Buckeye Hill Regional Council’s five divisions leveraged investments totaling more than $65.4 million for southeast Ohio’s communities in 2020. These investments include infrastructure, senior services, pandemic related relief and more. Snapshots of the impact of these investments can be found in the council’s newly-released annual report for 2020.
Established in 1968, Buckeye Hills Regional Council is a council of governments dedicated to improving the lives of residents in southeast Ohio. By working collaboratively with elected officials across Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, and Washington counties, Buckeye Hills Regional Council works to strengthen communities through its five divisions: Aging & Disability, Community Development, Mapping & Data, Population Health, and Transportation Planning.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges in southeast Ohio,” said Misty Crosby, Buckeye Hills Regional Council Executive Director. “Despite these challenges, our Aging & Disability staff and provider network adapted to new means of ensuring our region’s most vulnerable residents received the care, food, and social connection they need. And working with community leaders across southeast Ohio, our Development, Transportation, and Mapping and Data staff worked to address the problems that the pandemic presented to local governments and area businesses.”
Alongside each of the snapshots of Buckeye Hills Regional Council’s five divisions, the 2020 Annual Report presents several highlights of the pandemic response in southeast Ohio, from the distribution of life-saving PPE, to nourishing meals for seniors, a new app to find the location of the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot, and more.
Buckeye Hills Regional Council’s Aging & Disability division worked with local senior centers and service providers to bring care and support to more than 10,769 seniors in 2020.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought about the closure of congregate sites that many area seniors rely on for meals and social connection,” said Jennifer Westfall, Buckeye Hills Regional Council Aging & Disability Director. “CARES Act funding enabled our region’s senior centers to quickly adapt, increasing the availability of home delivered meals, while also adding new services like grab-and-go meals, grocery deliveries, and creating partnerships to provide meals through local restaurants. Additionally, through telephonic check-ins, senior centers were able to stay in touch with our region’s older residents. Others provided technology to assist seniors with access to evidence-based programs and telehealth services.”
Despite the impacts of the pandemic, Buckeye Hills Regional Council’s Community Development division made significant strides in supporting the region’s businesses and workforce, with projects that served 2,500 students and 300 businesses. Investments totaling more than $3 million helped create 239 jobs and retain 300 positions in the region in 2020. Additional projects addressed vital needs in the region, including water and sewer infrastructure, road repair and maintenance, and broadband.
“Broadband access became a recurring theme throughout our work in 2020 as the pandemic forced people online for day-to-day activities from work, to education, to accessing healthcare,” said Sam Miller, Buckeye Hills Regional Council Development Director. “We knew before the pandemic that the digital divide in our region was wide. The pandemic brought this divide to light and made clear the scope of the work that still needs to be done to fully connect our region.”
While the challenges presented by the pandemic are far from over, Buckeye Hills Regional Council is continuing to work hand in hand with community leaders, partners, and legislators to assist communities throughout southeast Ohio and improve the quality of life in the region.