Health and Human Services Committee

Cleveland City Council

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Monday, July 12, 2021
9:30 a.m. EDT

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Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio.There are 17 elected Cleveland City Council members representing the 17 wards of the City of Cleveland. Each ward has approximately 25,000 residents. Council Members are elected to serve a four-year term. Council members serve two roles in their duties: to draft and enact legislation for the city of Cleveland and act as ombudsmen for their constituents.

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Cleveland - OH Documenters Team

Note-taking by Kathryn Johnson

Office of Minority Health needs more staffers; lead-safety remains huge concern

View notes

Live reporting by Colleen Kavanagh

Office of Minority Health needs more staffers; lead-safety remains huge concern

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs

Hi all, I'll be tweeting about today's 9:30 AM @CleCityCouncil Health and Human Services Committee hearing for @cledocumenters #CLEDocumenters and @NeighborUpCle.

You can view the livestream of the virtual meeting at youtube.com/user/Cleveland…

01:13 PM Jul 12, 2021 CDT

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 2/28

"Health & Human Services Committee handles all matters relating to public health, public charities, work relief, city correctional institutions & charitable orgs, incl sanitation, unemployment, air pollution control, lake & river pollution and nuisances." clevelandcitycouncil.org/about-city-cou…

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 3/28

Image of today's agenda. You can download the agenda and details about each ordinance at cityofcleveland.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.…

#CLEdocumenters https://t.co/T5EqqOHqpk

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 4/28

Committee members are:
Chair Kerry McCormack @KerryMcCormack1 Ward 3
Vice Chair Basheer Jones Ward 7
Kevin Conwell Ward 9
Anthony T Hairston Ward 10
Jasmin Santana @jsantanaward14 Ward 14
Jenny Spencer @jennyspencercle Ward 15

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 5/28

"Any actions to be voted on will be done by voice vote." All committee members are present except Santana but newly elected Council person Delores Gray from Ward 5 is present. Not made clear if she is replacing Santana on the Committee.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 6/28

Livestream got started about 5 minutes late.

First item up is 460-2021, authorizing @CleDPH to apply for and accept grant from Ohio Commission on Minority Health for the Cleveland Office on Minority Health. cityofcleveland.legistar.com/LegislationDet…

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 7/28

Commissioner Frances Mills: Office of Minority Health was established in Cleveland in 2007. Works to reduce #HealthDisparities across minoritized communities.

Funding amount ($52,500) has remained flat for past six years. Pays for Equity Summit, outreach, work in partnerships. https://t.co/AxwOTreuYa

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 8/28

Question from Basheer Jones: "Do you feel you have what you need to be successful?"

Mills: "Easy answer is no. We are tackling cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke in minority communities with a staff of one. Wouldn't be able to do what we do w/o support from partnerships."

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 9/28

Jones: "We create an office to say we've done it and it has no impact. We sit in a city with some of the worst health disparities and we're talking about a budget of $52,000. If you could come to us w/ what you really need, what would it be?"

Mills: At least 3.5 FTE.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 10/28

Jones again: "We will continue to be an unhealthy city until we bring resources to the table ... People walking around full of trauma and unhealed and feel no one wants to help. People like Commissioner Mills can help and want to help but don't have resources to help."

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 11/28

@KerryMcCormack1 says that in budgeting w/ new council and Mayor we need to look closely at more funding for Office of Minority Health. "In an org of 3,000+ employees I think we can squeak out 3.5" #publichealth #healthdisparities #MinorityMentalHealthMonth

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 12/28

Conwell asks a question about whether we can pull from some of the $512 million from federal pandemic relief.

@CleDPH Director Kimball: That will be part of future discussions as new Office of Equity comes online and City figures out how that aligns with Minority Health.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 13/28

Doesn't seem to be much clarity about how Office of Health Equity & Social Justice and Office of Minority Health will relate

Conwell also makes point about need for strategic review, better evaluation. "How do I know where you're going if you don't bring me evaluation process?"

