May 2021

The KeyBank Foundation has made a three-year, $1.5 million grant that will support programming and staff for the new MetroHealth Economic Opportunity Center in the Vía Sana building, slated to open in 2022 on West 25^th Street at Sackett Avenue.

The Opportunity Center is part of the multi-pronged commitment by the MetroHealth Institute for H.O.P.E.™ (Health, Opportunity, Partnership, Empowerment) to ensure that residents have what they need to live healthy lives.  Job training, financial and digital literacy training and access to Cuyahoga Community College classes will be offered at the center, which is instrumental in the revitalization of the Clark-Fulton neighborhood and other nearby communities.

Several new staff positions, including Field Community Health Workers and Economic Opportunity Specialists, will be added to work closely with patients, community members and MetroHealth employees as they access the programs at the Opportunity Center.

“KeyBank’s generous grant will make possible support and connections to ensure we can position our patients and our clients for success,” said Institute for H.O.P.E.™ President Susan Fuehrer. “The Opportunity Center will offer a multitude of in-person, online and virtual programs at Vía Sana and other MetroHealth locations.” 

KeyBank’s gift, announced on May 27, is an expansion of its earlier involvement; it previously provided the financing needed to make the Vía Sana building a reality. The grant is part of the Cleveland-based financial institution’s multi-year, multi-billion-dollar national plan designed to support community development and affordable housing, mortgage and small business lending, and transformative philanthropy.

“KeyBank is proud to partner with MetroHealth to address the root causes of health issues and to improve access to the resources that will help citizens live healthier lives,” said KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Chris Gorman. “The Institute for H.O.P.E. aligns with our mission to help communities thrive by creating better and brighter futures for all.”

Vía Sana is part of a $60 million redevelopment project; construction began in February.  In addition to the 5,000-square-foot Opportunity Center on the building’s ground floor, Vía Sana will include affordable housing units.

JoAnn and Bob Glick are investing $42 million in The MetroHealth System, by far the largest gift in the institution’s 183-year history.

In honor of the Glicks’ powerful philanthropic statement, the new hospital building at MetroHealth’s main campus will be named The MetroHealth Glick Center. None of the gift is being used for construction of the building.

The donation, announced on December 1, will be used to create two funds:

The JoAnn and Bob Glick Fund for Healthy Communities will support and nurture programs that promote the health and well-being of the underserved in Greater Cleveland with a focus on programs that address the needs of women and children.

The JoAnn Zlotnick Glick Endowed Fund in Community Health Nursing will recognize and support the role of nurses as leaders in improving the health and health care of the underserved in Greater Cleveland. The endowment, established at MetroHealth, will also support a professorship in Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.

“I’d like our gift to change the dynamics of health care in our community,” JoAnn says. “We need a strong Cleveland, with healthy children and families. That’s our passion, and it’s MetroHealth’s mission.”