Dewine promises to invest in South East Ohio during State of the State Address

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTAP) -Ohio Governor Mike Dewine gave his first State of the State Address since 2019 Wednesday afternoon.

Telehealth, broadband, water systems, mental health and child services are just some areas Dewine said have benefited from increased funding since 2019.

Dewine said his administration and state leaders were able to do this all while cutting $3.6 billion in taxes and addressing the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dewine also said several businesses are opening operations in Ohio and will bring thousands of jobs in the coming years. One is Intel Corporations which will open two chip factories for semiconductors outside of Columbus. Dewine said Intel will invest $20 billion in Ohio and will open its factories in 2025.

Dewine did dedicate a portion of his address to South East Ohio and its Appalachian counties. He said this area, our area of Ohio, is full of “opportunity” for growth.

“We have a historic opportunity to dedicate resources to an area of our state that is ready to move and ready to flourish. In the coming days and weeks, I will work together with you and community leaders to help the region plan and implement improvements that reflect the vision of local communities,” Dewine said.

“Investing in such things like downtown redevelopment, further expansion of broadband coverage, workforce development, student wellness in schools and fighting the ongoing battle against addiction. Our citizens in Appalachia are strong. They have a great and proud history-generations building a life there, planting roots deep in the soil of the Ohio River. And this, this is now Appalcahia’s time.”

Dewine continued his address saying another big issue impacting many Ohioans is mental health. He said more money is needed to invest in the Behavior Health workforce.

“One, we must grow our behavioral health workforce. Two, by increasing research and innovation. By building a community capacity for care that offers better prices for response services, increased prevention efforts, and more residential and outpatient services.”

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