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July 2026
Franklin County Public Health wants to stay connected with our partners in creating informed and healthy communities. This newsletter is here to serve as a tool for you to share resources for your community, schools, and families in your district.
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Epidemiology Report
Review the July Epidemiology report.
Back-to-School Vaccination Clinics
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Summer break may have just started for school-aged children, but our Immunization team is already thinking about the next school year!
In June and July, the Immunization Program staff is taking our Mobile Outreach Vehicle (MOV) to local libraries to provide pop-up vaccine clinics to help prepare kids for the 2026-2027 school year.
- No appointments are needed.
- Bring your child’s immunization record and insurance card.
- Those who are uninsured are also welcome.
- Children may be eligible for low or no-cost vaccines.
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Back to School 2026-2027 Season - Extended FCPH Hours
The Immunization Program staff are extending their clinic hours for school-age children from August through October at our office location:
Franklin County Public Health
280 E. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Appointments are preferred. To schedule an appointment, visit our website. For questions, please call (614) 525-3719.
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Time
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Thursday, August 6
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8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Thursday, August 27
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8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Thursday, September 17
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8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Thursday, September 24
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8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Thursday, October 8
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8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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Beautiful Beginnings
The Beautiful Beginnings Home Visiting team is pleased to welcome our new Public Health Nurse Supervisor, Donna Jenkins, who joined us on June 29. We are excited to have Donna lead the team as we continue working toward Evidence-Based Model designation.
Our Public Health Nurses and Community Health Worker continue to maintain active caseloads, with most currently at or near capacity. We have also recently transitioned to an open referral model, making it easier for community members and partner organizations to connect eligible clients with our services.
Referrals can now be submitted by community members on their own behalf or by external partners using our online referral form. Referrals can be submitted by scanning the attached QR code or using the referral link:
https://myfcph.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3dy9Iie7YnArbP8.
If you have any questions, please contact the Beautiful Beginnings team at mch@franklincountyohio.gov.
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Visit our online calendar to view all the events and activities that FCPH is participating in, especially the events our Community Health Action Teams (CHATs) are hosting or attending:
July 2026 Events:
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July 7th, 4:00-7:00 pm, Hilliard CHAT tabling at Hilliard Farmers Market
- 5445 Scioto Darby Rd, Hilliard, Ohio 43026
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July 7th 11:00 – 12:00 pm, Min & Motion
- 85 Covenant Way, Canal Winchester, 43110
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July 10th , 4:00 -7:00 pm, Clinton Township Produce Market
- 3820 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43224
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July 11th, 9:00-12:00 pm, Westerville Farmers Market
- 240 S State St, Westerville, OH 43081
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July 13th , 4:00-7:00 pm, Prairie Township Farmers Market
- 5955 W Broad St, Galloway, OH 43119
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July 14th , 10:00-11:00 am, Outreach Tabling at Whitehall Library
- 4445 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43213
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July 16th , 10:30-11:30 am, Outreach Tabling at Canal Winchester Library
- 123 Groveport Rd., Canal Winchester, OH 43110
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July 18th, 11:00-2:00 pm, Knowledge is Power Community Engagement Fair
- 3636 East Broad St, Columbus, OH 43213
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July 21st , 4:30-6:30 pm, Outreach Tabeling at The Well
- 3993 Cosgray Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026
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July 22nd, 10:00-12:00 pm, Franklin County Fair's Family Fun Day
- 4100 Columbia Street, Hilliard, OH 43026
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July 22nd, 6:30-7:30 pm, Clinton Township Women's Self Defense Class
- 3820 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43224
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July 24th , 4:00-7:00 pm, Clinton Township Produce Market
- 3820 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43224
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Extreme Heat Guidance
The heat is on in Franklin County this summer!
To keep all our residents safe and healthy this week, here are some tips to help beat the heat and keep those around you safe:
- Stay hydrated – drink lots of water.
- Limit outdoor activities.
- Pregnant people, small children, and people with chronic health problems are especially vulnerable to extreme heat and should try to avoid heat exposure.
- Check on family, friends, and neighbors who are more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses including:
- Older adults.
- Infants and young children.
- People with chronic health issues like heart disease or asthma.
- Keep your pets indoors.
- When you take them outside, make sure to check pavement and sidewalks aren’t too hot for pets before going on walks.
- Never leave children or pets in parked cars.
- Know the symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
- If you need to be outside, wear light colored and loose-fitting clothing and SPF 15 or higher sunscreen.
Stay cool around the county:
To find more resources on extreme heat and how to protect yourself and your loved ones please visit the FCPH Featured Stories Tab.
