The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee met on April 5th, 2023, to consider several contracts. The meeting was Chaired by Vice Chairman Martin Sweeney. The first item considered was an award of $10,000 over two years to Enterprise Community Partners. The funds were administered because of the American Rescue Plan Act, from...
May HHSA contract focused on supporting crime victims and trauma survivors & community health and crime prevention
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee met on May 3, 2023, to consider one contract. The featured contract considered was an award of $20,000 to Brenda Glass Multipurpose Trauma Center from the District 9 ARPA Community Grant Fund. Presenting to the HHSA committee was Candice Williams, Ohio State Director for the Alliance...
Community Based Policing Approach to Bias Backed by Lakewood Community Health Needs Assessment Results
By John R. Corlett, President and Executive Director Alex Dorman, Research Fellow City of Lakewood Mayor Megan George announced in May that Lakewood would be implementing the Safe Place Initiative. It’s a community-based approach to safety and policing developed first by the Seattle Police Department in 2015 that seeks to assist victims of hate crimes,...
Summer Hunger: summer slump, SNAP and poverty in the suburbs
For most kids summer means no school, no homework, and no worries. Or, summer might mean no breakfast or lunch. Unfortunately, this not only leads to hungry children but can also diminish the academic gains from the previous year. Poor summer nutrition has been closely linked with summer learning loss, coined the “summer slump.” Food...
ARPA in Cleveland: an update on the landscape
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law by the Biden Administration in 2021. This legislation is meant to address the negative economic and health effects that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here at Community Solutions, we have shared our policy asks related to ARPA and what we hope these funds will...
A Conversation with Dr. Roderick Harris, the new Health Commissioner for Cuyahoga County
During the height of the pandemic, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) played a pivotal role in community information, education, and vaccine distribution. At the time, it was led by Terry Allan, who recently retired as the Health Commissioner for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. Allan’s successor is Dr. Roderick Harris, who previously...
How can we lift an Invisible Child out of poverty?
The Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Andrea Elliot Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City follows one homeless family in New York City during the 2010s. The book describes experiences of Dasani and her family as they navigate school, shelters, and the social service systems which are meant to be the safety net...
Cuyahoga County HHSA Committee Approves Seven Contracts in packed meeting
The Cuyahoga County Health, Human Services, and Aging Committee met on January 18th, 2023 to consider seven different contracts to begin the new legislative term. The contracts involved numerous issues of importance to health and human services in Cuyahoga County. Child and Family Services David Merriman, Director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Health and...