During a Cleveland City Council Health, Human Services and the Arts committee meeting in March, Lita Wills, commissioner of health equity and social justice in the Cleveland Department of Public Health, told council the department is partnering with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health for the first time in years.
The partnership will allow the city’s health department to work with the county’s board of health on the Overdose 2 Action project, a nationwide initiative working to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths.
This partnership will expand the Office of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services for individuals and families who struggle with addiction. Residents will soon be able to get services at city recreation centers.
Cleveland Documenter Alyssa Holzkloos, who covered the meeting, wanted to know: Are addiction services a new addition?
What we learned
Cleveland’s public health department has two clinics: J. Glen Smith Health Center on St. Clair Avenue and McCafferty Health Center on Lorain Avenue.
At these clinics, residents can get free or lower-cost healthcare and screening services, which include:
- Childhood immunization vaccinations
- Seasonal flu vaccinations for adults and children
- TB testing
- Pregnancy testing
- Reproductive health/STI testing, counseling, family planning and treatment
- HIV testing and counseling
Holzkloos also asked: How many direct healthcare services does the Department of Public Health provide?
Department working to expand its services
The health department also recently announced it is working to expand services offered through mobile vans. In 2021, Cleveland City Council approved legislation to spend more than $1 million to purchase two vehicles.
The first vehicle rotates between three recreation centers (Zelma George, 3155 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.; Michael J. Zone, 6301 Lorain Ave.; and Thurgood Marshall, 8611 Hough Ave.) during the week. The van is staffed with nurses who can assist with reproductive health screenings, STI testing and counseling around family planning. The van also provides medical screenings such as weight and blood pressure checks.
The second one is set to be out on the road this summer, according to the health department. The department also said it is working to begin offering tobacco cessation classes this summer to help residents quit smoking.
What we’re left wondering
The city’s health department did not have a date when the addiction and recovery services will begin for residents.
The services will provide:
- Screenings and questionnaire services to assess for depression or substance use disorders at community clinics
- Recovery workshops at city recreation centers for families affected by addiction and to connect residents to education, treatment options and resources at community events
