For the past several years, The Center for Community Solutions has been committed to examining and improving maternal and infant health for families in our state. By analyzing disaggregated maternal mortality data, infant mortality reports and other critical statistics such as birth records, we’ve developed policy solutions to help combat an escalating maternal and infant...
June 29, 2020
What makes a Most Treasured Volunteer?
Nominate a volunteer today! Hundreds of health and social service organizations serving Greater Cleveland rely on dedicated volunteers to augment their staff. Volunteers perform a vast array of services, not for a paycheck, but for the joy and satisfaction of helping others. For many, time of day or time of year makes no difference; they...
June 22, 2020
The impact of policing on Black mental health
There are two public health crises affecting our country: COVID-19 and racism, both of which disproportionately impact Black Americans. The most recent events in the decades of police violence against Black communities are intensifying the effects of a third crisis: mental health. Due to the pandemic, there is an overall concern about mental health for...
June 22, 2020
Don’t forget to support Black elders at this critical time in American history
“What the elders see while sitting, the young ones standing on their toes won’t see.” – African proverb For the past three months, Americans from all backgrounds and of all ages have dealt with COVID-19, and its dramatic alteration of everyday life. The disease, combined with the structural racism playing over and over on screens...
June 22, 2020
Building a just community by giving voices to people at the margins
Established shortly after the death of a man during a civil-rights protest in Cleveland, a new committee was established “to deal with racial problems in the city and improve community relations…and work on problems affecting the African-American community, such as education, employment and housing.” Today’s news? It could be. But it’s not. It’s a description...
June 19, 2020
Congresswomen Marcia Fudge headlines HSAN on food insecurity
More than 150 people heard from the Honorable Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (D-Warrensville Heights) at the Human Services Advocacy Network (HSAN) via Zoom on June 19. Fudge has been a champion for food access during her tenure in Congress, and provided opening remarks about the issue of food insecurity during and after the pandemic. In...
June 19, 2020
Cuyahoga County Council hears update on diversion center
The Cuyahoga County Council committee of the whole heard an update on June 9 on the newly proposed Cuyahoga County Diversion Center, from the Chief of Special Operations, Brandy Carney. The council had not heard an update in more than six months, according to Council President Dan Brady, so there were quite a few updates...
June 18, 2020
Ohio’s Balancing Act: Knowing the Risks of Reopening and Taking Action
On April 27, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the Responsible Restart Ohio plan, outlining the state’s efforts to slowly revise the public health orders for COVID-19. After facing significant pressure and criticism from some in the business community, these changes reflected the administration’s efforts to balance the dual imperatives of proactive public health measures with...
June 12, 2020
Cuyahoga County executive talks rent assistance, diversion center, racial inequity
The weekly briefing of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health on June 12 began with Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish by thanking Dr. Amy Acton who announced she was stepping down as the Director of the Ohio Department of Health. The Cleveland housing network will be ready for applications July 1 but those who need...