“Invest Health” is a new private funding program to help communities promote better health among lower-income people. Grants are going to 50 medium-size cities across the country; and three of those are in Northeast Ohio.
Akron, Canton and Youngstown will get $60,000 each. That doesn’t sound like a lot as grants go. But for this purpose, it’s a big step. The money is to cover the costs of seeking ‘best practices’ for improving health in impoverished areas.
Akron’s assistant to the mayor for education, health and families, Terry Albanese, says it’s smart strategic spending.
“Now that we have it, our real benefit will be the opportunity for us as a team, representing diverse sectors, to come together to learn from national expertise, and (to) leverage those to improve health outcomes in our neighborhoods.”
“Invest Health” is a joint effort of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Reinvestment Fund.
by Tim Rudell