Governor DeWine signed House Bill 606 on Monday, September 14, 2020. Watch the videoconference ceremony below.

The Ohio Manufacturing Association (OMA) supported this legislation to provide legal liability protections to businesses and other entities during COVID-19, as long as they have not shown reckless, intentional or willful misconduct. Read OMA's statement.

This new law will become effective December, 13, 2020. Its qualified immunity provisions apply retroactively from March 9 and extend through Sept. 30, 2021.

By: Jenna Lawson, WHIO
View video of the announcement on WHIO's website
There were many points in the last five years that community partners thought ‘Legacy Place’ might never happen.

It took time to capture nearly $13 million in funding sources, including historic tax credits – not to mention delays due to the pandemic. But on Thursday, partners announced the funds were released and they are able to move forward with the project. It’s possible construction could start within the next week.

‘Legacy Place’ transforms the Douglas Inn in downtown Urbana and two former elementary schools (North & South) into affordable senior housing. 51 units will be created for those 55 and older, with six of them being devoted to people with disabilities.

“It’s just a real renaissance for Urbana,” Mayor Bill Bean told News Center 7′s Jenna Lawson.

Duane Miller, with development company Flaherty & Collins and also president of F & C Legacy Place, said the project accomplishes two goals: turning three vacant properties into useful properties and filling the need for affordable senior housing in Urbana.

“I love to jump into the skin of a community that’s looking for help and looking for opportunities to spur on their own development,” he said.

The Douglas has been vacant since 2004 and has long been a large eyesore on the southwest corner of Monument Square. The building has somewhat deteriorated and was the target of multiple arson fires in 2019.

The former owner of the property, John Doss, has done work to stabilize the structure. The elementary schools, despite being about 100 years old, are in solid shape, partners said.

The timeline for the project will move quickly. Developers estimate about six months to complete both elementary schools and a little over a year to finish the Douglas. Partners are hopeful that the project will have a positive domino effect on other aspects of Urbana living including neighboring businesses and housing.

“We may see some of those seniors who may move in here and now their single family homes are available for a new families to move in,” said director of the Champaign Economic Partnership, Marcia Bailey.

Bailey added that this solution also preserves the history of all three buildings for the community to enjoy for decades to come. “Having these buildings standing as they are and being repurposed is a huge win for our community,” she said.

Other partners in the project include the City of Urbana, Urbana City Schools and Resident Supports and Services, Inc., which provides housing for seniors and adults with developmental disabilities.

The U.S. Census Bureau is working in Champaign County to complete the 2020 Census by September 30, 2020.  Field data operations are underway with census takers visiting households throughout Champaign County that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census.  Prior to their deployment into local communities, census takers underwent COVID-19 training on social distancing and related health and safety protocols.   The Census Bureau has provided face masks to every census taker and mandated that all census takers wear one.  In addition, census takers carry an ID badge that includes their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date.
 
Through the end of September, households can continue to respond online at www.2020census.gov, on paper, by phone by calling (1-844-330-2020), or in person with a census taker. 
 
As of September 8, 2020, the national self-response rate to the 2020 Census is 65.5% and 69.6% for the State of Ohio.  Locally, 2020 self-response rates are as follows (with 2010 self-response rates shown in parentheses):

• Champaign County is at 72.5% (70.0%)
• Urbana is at 69.9% (69.3%)
• Mechanicsburg is at 72.3% (71.2%)
• North Lewisburg is at 66.1% (57.2%)
• Saint Paris is at 62.7% (67.8%)
• Woodstock is at 70.1% (33.3%)
• Christiansburg is at 39.1% (71.8%)

 
To date, Champaign County has the 28th best self-response rate out of 88 Ohio counties.  Regionally, the self-response rate in surrounding counties is as follows:

• Logan County is at 61.5%
• Shelby County is at 73.9%
• Miami County is at 76.1%
• Clark County is at 69.1%
• Madison County is at 73.4%
• Union County is at 78.2% 

 
Furthermore, as of September 8, 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 91.2% of Ohio housing units have been enumerated with 21.6% being counted by census takers and the remaining 69.6% of households self-responding.  Nationally, over 88% of households have been enumerated to date.

In this four-episode series, behavioral health professionals offer insight and guidance and share their own stories about sending students back to school. The podcasts aim to give parents, teachers and administrators tools to help them and their students adjust to returning to the classroom during a pandemic.

The podcasts feature Dr. Carson Felkel, director of Behavioral Health for Bon Secours Mercy Health, and Dr. Aimee Drescher, a clinical psychologist with Mercy Health. The episodes focus on normalizing anxiety, working with children, CDC guideline reminders, tips on talking with children and when to contact a professional.

“This year has been brought challenges unlike any we have ever experienced into our homes and schools. We want to make sure our communities know that they are not alone and that Mercy Health is here to help,” Dr. Felkel said. “Our mission is to care for the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – and through conversation and guidance, we hope to ease our communities back into school.” Mercy Health is making the podcasts available to area school districts for distribution and also posting them on the Mercy Health blog at blog.mercy.com/ for use by all. The first video is available at blog.mercy.
com/coronavirus- covid-19-school-stress-video/.

It covers stress and normalizing anxiety during this back-to-school season and also provides tips on how to implement self-care into your routine and different ways to help your family cope during this time.

“Our communities and our schools have shown a strength while working through what it means to send our children – who which we hold most dear – back to school,” Dr. Drescher said. “It is our hope to let our school leaders, parents and teachers know that the anxiety they feel is normal and offer tips on how to adjust.”