MetroHealth Has Been Impacting Health Equity for 200 Years

Current programs

We have expanded our scope over generations to capture a more complete picture of patients and their lives beyond hospital walls. 

We are already changing lives and working toward health equity through the programs outlined below. The Health Equity CLE Fund will support expanding initiatives across the system that utilize our extensive research and experience to address equity in new ways. 

• The Institute for H.O.P.E.™ includes several initiatives focused on helping low-income residents receive support, as through the innovative Community Advocacy Program that brings on-site legal services to qualifying patients and families.
• Screened nearly 150,000 individuals and made more than 30,000 care referrals across a variety of services for nearly 16,000 residents of Cuyahoga County.
• Food as Medicine Clinics provide more than 250 program participants with a food “prescription” for a three-day supply of healthful food and nutrition education.
• Opportunity Centers at Buckeye Health Center and the Vía Sana housing development help remove barriers to good health by providing access to services that help with needs.
• The Trauma Recovery Center offers victims of trauma holistic support to address the medical, emotional and social impacts of trauma.
• The Students Are Free to Express (SAFE) Project is an arts-based, psychologically informed, primary prevention curriculum aimed at addressing the anxiety, depression and suicidality caused by trauma and toxic stress that Cleveland’s children face.



• MetroHealth’s Community Health Centers operate within a community-based health equity model to share resources from MetroHealth and its partners directly within the neighborhoods that need them most.
• Maternal health initiatives are expanding, including the Nurse-Family Partnership home-visiting program for new and expectant mothers; a doula and midwifery program; and the Centering Pregnancy program, offering extra care with a provider and other expectant mothers in a group setting.
• Health fairs and expos tailored to men, women and children have welcomed community members directly into MetroHealth’s care, providing access to education that can eliminate disparities.
• The School Health Program is a national model for school-based health delivery, providing clinical services for more than 4,800 students enrolled at more than 25 schools throughout Cuyahoga County.
• The Center for Health Equity, Engagement, Education and Research conducts clinical research and education designed to reduce health disparities in the communities it serves.

Other Ways We Impact Health Equity

These are only a small snapshot of the many key activities MetroHealth has undertaken to eradicate health disparities. Other activities and departments include:

Health Equity at MetroHealth: A History

Impacting Health Equity for 200 years.