The care Cleveland Clinic provides does not end at our doorstep.
In addition to serving patients in our hospitals and clinics, we strive to uplift the communities our health system calls home. We cannot thrive as an organization if those around us are in need.
We are working in many ways to improve our neighbors’ wellbeing.
Our highest priority is to protect vulnerable people. We are working with community partners to address urgent issues. These include easing food insecurity and childhood hunger; improving infant and maternal health; eliminating the threat of lead poisoning in homes; addressing mental health concerns, especially among children and adolescents; and ending the disparities that keep the underserved from getting care.
As a major employer, we seek to improve economic conditions for all. We do this by recruiting, training, hiring and promoting caregivers from our local communities; supporting neighborhood development projects and affordable housing; and doing business with diverse suppliers to help them grow and provide more good-paying jobs.
We create a better future by educating tomorrow’s caregivers, helping young people explore healthcare careers, and funding lifesaving medical research.
In 2023, the total value of our community benefit contributions reached $1.46 billion.
The community benefits provided by Cleveland Clinic are far-reaching, from providing accessible healthcare to educating the next generation of healthcare professionals, funding medical research that leads to advanced treatments and cures and supporting community health initiatives.
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TeamBirth is a new model of obstetrics care that focuses on improving communication between caregivers and pregnant patients to drive better health outcomes for mothers and babies. Cleveland Clinic Akron General was one of four U.S. hospitals to pilot TeamBirth. Use of the model has now expanded to our Main Campus and Hillcrest and Fairview hospitals.
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Exposure to lead causes irreversible neurological damage in children. Cleveland Clinic has made lead poisoning prevention a top community health priority and has committed more than $50 million to help fund the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition’s efforts to end childhood lead poisoning. Since 2019, the coalition has helped homeowners and landlords make their properties lead safe. In 2024, the coalition, Cleveland Clinic and the childcare organization Starting Point launched a first-of-its-kind pilot program to help Cleveland childcare providers eliminate lead hazards at their sites. The comprehensive approach aims to provide lead safe environments for children wherever they spend their time.
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Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Community Health Workers employs community members in Cleveland to improve health equity. These advocates help new mothers schedule pediatric appointments, connect adults with trusted medical providers, and guide people who need help with housing, employment or utilities. The community health workers listen, learn and invest the time to establish trust and build relationships with neighborhood residents.
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The Fairfax neighborhood adjacent to our Main Campus lacked a grocery store, meaning residents did not have ready access to healthy, nutritious food. Because of Cleveland Clinic’s commitment to address issues of food insecurity, we worked with Meijer Foods and others to secure construction of a supermarket for the neighborhood. The 40,000-square-foot Fairfax Market, which opened in early 2024, has an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and other items. In addition to being a welcome food source, the market has created dozens of new jobs.
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Cleveland Clinic is working in a variety of ways to reduce food insecurity among patients and community members. A food pantry at our Avon Hospital serves patients in need of food assistance at the time of discharge. Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio assists with follow-up food supplies. The Nourish Pantry Plus program at our Akron General and South Pointe hospitals provides healthy food options donated by local food banks to underserved patients and members of the public. Cleveland Clinic has donated $10.4 million to create more Nourish Plus pantries; to provide food vouchers and grocery delivery service for food-insecure patients and their families; and to establish a teaching kitchen and nutrition and cooking classes at our Langston Hughes Community Health and Education Center.
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Cleveland Clinic’s Supplier Accelerator Program is an effort to help local businesses operated by traditionally underrepresented entrepreneurs become more successful. Launched in Northeast Ohio in 2022 collaboration with University Hospitals, the six-month mentorship program provides five companies with business development coaching, a business plan review, networking opportunities, access to the healthcare systems’ leaders and subject matter experts, and $10,000 in financial support. Cleveland Clinic Florida began its Supplier Accelerator Program in 2024 to assist small businesses in South Florida.
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Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Indian River Hospital collaborates with the Hope for Families Center to help homeless families learn the skills and habits to sustain themselves and establish a stable, risk-free living environment. Indian River caregivers lead classes on proper nutrition and the benefits of a balanced diet.
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Since 2010, Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada, has offered a preprofessional training program that provides opportunities for Nevada students to learn about healthcare careers. Neurologist Arturo Montes Jr., MD, (left), is a former undergraduate intern at the Ruvo Center, where he was mentored by the center’s Director, Dylan Wint, MD (right). Dr. Montes is the first in his family to graduate from college. He calls Dr. Wint “one of the most influential people in my life.”
