A look back at our most-popular posts of 2020

By Danielle Alley, Social Media Coordinator While we all might be ready to close the book on 2020, we think some pages are worth reading again, or perhaps for the first time if you missed them earlier. Our most popular blog posts from the past 12 months focused primarily on the COVID-19 pandemic and how …

My family’s trauma changed my world

Thankfully, so did Kids’ Chance of Ohio By Malerie Mysza I remember the last truly happy moments I spent with my father. I was 4, and we sat watching cartoons and laughing in the living room of our home in Cleveland. Soon after, he suffered brain injuries and blindness from an on-the-job accident. My father …

BWC nurse battles COVID-19 on front lines

May is National Nurses Month. BWC nurse tells her story. By Jennifer Wolford RN, Medical Service Specialist, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Away from my BWC job as a medical service specialist, I work as an intermittent nurse in an emergency department (ED) at an Akron-area hospital on weekends. Since the community spread of COVID-19 …

In challenging times, BWC delivers

Up to $1.6 billion for employers among several measures aimed at weakening COVID-19’s impact #InThisTogetherOhio By Stephanie McCloud, BWC Administrator/CEO One of our core values at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation is Relentless Excellence — we are unyielding in our delivery of outstanding service to our customers. Not just sometimes or in ordinary times, …

Fraudulent billing leads to occupational therapist’s conviction

Agency secures 6 fraud-related convictions in December    A northeast Ohio occupational therapist was convicted last month for felony workers’ compensation fraud for billing the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) for treatment services she did not provide to patients. Susanna Kagalitskaya Freedman, of Euclid, pleaded guilty Dec. 17 in a Cuyahoga County court to a …

BWC a force for growth, workplace safety, opioid solutions in 2019

By Stephanie McCloud, Administrator/CEO, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Some might view the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation as a purely reactive agency — we compensate injured workers and help them get back to work, health, and life after a workplace injury. But as I reach my 1-year anniversary this week as BWC’s administrator and …

Make 2020 healthier and happier with Better You, Better Ohio!®

By Kristen Dickerson, Ph.D., BWC Statewide Health, Wellness, and Special Program Manager The arrival of 2020 brings a new year, a new decade, and some changes to Better You, Better Ohio!®, our health and wellness program for workers who work for small employers (150 or fewer employees) in high-risk industries.* With Better You, Better Ohio!, …

A look back at our most-popular posts of 2019

By Erik Harden, BWC Public Information Officer With 2019 ticking down to its final moments, we wanted to look back at the year and our most popular blog posts from the past 12 months. This year’s most-read posts include a story about a safety council meeting that literally saved a life, a feature on our …

Holiday greetings from Ohio BWC

BWC to cover drug disposal bags for opioid prescriptions

By Miranda Williams, PharmD, RPh, Director of BWC’s Pharmacy Program In our latest step to mitigate the opioid epidemic on Ohio’s workforce, we will provide injured workers with drug disposal bags that destroy leftover opioids. Governor Mike DeWine, BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud and RecoveryOhio Director Alisha Nelson announced this new statewide effort Thursday, Oct. 17, …