A second state agency has given honors to Carruthers for her efforts as state rep
Ohio Rep. Sara Carruthers earned a second legislator of the year honor this year.
The latest honor is from the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities for, according to the organization, “her unwavering commitment and impactful advocacy on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities and the hard-working direct support professionals who support them.”
This honor was highlighted by pushing, as chair of the House Finance Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, for developmental disability services in the state budget. The result, the agency said, was hundreds of millions of dollars invested into the state’s Medicaid rate to support higher wages for the front-line workers supporting Ohioans with developmental disabilities.
Butler County Board of DD Superintendent Lisa Guliano, who presented the honor Thursday evening at the OACBDD annual convention in Columbus, called Carruthers “a champion for the developmental disability community.”
“Her efforts were what made the difference in our unprecedented success,” she said.
Carruthers said the budget success “was a collective effort” with her colleagues, and the honor “is a testament to the dedication and passion of everyone involved.”
In October, Carruthers was named the legislator of the year by the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, commonly known as O4A. They chose the Hamilton Republican lawmaker for her work supporting the elderly and caregivers across Ohio, also pointing out her efforts during the state’s budget process.
Carruthers said during the O4A annual conference she was “honored to receive this recognition” and will continue the work and give her “unwavering support to caregivers, older Ohioans, and area agencies that help those who are aging.”
Ohio’s Area Agencies on Aging provide education, information, and referral services for older Ohioans. They work with the public and private sectors to help older adults with home and community-based long-term care.
Carruthers said her support for the elderly and the medical profession is because of her parents, Pat and Donna Carruthers, who donated millions of dollars to Kettering Health Hamilton (formerly Fort Hamilton Hospital) and financially supported the senior living communities, Berkeley Square and Westover, in the city of Hamilton.
Carruthers will seek her fourth term and have a challenger in the March 19 primary. Diane Mullins, of Gardner Road in Hamilton, will challenge the three-term lawmaker this spring. The winner will advance to the general election on Nov. 5. Mullins received the Butler County GOP endorsement last weekend after two rounds of votes, though Carruthers did not seek the county party’s endorsement.