Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Cincinnati City Council Rejects $264,000 for Office of Minority Health

Posted by Media Release

Photo courtesy of here.

The Cincinnati Health Department applied for and recently was awarded a grant from the State of Ohio for $264,000 (give or take some change).  The grant was written to establish an Office of Minority Health under the Cincinnati Health Department.  The City of Cincinnati received the funds; however, the members of City Council returned them to the State of Ohio.  Five members of Council could not agree to receive the funding.  The Cincinnati NAACP has highlighted that infant mortality rates in Cincinnati are worse than in third world countries. 

The infant deaths overwhelmingly (80%) are concentrated in the City of Cincinnati.  It is known that diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, sickle cell, prostate cancer, etc. along with infant mortality are all diseases that disproportionately impact African Americans, specifically in the poorest communities.

The President of the local NAACP is asking why would City Council reject free money to help half of the City’s citizens improve their health indicators?  Smitherman said, “Accepting the grant award was a chance for Council to show just a little commitment to urban public policy.  This decision was a gross breach of their fiduciary responsibility to the City.  It’s another example of why the Cincinnati NAACP is circulating petitions to reinstitute proportional representation.”

Additionally, he stated that the funding allotted to Cincinnati’s Health Department is likely to be redistributed to other cities in Ohio, like Cleveland, on September 1.  The State of Ohio is still willing to fund the Office of Minority Health.  However, Council must know that residents are very concerned about this decision.  When future applications are submitted, the Ohio grantmakers will remember that the City rejected this award.

Cincinnati hosted the 99th Annual NAACP Convention this month where President Christopher Smitherman highlighted his concern about infant mortality rates in the region.  Now, it’s revealed that approximately 180 infants died in Hamilton County and Cincinnati City Council sends back $264,000 that would have created an Office of Minority Health.  With the numbers of uninsured and under insured skyrocketing across the nation, President Smitherman strongly encourages the media, area hospitals, the universities, the county commissioners, and the members of the NAACP to call and write City Council members to get an answer to the question, “Why did you send the money back?”

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says:
29 Jul 2008  at  07:40 am | #

Ask Dwight Tillary. He used his clout to stop this great endeavor.

TaDa says:
29 Jul 2008  at  09:26 am | #

And then the hospitals could stick their hands into the pot and try to grab some of the money to cover their losses from all the cuts they have had to make by their lack of proper planning.

Oops. Did I write that? Maybe someone should start outing the poor accounting practices of the hospitals and why they let so many uninsured minority moms have little to no pre-natal care. Because they wish they would just go away since they cost money to take care of these patients and their babies!

Cincinnati has the worst pre-natal programs for minority and uninsured moms in the world. Don’t be so shocked by the numbers. And when people try, they just get kicked around. The Health Clinics aren’t a big help either and people are afraid to touch them because of the “icons” that they have made themselves out to be. The directors with their new Lexus, and the fake- “We are here for the Folk” is just BS. They only look after themselves.

says:
29 Jul 2008  at  11:20 am | #

They made the right decision.  It would be flatly racist to do so.  Everyone would be up in arms about an Office of White Health.  This is not different.

NtotheC says:
29 Jul 2008  at  01:19 pm | #

I don’t know why anyone needs to do anything on Minority Health...not when i read studies like this: http://www.cnn.com/?gtbb=1

okay, i’m not sure if that link will work.  i hope so.

komarek says:
29 Jul 2008  at  01:28 pm | #

Earl:

Why would he do that?

--pk---

says:
29 Jul 2008  at  04:03 pm | #

NtotheC, it was unclear what you were trying to link to. What was the title?

JFD says:
29 Jul 2008  at  04:32 pm | #

I’m guessing that it’s about the headline story in the Health section.

Good for Council says:
29 Jul 2008  at  06:34 pm | #

I think Council made the right decision on this.

komarek says:
29 Jul 2008  at  07:15 pm | #

All

I would really appreciate seeing more detail on this.

Many health problems do affect one or another group within our community disproportionately.

Has anybody articulated a decent reason not to support this funding?

Who voted for, who against?

--pk---

CincyJeff says:
29 Jul 2008  at  09:13 pm | #

My suspicion is this grant would only provide some of the cost of running such an office.  Council would still have to come up with the rest, and as you’ve noticed, money is tight.  If this is a duplication of some other service already provided with taxpayer funds, it would be an easy call not to spend more money to duplicate.

Anon says:
29 Jul 2008  at  09:23 pm | #

Tillary stopped it because he wants to have the monopoly on minority health issues. He receives $250,000 a year of City tax dollars for his operation.

anon says:
29 Jul 2008  at  10:26 pm | #

Give us more.

(Recently, I threw a fit over Cin/Ham One Stop Employment Center being forced to give give back a half million in funding for education for local citizens - no body cared.  NOBODY.)

The I Team report just aired and I’m still confused.  It seems Tillary runs a separate office of minority health and he doesn’t want anybody cutting in on his turf (and likely the funding he gets from Council that might be used to get the matching funds required for the grant).  Well, that’s my take on it.

Freedom Fighters says:
29 Jul 2008  at  11:30 pm | #

.

“The President of the local NAACP is asking why would City Council reject free money to help half of the City’s citizens improve their health indicators?”

