The Future of Health in Cleveland

Cleveland Cavaliers Diversity and Inclusion Team and Community Health Charities Bring National and Community Leaders Together to Create Healthier Communities

Incoming CHC National Board Chair Kevin Clayton, who serves as Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse organization, hosted Community Health Charities (CHC) and numerous national and community leaders in Cleveland, Ohio for a series of events, including:

• The Future of Health in Cleveland Breakfast focused on the social determinants of health and their impact on health equity and health justice, featuring:

  • Len Komoroski: Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Cavaliers Operating Company
  • Kevin Clayton: VP Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement, Cleveland Cavaliers Operating Company
  • Dr. Akram Boutros: President and CEO, MetroHealth Systems
  • Ash Shehata: Principal, National Sector Leader, Healthcare and Life Sciences, KPMG
  • Dr. Charles Modlin: Founder and Director Minority Men’s Health Center: Executive Director of Minority Health, Kidney Transplant Surgeon: Urologist, Cleveland Clinic
  • Patricia DePompei: President, University Hospitals MacDonald Women’s Hospital and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital

All Cleveland’s major health systems came together; it was a rare opportunity for these leaders to be in the same room together discussing these important topics. Attendance was so strong that additional chairs had to be brought in. All speakers and participants agreed more needs to be done as data shows health outcomes are not improving, and in underserved communities actually declining. One important first step is all healthcare systems working together with community advocates to address health disparities head on.

• Community-based projects visits, touring innovative, transformative sites:

  • MetroHealth Systems: Visited the first and only high school in the nation inside a hospital, Lincoln-West School of Science and Health at MetroHealth, and learned more about their Institute for H.O.P.E. The school is focused on providing opportunities, practical internships and employable skills. More than a third of the first graduating class spoke English as a second language.
  • Rid-All Green Partnership: Visited an urban farm that redeveloped vacant city land, establishing a demonstration project offering holistic, nutritional food and teaching sustainable practices and urban agriculture to empower the next generation, turn neighborhoods into viable communities, change health disparities, create jobs, and encourage entrepreneurship. Rid-All’s innovative approaches include aquaponics, composting and soil creation, aquaculture, comic book-style education for young people, and more.

• Perspectives on Social Determinants of Health Panel Breakfast. National thought leaders shared candid, compelling stories about their personal passions and organizational commitment to investing in communities and addressing health inequity, from social action campaigns to creating jobs through urban farming. The key to success is leveraging data and focusing on the business case for diversity and inclusion and addressing inequity. Speakers included:

  • Kevin Clayton, VP Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement for the Cleveland Cavaliers Operating Company
  • Dr. James Misak, MetroHealth Systems
  • Archie Green, Mental Health Advocate and Founder at Peel Dem Layers Back
  • Jeff Johnson, Managing Principal of JIJ Communications
  • Randell McShepard, Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Talent Officer for RPM International Inc.
  • Stacey Ullrich, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Under Armour

Thank you to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse organization for hosting and to all our distinguished panelists and speakers. Check out the programs from the March 4 and March 5 breakfasts, photos from the event, video from  The Future of Health in Cleveland Breakfast, Perspectives on Social Determinants of Health Panel Breakfast and video recap from the whole event.