How Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals Work Together to Strengthen Cleveland

In early 2020, COVID-19 radically changed everything, especially for those of us in healthcare.

In a very short period of time, it became apparent that the needs of the community were greater than any one organization could provide. We needed to work together.

Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals – despite being competitive healthcare systems –? found common ground for the benefit of our patients and communities.

This week, the The City Club of Cleveland invited University Hospitals CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS and me to speak about how our collaborative efforts have evolved in the ensuing years.

As the COVID crisis subsided, our focus shifted toward public health, especially food insecurity, lead poisoning, infant and maternal health, and jobs.

We strongly believe that we have a shared mission – to make our community the healthiest in the United States. Together, we can strengthen the neighborhoods we call home and build a healthy community for everyone.

And so can others. We’ve provided a framework, which we call “Stronger Together.”

If healthcare leaders throughout the United States followed the pattern we have established in Cleveland, we would see significant improvement in the health of our fellow Americans.

In just the past couple of years, Cleveland Clinic and UH have worked together to:

• Address food insecurity. In December, Cleveland Clinic and UH came together with the City of Cleveland - City Hall, the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and The MetroHealth System (Cleveland, OH) to ensure that every child in Greater Cleveland has access to nutritious food.
• Combat the opioid epidemic by hosting 29 locations for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day; by advocating for fentanyl point-of-care testing for patients coming into the EDs with suspected overdoses; by offering narcotic-free surgical and childbirth options; and through electronic prescribing of controlled substances.
• Boost job opportunities for all, while supporting Northeast Ohio’s diverse business communities. Cleveland Clinic and UH developed the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Supplier Accelerator to strengthen local businesses owned by traditionally under-represented entrepreneurs. We have implemented skills-based hiring initiatives to offer jobs based on candidates’ skills and aptitude, not a diploma, opening thousands of jobs to people from our immediate neighborhoods. In addition, the @Workforce Connect Healthcare Sector partnership, which also includes MetroHealth, connects Cuyahoga County residents with job opportunities in healthcare, resulting in thousands of new hires.

These are just a handful of examples.

In our experience, working together has a greater impact on our neighbors and the entire community.

We believe our collaboration is a model not just for healthcare, but for any organizations committed to the greater good.