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 14/28

Hairston: Echoing comments that Office of Minority Health (OMH) can't wait for budget process. "If @CleDPH can't or won't make an effort toward using some of those rescue fund dollars as appropriate, we as this committee will do it for them."

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 15/28

There's more back-and-forth about why DPH hasn't asked for funds for OMH, given City's declaration of racism as a public health crisis and reports of racist behavior w/in department.

Also more about evaluation and reporting, which is agreed to be a City-wide problem.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 16/28

Conwell: "That's how the health department snuck up on us, because we weren't evaluating."

@KerryMcCormack1 staff states council members did not receive packet with OMH outcomes info that Mills references, but it looks like it's posted on Legistar: cityofcleveland.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&…

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 17/28

Without any further questions, 460-2021 is approved.

Maybe I missed something, but there doesn't appear to be a voice vote taken, although several members state they support the legislation during their comments.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 18/28

Next up 462-2021 Authorizing @CleDPH to apply for and accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Health for the 2021-23 Cities Readiness Initiative Program (CRI)

Tommy Doot, head of DPH's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) states this and following grant support 2.5 staff

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 19/28

OEM is in process of conducting their COVID-19 after action review. @KerryMcCormack1 asks for it to be presented to this committee when complete.

More discussion about quality control and evals. Kimball states that w/in DPH, each program manager is responsible for reporting that

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 20/28

462-2021 is approved. Next 463-2021, also an emergency preparedness grant, this time from Cuyahoga County.

This grant focused on infectious disease, paying for COVID vaccine efforts. OEM coordinates volunteers, other city depts across vaccination clinics.

463-2021 also approved

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 21/28

470-2021 is a contract with Ohio allowing for delegation of authority to @CleDPH to conduct lead investigations when children under 6 have blood tests showing poisoning.

cityofcleveland.legistar.com/LegislationDet…

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 22/28

@CleDPH @jennyspencercle asks a question about procedure for the investigations bc families receiving a "vacate" notice on their door can be scary.

Patrick Cusick explains landlords have 90 days + three extensions to remedy hazards (up to a year) if they're found.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 23/28

There are a number of grants for landlords to get compliant, based on tenant's income. Also funding to help families move or get temporary housing.

Conwell leads a discussion about holding a lead info seminar in his ward, lots of interest from other members.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 24/28

470-2021 declared approved.

Last up is 476-2021, authorizing reimbursements from ODH for radiation monitoring at Burke Lakefront Airport. This is to monitor for any exposure from two nuclear power plants in vicinity. Burke is a good location due to lakefront, near city.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 25/28

After a question from Councilmember Jones about whether radiation might be causing the superhuman raccoons he's been seeing (answer: presumably not bc no radiation has ever been detected in recent memory), 476-2021 also declared approved. https://t.co/VS1hjQfHVO

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 26/28

At 11:00 AM Chair McCormack asks DPH Director Kimball for any updates or comments.

Re: #COVID19 , for last week we are in single digit positive rates but the variants are showing up. 130,000 residents have received full course of vaccine to date, City has administered 61,000.

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 27/28

In next week there will be two events in which @CleDPH will go out to provide #CovidVaccine to homebound elderly and disabled residents.

Before close, Conwell notes that they are looking at Aug 19th for lead seminar, 5:30-7:30 PM, possibly at Eastern Market

Colleen Kavanagh @collkavs 28/28

Have questions? Think we got something wrong? Send any enquiries on the meeting or these tweets to @cledocumenters Or email us at documenters@neighborhoodgrants.org

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Agency Information

Cleveland City Council

See meeting notes for details

www.clevelandcitycouncil.org

(216) 664-2840

@CleCityCouncil

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See Documenters reporting

Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. There are 17 elected Cleveland City Council members representing the 17 wards of the City of Cleveland. Each ward has approximately 25,000 residents. Council Members are elected to serve a four-year term. Council members serve two roles in their duties: to draft and enact legislation for the city of Cleveland and act as ombudsmen for their constituents.

Find meetings streamed at: *online on TV20 at: http://www.tv20cleveland.com/watch-now/

*The meetings are also streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ClevelandCityCouncil/