OHIO — Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff announced $6.89 million would be given to 26 organizations across the state.
The funds will go to projects designed to address community conditions that impact health and improve lives within Ohio Health Improvement Zones.
The Ohio Health Improvement Zones are neighborhoods where socioeconmic and demographic factors affect the resilience of individuals and communities.
The organizations selected will either establish or expand initiatives to build local capacity for removing barriers to health.
“As part of our commitment to ensure that every Ohioan has an opportunity to achieve their optimal health, the Ohio Department of Health is focused on elevating the voice of communities across the state who consistently experience health disparities,” Vanderhoff said in a news release. “We want to hear from community members about their biggest barriers to health, and we want to empower them to develop and implement the changes they wish to see in their communities.”
Community conditions affect the health of residents sometimes leading to poorer health outcomes and shorter lives, according to the release. Public health funding has bee limited to addressing gaps in quality health care and health education.
The funding is aimed at addressing community concerns beyond health care access and health education, focusing beyond the normal reach to include healthy options and daily life conditions such as a community’s economic vitality, and access to quality education, safe neighborhoods and quality housing.
“We aren’t just funding initiatives based on abstract data,” said Jamie Carmichael, Chief Health Opportunity Advisor of ODH’s Health Opportunity Office. “We want to engage communities and include them in the development of solutions to the problems they feel are most important. Community members are the experts on how to best improve the conditions that impact their health.”
The following 26 organizations were awarded funding:
- Athens City-County Health Department
- City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office
- Community Action Organization of Scioto County, Inc.
- Cuyahoga County Board of Health
- Dayton Children’s Hospital
- Erie County Health Department
- Famicos Foundation Inc. (Cuyahoga County)
- Food Rescue US (Franklin County)
- Huron County Public Health
- IKRON Corporation (Hamilton County)
- Licking County Health Department
- Marion Public Health
- Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center (Allen County)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, Franklin County
- Nehemiah Foundation of Springfield-Clark County
- Perry County Health Department
- ProMedica Health Systems (Lucas County)
- Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Franklin County)
- Safety Council of Southwestern Ohio (Butler County)
- Summit County Combined General Health District.
- The Breathing Association (Franklin County)
- The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (Lucas County)
- The MetroHealth System (Cuyahoga County)
- United Way Greater Cleveland
- Youngstown City Health District
- Zanesville Muskingum County Health Department
