Cuyahoga County respiratory hospitalizations outpace state average

The scene at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health Board meeting

The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is comprised of five members serving five-year staggered terms. Members are appointed by the District Advisory Council, which consists of the 22 mayors and trustees of the villages and townships of Cuyahoga County and the Office of the Cuyahoga County Executive. The health commissioner, who serves as secretary to the board, is appointed by the board, which also appoints the medical director. The Board of Health meets monthly to review and approve all fiscal, legal, program and planning operations of the department. Regularly scheduled board meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Attendees

• Dr. Gregory Hall, board president 
• Sonja Rajki, board member
• Doug Wang, board member 
• Dr. Sherrie Dixon Williams, board member
• Suzanne Hrusch, external affairs director
• Michael Pissini, director of finance
• John Mills, general counsel
• Roderick Harris, health commissioner
• Dr. Prakash Ganesh, medical director
• Michele Benko, supervisor of maternal and child health program
• Erin Lark Turcoliveri, grant supervisor
• Jackie Napolitano, epidemiologist
• Blaise Soberano, disease investigator

Not present:

• Daniel Richards, board member

Fifteen other attendees in the audience, most or all were CCBH employees.

Meeting called to order at 9:03 a.m.

Minutes from the previous meeting (April 25) were accepted.

Time was allotted for public comments, but there were none.

Finances stable

Presentation by Michael Pissini, CCBH director of finance.

April reflected a “stable financial position for the agency.” As of April 30, total cash balance is $15.7 million, with about $13.7 million in the agency’s general fund. Year-to-date revenue is about $15.1 million across all funds. Positive year-to-date operating position. Strong performance in licenses and permit activity, one of the largest revenue categories. City contract performing as expected, remains the largest revenue source and most stable. Inter-governmental revenue is trending below prior-year levels due to the timing of grant-related cycles and reimbursements, but it will level off. 

Pissini received praise from Board President Dr. Gregory Hall for the report.

Committee Reports – Finance Committee

Board Member Doug Wang said the committee is working on a budget for 2027.

Grant for First Year Cleveland approved

RESOLUTION 2026-036 authorizes the Health Commissioner to accept the 2026/2027 Community and Faith Based Infant and Maternal Health Support Services grant funding from First Year Cleveland from April 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $57,500.

Michele Benko, supervisor of the CCBH maternal and child health program, explained that this grant will support the campaign to promote the Iowa-based Count the Kicks app (available in iOS and Android app stores), which is a tool for mothers to count a baby’s kicks in the third trimester. There is a specific need to measure movement in the third trimester because a decrease in movement can be the first indicator of an issue with the pregnancy. Often, women will report decreased movement, and this app will support conversations with healthcare workers. The CCBH will create a program to boost app usage. The app was previously promoted by the Ohio Department of Health.

Board members had questions about technology and language barriers. Benko said the app is available worldwide in 40 languages and is free to download in app stores on mobile devices.

Healthy Birth Day created the app, and UnitedHealthcare is partnering with Count the Kicks to expand stillbirth prevention in Ohio.

Resolution passed unanimously.

Contracts for HIV work with Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals

RESOLUTION 2026-037 authorizes the Health Commissioner to enter into and execute contracts with the following agencies under the 2026/2027 Ending the HIV Epidemic-Care grant from March 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027. Amount not to exceed: 

• Cleveland Clinic Foundation $ 69,874. 
• University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center $ 55,500.

Erin Lark Turcoliveri, CCBH grant supervisor from the Population Health department, said both hospitals supply medical support and microcase management, and these sums are the remaining amounts from a partial award distribution.

Resolution passed unanimously. 

Reproductive health funding

RESOLUTION 2026-039 authorizes the Health Commissioner to accept the 2026/2027 Reproductive Health and Wellness grant funding from the Ohio Department of Health from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, in the amount not to exceed $141,000.

