Summary
- The Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) is in good financial health, which is due in part to more accurate financial forecasting being done by their staff. They continue to support various grant funded programs in Cuyahoga County.
- In the realm of infectious diseases, the cyclospora outbreak seems to have nearly come to an end. CCBH continues to monitor cases, however. Measles cases are growing regionally, although there are no active cases in Cuyahoga County. CCBH is proactively coordinating with regional Boards of Health and quarantining exposed individuals when exposures occur in Cuyahoga County.
- Changes in federal and state funding have necessitated that CCBH fill some gaps in funding for programs, such as the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) emergency preparedness program.
Follow-up questions
- It is encouraging to see a public agency with good financial standing. What is CCBH doing right that other agencies could incorporate, or is it more a function of having better revenue streams/funding sources?
- What would happen if another pandemic were to occur? Are we prepared on local, regional, state, and federal levels? How do we even measure preparedness for events that we cannot predict?
Scene at the Sept. 23. Cuyahoga County Board of Health meeting
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) meeting was called to order at 9:04 a.m..
In attendance were all board members: Dr. Gregory Hall, Sonja Rajiki, Daniel Richards, Doug Wang, and Dr. Sherrie Dixon Williams, as well as Health Commissioner Roderick Harris and Medical Director Dr. Prakash Ganesh.
New project focused on adolescent mental health
The Board reviewed various resolutions which passed with unanimous approval and minimal questions or comments.
The board approved Resolution (2026-084).
This is accepting new funding to the CCBH from the Ohio Department of Health for Adolescent Health Resiliency.
Alison Patrick, Youth Health and Wellness Supervisor in Population Health, described the programming planned for the funding: a three-year project that will address adolescent mental health in the community in two ways. First, it will fund implementation of “community-based trainings with adults that serve youth in either community organizations, after-school programs, or other places where youth gather on how to be a safe adult for young people in the community.”
Second, they plan to use the funds to “engage youth in community health improvement planning” in partnership with the Adolescent Health and Youth Development Hub at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). The grant required that the youth involved be compensated for their involvement and that they share in the decision making about implementation strategies focusing on public health, and specifically behavioral health and resiliency.
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Funding for years two and three will be used to fund the strategies that the involved youth help co-design. CWRU currently engages 80 summer youth interns that they will be using to help with the program. In addition to CWRU, Population Health is partnering with the Educational Services Center and Beech Brook, which have established programs at school districts across the county.
Lowest overdose mortality rate in 10 years
The board approved Resolution (2026-085). Mollie Evans with Population Health reported that in 2025, Cuyahoga County saw “our lowest overdose mortality rate in a decade, with 363 overdose fatalities.” Evans noted that the medical examiner’s office is predicting a slight decrease in fatalities again through 2026.
Evans also presented on the work of the Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (HUMADAOP). Board Member Dr. Sherrie Dixon Williams asked whether they had seen a reduction in the Latino/a/x rates of overdoses. Evans said that there had been. In 2025, 6% of overdose fatalities were among residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino/a, which Evans said was a lower percentage than in past years.
Cyclospora outbreak and measles update
Blaise Soberano from Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Informatics (ESI) gave infectious disease updates.
Soberano reported the cyclospora outbreak has been declared over by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The State of Ohio has not provided the CCBH with any updates on how that changes anything “ on our end.” ESI was able to interview approximately 60% of reported cases in the county, which is in alignment with what results they were hoping for.
Soberano reported on the most recent outbreak of measles in Ohio. Soberano said that there have been no cases reported in Cuyahoga county during this outbreak, which has resulted in 180 confirmed cases in 14 counties. There have been four separate measles exposure events at Cuyahoga County hospitals, however, due to residents from other counties coming to Cuyahoga County hospitals. Any individuals exposed were asked to quarantine if they could not produce proof of vaccination.
Soberano reported that some of these cases occurring in the region have been from Amish communities; some Amish communities and individuals (though not all) are opposed to receiving vaccinations while others are seeking them out. Board Member Williams asked Soberano if CCBH is coordinating with other counties’ Boards of Health. Soberano responded that the CCBH does do so, including participation in a weekly regional Board of Health call.
Exposures have occurred at HIllcrest Emergency Department and the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. People potentially exposed to infected individuals were quarantined (if they could not prove prior vaccination). No cases resulted from the exposures.
CCBH board meeting adjourned at 11:07 a.m., after an executive session and the passage of two remaining resolutions.
There’s more: Read the full notes from this meeting by Documenter Max Tomassoni. They include details about the mpox vaccine.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