Cole has stopped this grant to protect her mentor Tillery !

You see, he got a cushion job after a lawsuit and formed a non-profit similar to the illusion created by 3CDC !

.

"Lights on, I'm in" Mirlasena says:
30 Jul 2008  at  07:25 am | #

Links to Dwight’s metamorphis as the sole speaker for health issues in the black community stem from his years in Florida. After leaving council. His buddy Johnny Mirlasena had migrated there for distance and health reasons. To keep his mouth shut.

Dwight’s shady deals almost caught up with him prior to his departure.

When media focuses on a “community spokesperson”, the Spokespeople are the usual suspects. The well-heeled social service high rollers silently sanctioned by political potentates maintaining programs for their well-being and less so for the betterment of the city or county populations. Look at the large social services study committee Qualls pushed for from the Planning Commission when a Bortz resolution on social services concentration did not serve the hidden objectives of several social services attorneys allied with Tillery.

Anyone ever focus on which neighbors such losses impact?
Anyone look at the data for this?  Bring on Korte or MEP for an analysis.

NtotheC says:
30 Jul 2008  at  07:46 am | #

Justin, sorry, that link went to the home page, didn’t it?  it was a story on the page about the incredible disparity of AIDS among blacks in this country.  It further stated that the levels were similar to those in Africa, which is truly frightening.

NtotheC says:
30 Jul 2008  at  07:50 am | #

Here is another link citing the same research

NY Times article

Cincinnati Change says:
30 Jul 2008  at  12:41 pm | #

Some facts.

Dear Citizen,

Roughly six years ago Council voted to support the Center for Closing the Health Gap (Center) as the result of a lawsuit settlement, which was negotiated by the previous Health Commissioner.  The Solicitor has indicated that applying for the formation grant for an Office of Minority Health would be duplicative of the Center’s services.  Council voted to not support the Health Department’s application for a formation grant as it is duplicative of the Center’s services and we could lose millions from the private sector.

It is important to note the potential funding is not “free”, rather it would cost the City, as the grant requires matching funds from the City, as well as requiring new office staff to implement the program.

It has been broadcast that “264,000” in grant had been awarded to the Health Department and the City forced the Department to return those funds; this is simply not true as the Department never received any funds.  However, as stated by the Health Commissioner in a memo dated July 18th, 2008 there was “potential funding that could come to the city through the establishment of an Office of Minority Health at the Health Department”, which is also untrue.  In fact, the Health Department only ever requested to apply for $69,023 from Council (Council item #200800228-Please see the attachment).

This grant is a 2 year grant which states that the potential funding is up to $100,000 per year, which means only a total of $200,000, may be realized; therefore it is not possible for the Health Department to secure $264,000 in funding.  In fact other cities have only received a total of $69,000 from this grant.

I believe and hope that you can agree that the Center for Closing the Health Gap is doing a great job of working toward reducing health disparities.  It is not necessary for the Health Department to set up an office to deal with health disparities as they should already be doing this, especially as they receive a total of $32,065,400 ($32 million) per year, $20 million coming from the City.

I hope this e-mail helps in explaining Council’s position and our support towards combating health disparities in our city.  Please note, Council’s position is to ensure we do not waste the taxpayer’s dollars by providing duplicative services and we have asked the Health Commissioner to work with the Center in their efforts to reduce health disparities.

Sincerely,

Councilmember Y. Laketa Cole

President Pro Tem

says:
30 Jul 2008  at  01:48 pm | #

For a detailed report, see “What Were They Thinking?” in the June 1 edition of Streetvibes. The article is available on page 15 at this link: http://www.cincihomeless.org/content/downloads/Streetvibes%20-%20June%2008.pdf

anon says:
30 Jul 2008  at  03:43 pm | #

Ms. Cole,
Being the office was establsihed 6 years ago and we STILL have an infant mortality rate worse than third world countries, I’d say it’s been a dismal failure - wouldn’t you.  How many lives most be lost or impaired to keep funding something that hasn’t made a dent in the problem.  THis, most of us, would call politics.

The Dept of Health should be operating the program and given the chance to make a difference where Tillary’s program has not.  They are better equiped and far more knowledgeable.  Enough with the cutesy projects - let’s save some lives!

(It makes no sense for the city to spend “X” dollars when “X” dollars can garner us funding equating to “X + X + X” it’s that simple.

komarek says:
30 Jul 2008  at  05:26 pm | #

Thanks to all who provided additional info on this.

I can’t believe the city ever granted exclusive rights to “minority health issues” to any nonprofit.

The Health Department sees itself in a position to actually deliver services to our citizens- and pursue appropriate activities that the nonprofit is not actually pursuing right now. They are the experts. They have the duty to the community and deliver the actual services. That’s good enough for me.

It’s outrageous to hear any nonprofit complain because another group finds additional resources to benefit local citizens. Nonprofits should focus on the best interests of the people they serve, not their own fundraising program.

There are too many people suffering in this city to justify turf wars over issues like this.

--pk---

Stan says:
31 Jul 2008  at  08:26 am | #

"Free Money” ???

says:
31 Jul 2008  at  08:40 am | #

Cincinnati Change:

More facts.

Cincinnati Change says:
05 Aug 2008  at  02:11 am | #

On the way.

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