Amber Hitchcock, supervisor for CCBH’s Nursing and Clinical Services team, said this funding supports the reproductive health program, STI and HIV testing and treatment and pregnancy testing.

Resolution passed unanimously.

RESOLUTION 2026-040 authorizes the Director of Finance to dispose of excess and/or surplus assets.

Resolution passed unanimously.

Sewage treatment in Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and Gates Mills

RESOLUTIONS 2026-041, 2026-042 and 2026-043 grant variances from Ohio law for sewage treatment system servicing at residences in Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills and Gates Mills. 

A CCBH staff member detailed the problems and repair plans. Board members raised questions about the variance process and the agency’s ongoing liability. Staff clarified that once a contractor verifies the system is in good working order and the homeowner signs off, the agency is removed from further responsibility. 

Board Member Sonja Rajki emphasized that these regulations exist to protect the environment and that the CCBH variance service is a significant benefit to the affected communities and their mayors. The liability question was resolved by confirmation that homeowners sign a liability form.

Note: CCBH has septic and sewage management programs because improperly functioning systems pose direct risks to public health and the environment — contaminating groundwater, soil and waterways.

All resolutions passed unanimously. 

There was a Third Reading of RESOLUTION 2026-028 to amend the CCBH Provider Fees for clinical services effective June 1.

No public feedback. Passed unanimously. 

RESOLUTION 2026-044 approves the consent agenda as set forth in Schedule A – Appropriation Measures, Schedule B – Cash Transfers, Schedule C – Routine Personnel Actions, Schedule D – Employee Training and Travel Expenses and Schedule E – CRC Report and Other Contracts. [Editor’s note: The details of these items begin at this point in the agenda packet.]

Resolution passed unanimously.

County hospitalization rates above average for Covid, RSV and flu

Infectious Diseases Report
CCBH epidemiologist Jackie Napolitano presented an end-of-season respiratory report covering COVID, flu and RSV.  

Respiratory virus season is October through mid-May. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for week 19 (May 10-16) shows that Cuyahoga County’s hospitalization rates exceeded the state average across all three illnesses — COVID at 93.53 per 100,000 (state is 72.72), flu at 111.16 (state is 99.66), and RSV at 82.06 (state is 45.3). 

There were 1,183 COVID-associated hospitalizations and 1,406 flu hospitalizations as of week 19 of the season. The county recorded 13 COVID deaths, 23 flu deaths, and no pediatric flu deaths this season. Staff are working to close active outbreaks in congregate care settings, like group homes, nursing homes and emergency shelters.

Napolitano said that, in October 2025, COVID-19-associated hospitalizations became reportable, so they don’t have the historical data for comparison.

Board members questioned why county rates are higher than the state and asked for comparison data against Columbus and Cincinnati to provide context. Discussion ensued about vaccination gaps and undertesting as contributing factors, and board members called for more demographic analysis next month. Attendees suggested scaling up existing tools like the RSV toolkit, vaccination and handwashing campaigns as potential improvement strategies. Hall said older folks who take care of little kids need to be vigilant.

Board Member Dr. Sherrie Dixon Williams led the charge for the county to step up. “I also feel like we, Cuyahoga County, should be trailblazing. Everybody else can be dealing with their issue, but we are going to lead the pack in terms of doing better than the others in terms of assessing what happened, getting the demographics and … doing our campaigns so that they are looking to us to say, ‘How did you do it?’”

A CCBH staff member said that they can look at daycares once they know how they compare and how they can improve. She suggested a Happy Handwashing campaign or surveillance programs at daycares.

Following the respiratory report, CCBH Disease Investigator Blaise Soberano reported some infectious disease highlights.

Mpox, malaria and Q fever cases

Two cases of Mpox have been confirmed since the board last met in April. Note: Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a contagious viral disease in the same family as smallpox. It typically causes flu-like symptoms and a painful, pus-filled rash that can take two to four weeks to heal.

CCBH was able to do outreach for those in contact with the individuals and try to facilitate vaccination. No further cases have been reported. Soberano said there are usually a handful of cases around this time of year, and they will continue to monitor.

