outcomes for moms, babies, and young children. Groundwork Ohio welcomed leaders from the Ohio Department of Medicaid for a webinar.

The webinar, Smart Investments, Strong Families: How Medicaid Supports Ohio's Moms, Babies, and Youngest Children, featured Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Scott Partika and Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives Bridget Harrison. The discussion examined how Ohio has made significant progress over the past eight years to better serve families during the earliest years of life and contributed to better outcomes for moms, babies, and young children. Medicaid has been an important part of that progress, and there is a shared commitment to continuing that work.

Medicaid provides health coverage for over half of all births in Ohio and nearly half of all young children under age 6, making it A Vital Lifeline for Ohio’s Children and Pregnant Women. During the webinar, presenters discussed how access to health care during pregnancy and the early years supports healthy development, strengthens families, and creates long-term benefits for children and communities.

“Medicaid is a powerful tool…” said Scott Partika, Director, Ohio Department of Medicaid. “We get an incredible match. We get a 2 to 1 match on our dollars across the board to invest in health care. Doing that to [the federal government’s] standards and ensuring it aligns with what they expect to see is a critically important tool to keeping and sustaining that long term as we move forward. And that work's not easy, but it's incredibly rewarding. It's the right thing to do. We're so happy to be a part of it, and we're so happy to have so many advocates out there that have supported it along the way.”

“We want to make sure that as a new mother is experiencing…those first stages of postnatal life that they are supported and connected to the broader health care system to make sure that they have what they need and that their baby is also safe, happy, and healthy,” said Bridget Harrison, Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives, Ohio Department of Medicaid.

Groundwork Ohio convened the webinar as part of its ongoing commitment to educating stakeholders about the policies and systems that shape outcomes for young children from the prenatal period through age five.

“Ohio has made significant strides over the past eight years to strengthen Medicaid for pregnant women, babies, and families. We are grateful to Governor DeWine's administration and the Ohio Department of Medicaid for their leadership and commitment to improving maternal and infant health,” said Lynanne Gutierrez, President & CEO of Groundwork Ohio. “As we look ahead, Groundwork is committed to protecting and building on what works while ensuring the voices of pregnant women, parents, and families continue to shape the policies and programs designed to serve them.”

A recording of the webinar is available here: https://bit.ly/GWPastWebinars

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About Groundwork Ohio

Groundwork Ohio is a nonpartisan public-policy research and advocacy organization that champions high-quality early learning and healthy development strategies from the prenatal period to age 5, that lay a strong foundation for Ohio kids, families, and communities. We advance quality early childhood systems in Ohio by engaging, educating, and mobilizing diverse stakeholders and strategic partners to promote data driven and evidence-based early childhood policies.