Submissions welcome
Community members are invited to submit a Community Commentary column for publication. Columns should be approximately 500 words in length and will be edited for publication. The News-Sun will make the final decision on whether they will be published. Any column submissions should be emailed to Springfield News-Sun Editor Samantha Sommer at samantha.sommer@coxinc.com. For more info, call 937-328-0346.
There are two things we all do – we are born and we die.
The Clark County Combined Health District (the Health District) records these momentous events by registering all births and deaths that occur in Clark County. Why is this important? Registration is required by law because accurate and complete legal records are essential in determining legal status and rights, including inheritance, citizenship, and paternity.
If you were born in Ohio, your Health District can issue a certified copy of your birth certificate. Death certificates can only be issued for those who died in Clark County.
You may visit our office in person at 529 East Home Road from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. to obtain a copy of a birth or death certificate. If you need an out-of-county death certificate, please contact us and we can help you find out where to get one. You may also mail-in a request or go online at www.ccchd.com.
We only issue certified copies that represent the legal fact of the birth or death. These copies cannot be legally reproduced by the purchaser or any other agency. Each birth or death certificate is issued with a raised state seal and is printed on numbered security paper which ensures the document cannot be tampered with or altered.
Information from birth records is critical to identify and quantify health-related issues. This data is used by public health, especially in our local community, to measure the health of our community and indicate areas where we need to improve. Maternal and infant mortality are important indicators in our community’s health and can influence the programs we provide for our residents. Entities who develop, fund, and research projects that concern public health routinely rely on the vital statistic information that we maintain and provide.
At the other end of the spectrum, death data is also used to identify areas of concern with the chronic health of our community. Based on death data, educational programs may be introduced to help us learn what we can do to prevent heart disease or cancer. This ties in with our Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.
Vital statistics information is used by many local, state, and national agencies to plan and forecast future public health initiatives. These health initiatives will protect our citizens and help make our community a healthier place to live.
Jacquie Thornburg is the administrative assistant to the health commissioner and vital statistics supervisor.
About the Author