There have been a few travel-related cases lately: One malaria case and a few cases of Q fever, all travel-related. Note: Q fever is an infectious disease caused by inhaling dust contaminated by the birth products, feces, or urine of infected cattle, sheep, or goats. 

There were three Lyme disease cases reported in April, and that number will likely continue to increase.

Ebola preparedness

There was an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, with numbers from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call on May 27: 112 confirmed cases, 906 suspected cases, 11 deaths, 223 suspected deaths. There are currently travel restrictions on non-passport holders, and travelers returning from affected areas will be funneled through three airports for monitoring: Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Houston.

A discussion ensued about Cuyahoga County’s preparedness for Ebola if a case should make it to The Land. Williams raised the question of whether county public health facilities have begun coordinating with partners on preparedness for Ebola and Hantavirus, noting that tabletop exercises are underway at her workplace, MetroHealth Medical Center. [Note: Tabletop exercises are structured discussion-based simulations where staff and stakeholders walk through a hypothetical emergency scenario.] 

Soberano noted that while no Ebola cases have been identified in Cleveland, the risk is considered possible. He said he doesn’t think Ohio currently has any designated Ebola treatment centers; MetroHealth previously held that designation but lost it. The two nearest assessment centers are Ohio State University and Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, and the nearest treatment center is the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

MetroHealth does retain a Bioquell decontamination system. The regional plan calls for initial evaluation at one of Cleveland’s three major hospitals, though the details of that protocol still need to be worked out. Board members acknowledged that hospital participation in these designations involves considerations that vary by facility type.

Cuyahoga County Board of Health presentations

HR Diversity Report

Becki Burke, director of organizational development at CCBH, gave a presentation on internal employee demographics. The team has been intentional about promoting diversity in recent years and uses expanded job boards for hiring. 

The board had questions about employee retention, citing decreases in older employee numbers and an uptick in employees ages 21-30. Burke responded that they actively conduct exit interviews and stay interviews with employees.

Medical Director’s Report

Dr. Prakash Ganesh, medical director, spoke about attending a women’s HIV support group with 28 attendees and said it was a great experience.

Cocaine re-emerging in overdose deaths

Health Commissioner’s Report

Roderick Harris, CCBH health commissioner, reported on a range of recent activities. He attended the annual Ohio Association of Health Commissioners spring conference and the National Medical Association regional conference, which was held locally, and included dinner and a film screening. He highlighted a fellowship through the Black Child Development Institute focused on building community power around infant mortality and vitality, based at the Midtown Collaboration Center.

Staff represented CCBH at the Cleveland Asian Festival, and Harris participated as a panelist at the NEOMED Transformation Forum, where discussion centered on radical collaboration and cross-sector approaches to health equity.

Internally, an all-staff meeting was held on May 11. CCBH’s Epidemiology, Surveillance & Informatics (ESI) team hosted a “Data Day” focusing on fetal and infant mortality in East Cleveland, drawing 30-40 attendees. ESI is developing public messaging on Hantavirus in coordination with the communications team.

CCBH Population Health Services has been working with the medical examiner’s office to look at overdose trends. There were 360 overdose deaths in 2025, with cocaine now re-emerging as the most prevalent substance in overdose deaths.

The HIV program was selected to participate in an integrated Ryan White HIV/AIDS program community of practice, a six-month project collaboration with five to six other states focusing on HIV care linkages, retention measures, re-engagement strategies and ending the HIV epidemic.

The CCBH REACH Project is partnering with HIP-Cuyahoga and Bike Cleveland to launch a video-based health communications campaign called Your Health, Your Way. The initiative utilizes cycling to tackle community health disparities and improve physical activity.

The board praised the networking being done by the organization. 

No executive session. Meeting adjourned 10:27 a.m.

These notes are by Documenter Maria Shuckahosee. Audio recorded by Documenter Tisha Barnes.

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If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.