Talking Points

Earlier this summer we met Ann Brooks and Renee Hitchcock who are associates at the Walmart in Ashland, Kentucky. Like any Walmart associate, their days are spent making sure customers have a good experience while shopping in their store. But over the course of the last several months, they’ve also become social media influencers.  To build awareness for seasonal merchandise or weekly specials, Re...

The faculty and staff at Missouri Connections Academy, a statewide, tuition-free, online school recently welcomed new and returning students in grades K through 12 for the 2024-2025 academic year – it’s fifth since it opened in 2020.   Virtual school is a great fit for a variety of students and each student is unique. Those who attend Missouri Connections Academy come from different backgrounds an...

The Immunization Advocacy Network of Ohio, a statewide network of Ohio immunization providers and supporters who advocate for the value of vaccines, recently partnered with the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) to host an Immunization Summit in Columbus that focused on childhood vaccines. The Summit convened a small group of healthcare providers including pediatricians, pharm...

Great River Connections Academy® (GRCA) is a unique, tuition-free, online public school that offers a high-quality educational experience that keeps students motivated and engaged in a safe, virtual learning environment. With the help of specially trained teachers and their parents/learning coaches, students gain the skills and confidence they need to direct their own educational journey, learning...

It's back-to-school season once again, a time filled with excitement for students and parents as they gear up for the new academic year. However, the only people perhaps more eager than the students themselves are the teachers. In traditional classrooms, teachers are busy getting their spaces ready—arranging desks and chairs, decorating bulletin boards, organizing school supplies, and finaliz...

Over the last few years, Walmart has been on what the company calls a transformational journey, where hundreds of stores across the country have been transformed and redesigned to amplify the physical, human and digital design elements in the stores to elevate the overall shopping experience.  As Walmart considers itself a member of every community it serves, there is another element to these stor...

When Ohio Connections Academy first opened, full-time online learning for grades K-12 was not as prevalent as it is today, and students were seen as trailblazers for this type of learning. Today, with 20 years of online learning expertise and a program built specifically for the virtual environment, the school serves more than 5,000 students in grades K-12 from every county in the state of Ohio.  ...

As communities across Ohio and the rest of the country will host celebrations, parades, and ceremonies to honor Veterans of our United States Armed Forces, we are joined by Jason White, Operations Manager at Walmart's East Transportation Command Center in Grove City, OH. Jason served the U.S. Army from 2002 until 2018 when he transitioned to the Ohio Army National Guard and currently serves a...

The costs for rare disease therapies are often very expensive for the patients. While some get help to cover a portion of their high out-of-pocket costs, health insurers have a policy called copay accumulators that prevent the assistance from counting toward the patient's copay or deductible requirements for the year. There is a legislative effort underway in Ohio (House Bill 177) that would...

For this episode we are pleased to be joined by Greene County Health Commissioner Melissa Howell and Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of the Ohio Department of Health who share their perspectives and deep knowledge of immunizations and the importance of utilizing public health data. As school children are all heading back to the classroom we talk about what resources are available for parents and ca...

IFF is a nonprofit lender, developer, and real estate consultant with offices in Columbus and Cleveland and is Ohio’s first and only nonprofit real estate consultant focusing exclusively on boosting under-resourced nonprofits.  IFF has provided nearly $70 million in more than 90 loans to Ohio nonprofits helping local changemakers achieve their dreams for their communities. Omar Elhagmusa, senior l...

On this episode of Talking Points, Angela Snyder of Lesic and Camper Communications has a conversation with Columbus Public Health Assistant Health Commissioner   Edward Johnson about the importance of vaccinations in the community and the city's recent measles outbreak. Edward also offers some historic perspective regarding vaccine policies dating back to the Revolutionary War. 

Last week Walmart announced that through August 18, it will be accepting applications for its tenth annual Open Call event, inviting small business owners and entrepreneurs across the country to apply for the opportunity to pitch their products to be sold on Walmart or Sam's Club shelves or on Walmart.com. Open Call is at the heart of Walmart's 10-year, $350 billion commitment to strengt...

Angela Snyder of Lesic and Camper Communications has a conversation with  Milu Nguyen, BSN, RN – Franklin County Public Health, Prevention & Wellness, about the Immunization Advocacy Network of Ohio and importance of being an advocate for strong vaccine policies.  

Typically, this podcast is dedicated to sharing information on issues such as education, business, health care, public safety and how they might impact public policy.  On this episode we’re going to change things up a bit and speak with Chris Heiberger to come on and share a little about his hobby - comedy and improvisation. Chris is with The Hashtag Comedy Co., a local improv group that has been...

Kaitlin Finan, an Honors and AP Government teacher at Ohio Connections Academy describes her volunteer work for the Pickles Group, a national cancer support organization that works to provide peer-to-peer support and other services to children and teens with a parent or caretaker who is battling cancer. Kaitlin is currently putting her expertise as a teacher in the virtual classroom to work in tra...

For older Ohioans, and children and adults with disabilities, receiving health care at home is less costly and more effective than institutional care. But Ohio’s Medicaid reimbursement rates fall significantly short of covering the costs of home care. The rates today are essentially the same as they were in the year 2000.  As a result, home health agencies can’t afford to remain open, hire workers...

Last week was National School Counseling Week to focus on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. School counselors lead, advocate and collaborate on efforts that promote equity for all students and create a culture of success for all. Schools, especially through the pandemic, have focused a significant amount of attention on the social/emotional well-being of stud...

Parents, students, educators, and education stakeholders across the country recently celebrated National School Choice Week. While the term is self-explanatory, School Choice is the process of affording parents and caregivers the opportunity to choose the K-12 academic environment that best meets their child’s needs.  At Lesic and Camper, we have the privilege to work with five Connections Academy...

Jeff Stone, Walmart Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs and Community Relations talks about how the retailer has intensified its efforts to "Spark Good" in the communities it serves through store transformations and the relationships with local charitable organizations. 

Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann shares with us the mission behind LifeTown Columbus and Kitchen of Life that provides the youth of central Ohio opportunities to overcome developmental and mental health challenges. LifeTown is NOT simply a “field trip” – it’s where students with developmental challenges apply the lesson plans they’ve worked on in advance in the classroom… and where they develop life skills t...

You probably know someone who suffers from mental illness or addiction – a family member, a friend, a coworker.  Ohioans are suffering from addiction and mental illness in unprecedented numbers.  Approximately 2.3 million Ohioans suffer from mental illness.  Substance abuse disorders have hit Ohio very hard, especially its rural areas.  These issues are affecting residents of all ages and ethnicit...

More than ever before, it’s critical to ensure that families stay on track for children’s routine checkups and recommended vaccinations following disruptions from COVID-19. A CDC report released in May 2020 found a troubling drop in routine childhood vaccinations because of families staying at home during the pandemic and not maintaining their vaccine schedule. The CDC and the American Academy of...

It started in 2006 with a golf outing to raise money for cancer research. Sixteen years later, Families for a Cure has raised more than $1.5 million to help local cancer support organizations that help make things better for families and individuals coping with a cancer diagnosis.  Throughout the year Families for a Cure host events and activities that bring together friends, families and supporte...

More than a year ago, the City of Columbus announced plans to establish bike lanes along Indianola Avenue between Weber and Midgard Roads on Columbus’ north side.  For the city to move forward with the plan it would require a reduction of the street parking. The question is how much.  Those familiar with this unique, three-block area knows that the businesses there draw customers from all over cen...