With social distancing measures in place, many organizations have implemented virtual and remote services to support the health and social needs of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two-thirds of service providers in Community Solutions’ COVID-19 survey reported shifting their in-person work with clients to phone or video chat. We’ve seen more expansion...
May 21, 2020
Growing our gratitude during Mental Health Awareness Month
One thing that seems to have increased during the past several weeks is discussion of gratitude. One thing that seems to have increased during the past several weeks is discussion of gratitude. It’s in public service announcements—“Thanks to first-responders”—in advertising—“We appreciate our loyal customers”—in webinars on mental health—“Keep a gratitude journal”—and even in cute messages...
May 19, 2020
Ohio’s new Pandemic EBT program will provide groceries for 850,000 Ohio children
Highlights On May 12, Ohio received approval to operate the federally-funded Pandemic EBT program 850,000 school-age children will receive a $300 benefit to spend on groceries without needing to apply Regional analysis shows all Ohio areas will see a boost in economic activity from Pandemic EBT New child food insecurity data reinforces the importance of...
May 18, 2020
County to provide wifi hotspots to 1,000, virtual job fair coming in June
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health holds press conference updating citizens on the coronavirus pandemic on Friday mornings. During the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) briefing on May 15, County Executive Armond Budish shared that more than 1,400 small businesses applied for the second round of funding from the county’s small business stabilization fund....
May 18, 2020
Policy changes during COVID-19 have mixed impact: Qualitative data collected via Community Solutions’ survey
When The Center for Community Solutions designed our survey to find out how COVID-19 and the Stay-at-Home order were impacting service providers we included a number of open-ended questions. This enabled respondents to share experiences and thoughts without being confined to the answers provided in multiple choice questions. Taken together, these responses can be an...
May 18, 2020
Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services levy passes with flying colors
On April 28, Cuyahoga County voters overwhelmingly approved an increase to the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services (HHS) levy, passing by an unofficial margin[1] of approximately 70 percent to 30 percent. The 4.7 mill levy[2] is a replacement levy for the county’s previous 3.9 mill levy. Cuyahoga County homeowners will pay an additional $41.58...
May 15, 2020
“It’s not true just because someone said it on the internet,” 2,254 COVID-19 cases in Cuyahoga County
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health holds press conference updating citizens on the coronavirus pandemic on Friday mornings. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) briefing on May 15 started with comments from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson. Gilson said that while the majority of deaths due to COVID-19 are not under...
May 13, 2020
Staying connected, especially during this pandemic
They’re there. Behind closed doors. Rarely seen or heard. But there and they need attention. Who? Isolated older adults. On Tuesday, May 12, Ohio announced the launch of a new program, Staying Connected, a free, daily check-in phone service for Ohioans age 60 or older. Its laudable goal is to ensure that Ohioans—especially those who...
May 11, 2020
Grocery shopping alternatives are great, unless you have SNAP
Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) began, customers across the country have been utilizing the convenience of online shopping for more than just clothes and shoes. Online shopping has become one of the most popular ways to obtain food and household essentials as it allows customers to adhere to social distancing guidelines and...
May 11, 2020
How will we count America? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more questions than answers.
As the days of social distancing continue to pass us by, so do the days that the U.S. Census Bureau has left to conduct a complete and accurate count of every person living in the United States. As with many other systems in our society, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in census plans,...