SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — In a press conference Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was joined by other state and local officials to offer an update on the ongoing situation in Springfield, Ohio, as it relates to health care, security and political visits.

The city has been in the national spotlight recently after a number of individuals, including former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, have echoed false claims that Haitian immigrants had been stealing and eating pets. The topic also came up during the most recent presidential debate.

There have been dozens of bomb threats targeting the town in recent weeks, ranging from schools, hospitals and government offices.

When it came to school security, DeWine said things are looking good. Today, he and his wife, Fran, visited Lincoln Elementary School. He said they spoke with state troopers, teachers and principals and received good reports.

“We will continue to have troopers in every one of the schools and continue to follow that same protocol until we think it’s not necessary, until, frankly, the school officials tell us that they don’t think it is necessary,” he said.

He also addressed health care, something he said they’ve been concerned about with the town’s increase in population.

DeWine said they’re going to work on expanding primary care in Clark County and the City of Springfield. They want to decrease wait times and reach more people.

They’re going to do that through a new mobile health clinic, which the governor said would be established next week. This mobile health clinic will supplement the one that is already present, he said, and will help cover essential health care services.

Additionally, they’re going to create a new health clinic in Springfield, in conjunction with the county health department. They do not have a start date on this as of now, as they are still looking for a location.

“We think that this is very important to do, again to supplement the primary health care that is already here in Springfield,” he said. “And once again, the goal is to reach everyone, whether you’ve lived here for your whole life or whether you just came in recently. The goal is to reach everybody in the community.”

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue asked that people move beyond “divisive rhetoric” and work on “fostering unity.”

“Due to the recent spread of misinformation about our dynamic and strong community, I urge everyone—community members, media outlets, public figures alike—to exercise caution and responsibility when sharing information,” Rue said. “Words, particularly when based on false claims, harm not only individuals but entire communities like Springfield.”

Rue spoke about a town hall event being held in Springfield with Vivek Ramaswamy Thursday evening. He asks all attendees to gather peacefully, and he said such a visit presents “logistical challenges that require careful planning.”

He also addressed a potential visit from former President Donald Trump some time in the coming weeks. He said they will work to make sure the event proceeds smoothly and will keep public safety as a top priority.

“While the visit brings attention to our city, it also represents logistical challenges that require careful planning and allocation of our resources to minimize disruption of daily life,” Rue said. “As a visit from the former president will undoubtedly place additional demands on our safety infrastructure, should he choose to change his plans, it would convey a significant message of peace to the city of Springfield.”

Andy Wilson, the director of the Department of Public Safety, spoke on the ongoing threats being fielded by buildings and institutions in the city.

After being prompted by a question, Wilson confirmed that there had been a bomb threat at Clark State College in Springfield on Thursday. A water bottle with something taped to it had been found. They are developing a suspect; he said.

“Again, we continue to work with Clark State in proactively clearing their buildings,” he said. “As the governor said, the ATF has given us extra bomb dogs, so we can proactively shift those dogs around the community, and we are working with Clark State to make sure that those buildings are swept so they can get their students back in. Again, it was another hoax.”

Anyone behind these hoaxes, he said, will be prosecuted. He said they’re seeing multiple bomb threats every day.

Spectrum News senior producer Lydia Taylor contributed to this report.