The Health Works Franklin County Coalition held their second quarterly meeting of the year in late June to discuss collective alignment and lead agencies in support of the 2026-2030 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The group heard updates from:
- Jeff Klinger, Central Ohio Hospital Council
- Mario Basora, Future Ready Five
- Scott Varner, Franklin County Children's Services
- Melissa Pierson, Franklin County Office of Justice Policy and Programs
- Joe Lombardi, SWACO
The group also reviewed the CHIP priority areas, identified strategy co-leads and discussed engagement opportunities. To review past presentations or the 2026 -2030 CHIP please visit the Health Works Franklin County website.
FCPH is excited to share some exciting news! Franklin County has officially launched the Franklin County Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Coalition and is fortunate to have three highly respected and accomplished community leaders serving as the Coalition’s Co-Chairs.
- Nathaniel R. Overmire, D.O., Coroner, Franklin County Coroner’s Office (FCCO)
- Elizabeth Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, YWCA
- Ariana Hoet, Ph.D., Executive Clinical Director, Kids Mental Health Foundation, Pediatric Psychologist, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Clinical Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University
The ACEs Coalition is a collaborative partnership of organizations across Franklin County dedicated to preventing and addressing adverse childhood experiences. The Coalition is designed to foster cross-sector leadership, align policies and strategies, support community action, and advance trauma-informed systems change throughout the county. As part of this work, an Executive Steering Committee will provide governance, strategic direction, and oversight for the Coalition’s efforts.
To join the ACEs coalition mailing list and learn more about next steps, please contact us.
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 USGA Senior Open Golf Course Photo
The U.S. Senior Open is one of the five major championships in senior professional golf, open to both professionals and elite amateurs aged 50 and older. Operated by the USGA, the tournament attracts a 156-player field through a rigorous local and final qualifying framework. Franklin County Public Health is proud to have the USGA Senior Open take place in our jurisdiction and we are excited to collaborate with our partners to ensure the event runs safely and smoothly for everyone in attendance.
FCPH has been working hand-in-hand with Scioto County Club leadership and Par Catering, a trusted golf-catering partner of the PGA and the USGA, who is based out of Florida. In addition to the permanent food facilities at the Country Club, our department has approved 11 temporary licenses for the events - consisting of bar tents, food tents, and fan villages.
In order to verify compliance with state regulations, inspections will be conducted at the beginning of the week and at the beginning of the tournament.
Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) has an extensive mosquito surveillance network, setting around 150 mosquito traps each week from May through September to monitor mosquito abundance and perform disease testing to ensure an efficient and data-supported mosquito management program. This year, mosquito populations are higher than average, but you can protect yourself and your family by removing all sources of standing water around your home, avoiding outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active, and by wearing a repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient whenever you spend time outside. When our surveillance data indicates that spraying for mosquitoes is necessary, we always coordinate with our local partners to schedule a treatment. FCPH surveillance data can be found on our website: https://mosquito.myfcph.org/trap-wnv-data/. If you have any questions, contact the mosquito team at mosquito@franklincountyohio.gov.
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Franklin County Children's Services Launches Up, Up and Away Community Education Effort
 Up, Up and Away Community Education Flyer
More than 60,000 children visit emergency rooms across our country each year because of medication poisoning. The number of children under five treated after mistakenly eating or touching marijuana products grew exponentially in just four years. And as the use of fentanyl and potent painkillers continue to impact Central Ohio, doctors and poison centers are seeing more deadly and near-fatal accidental exposures among children.
To educate parents and adults about how to protect young children against what can be a life-threatening accident, Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) and its child safety partners are launching a new community education effort: “Lock it UP, Clean it UP, and Put it AWAY.”
“These are not cases of intentional harm. They are tragic, preventable accidents,” shared FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “Little hands don’t know what they are touching, but parents and adults do. Our immediate goal has to be keeping children safer. So we’ve come up with three simple actions: Lock it UP, Clean it UP, and Put it AWAY.”
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Lock it UP: A lockbag or lockbox keeps little hands out. Pipes, pills, put it all inside. It takes two seconds and it works.
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Clean it UP: Thoroughly clean up after yourself so kids never touch it. Even residue and crumbs can be deadly. Simple soap and water can take up traces of most drugs.
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Put it AWAY: High shelf. High cabinet. Somewhere a child can’t reach and can’t see. Don’t take any chances.
Infants and toddlers explore their environments primarily through touch and taste. They constantly put their hands, toys, and found objects directly into their mouths. A child doesn’t need to actively "eat" a drug to be poisoned. Touching a table sticky with cannabis oil residue or a rug with powder traces - and then sucking on their thumb - is enough to cause severe exposure.
FCCS has enlisted the help of child safety partners to launch the UP, UP & AWAY campaign, including the Franklin County Commissioners, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Coroner’s Office, Franklin County Public Health, Columbus Public Health, ADAMH of Franklin County, and The Center for Family Safety and Healing.
For more information and to read the full news release visit the FCCS website.
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The next jurisdiction update will be sent on
Friday, August 6, 2026.
Visit fcphcommunityhub.org for the latest information.
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