Community Solutions selected to participate in a national Equity in the Center racial equity project

Community Solutions selected to participate in a national Equity in the Center racial equity project

By: Guest Author A good day begins when you see Congratulations! on the first email you open. We are proud to announce that The Center for Community Solutions has been selected to be part of Equity in the Center’ Inaugural Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ Cohort! Equity in the Center (EIC) is a national organization that works to shift mindsets,...

Impacts of the new budget on Ohio Job and Family Services, SNAP, and TANF

Impacts of the new budget on Ohio Job and Family Services, SNAP, and TANF

By: Dylan Armstrong, Public Policy Fellow and Tara Britton, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy | Edward D. and Dorothy E. Lynde Fellow The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ (JFS) mission is to improve the well-being of Ohio’s workforce and families by promoting economic self-sufficiency and ensuring the safety of Ohio’s most vulnerable citizens. JFS develops and oversees...

Cleveland is again the second poorest city, but there is some good news on race and gender

Cleveland is again the second poorest city, but there is some good news on race and gender

Community Solutions’ early analysis of the 2022 data released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week was mixed. Most of the good news came on Tuesday with the release of the Current Population Survey. This source includes statistics on poverty for states and the country as a whole, including both the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) and the Supplemental Poverty Measure...

Assessing social risks and health outcomes in value-based care

Assessing social risks and health outcomes in value-based care

In June, we explored how policy dialogue surrounding value-based care often disguises its meaning and purpose. It’s almost as if our ever-present challenge of escalating costs and worsening outcomes in the U.S. will be magically solved by simply uttering the phrase “value-based” as though it’s a spell or incantation that will erode decades-long practices of artificially inflating price for no...

New report finds more than 70 percent of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable

New report finds more than 70 percent of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable

Last week the Ohio Department of Health released the latest report on maternal mortality in Ohio, A Report on Pregnancy-Related Deaths in Ohio 2017-2018. There is a lot to unpack in the report and we’ll spend more time with the details in the coming weeks. However, we identified some key data points that should be driving how we address maternal...

Impact of the state budget on older adults and direct care workers

Impact of the state budget on older adults and direct care workers

Now that fiscal year 2024-25 is underway, state departments are anticipating the funding commitments laid out in the state budget. Much of that funding will help Ohioans that need assistance in health, food, housing, etc. Agency allocations in the health and human services sector will be especially helpful for special populations like older adults and workers in this field. Programs...

Weathering ages and harms people of color

Activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked tirelessly to ensure marginalized individuals obtain civil rights but are often gone too soon to realize the impact they have made in society. Dr. King was assassinated at 39 years old, but when pathologists completed his autopsy, they reported that his heart looked like one of a 60-year-old. After Eric Garner died...

Reflections on the State Budget Process

When the budget season began, I did not know what to expect. I have done extensive research and advocacy on various policy topics since joining Community Solutions, but this was going to be a new experience. The budget plays a HUGE role in supporting programs across the state and influences administrative structure in different state agencies. Understanding the budget helps...

Record Low Unemployment Statistics Leave Out Millions of Ohioans

Record Low Unemployment Statistics Leave Out Millions of Ohioans

Ohio’s unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in July 2023 was one of the lowest on record, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet this number tells only part of the story. Many Ohioans have removed themselves from the labor force completely and no longer count in official unemployment statistics. Many Ohioans have removed themselves from the labor force completely...