On behalf of the Sisters of Charity Health System and our ministries that receive critical funding from Cuyahoga County, including St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and Joseph’s Home, we would like to thank the community for their support of Issue 33: The Health and Human Services Levy. The levy passed on April 28 with nearly 70 percent of voters in support of the levy increase.
This 4.7 mills levy will generate an additional $35 million per year and a total of $140 million each year to support health and human services in Cuyahoga County.
“St. Vincent Charity Medical Center and Joseph’s Home have multiple funding sources, but neither would be able to fulfil their missions of healing and addressing the unmet needs of individuals, families and our community without the important support of Cuyahoga County’s taxpayers. In these uncertain times, that additional support is more important than ever. For that, we are extremely grateful,” said Thomas J. Strauss, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System.
“Issue 33 will have a profound and positive impact today and in the years ahead for more than 400,000 residents in Cuyahoga County who are in need of critical services,’’ said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “Protecting this safety net in this time of great need will help neighbors, friends and family members get on a path toward a more successful and independent future. The voters of the County have wisely supported an issue that will help sustain and grow some of the much-needed services we provide for children, senior citizens and those with critical mental health needs. These are the same lifesaving services that enable our community to respond to public health crises like the one we face now.’’
Cuyahoga County Council President Dan Brady thanked the 70 percent of voters who supported the levy as well as the hundreds of volunteers who spoke about the need for the levy at community meetings and distributed yard signs and brochures about why it was needed.
“These were unprecedented results in unprecedented times,” Brady said. “Passing Issue 33 was simply the right thing to do and I am thankful to the voters who stood with us and recognized that, even during these difficult times. It will help us address the protracted poverty in the area, some of the fallout of the opioid epidemic, the growing number of seniors and children who we serve, and the reduced federal and state contributions to our safety net.’’
The state and federal governments have cut funding to Cuyahoga County in recent years, which has caused some of the financial strain within the health and human services budget.
Issue 33 received widespread backing, including from numerous public officials and organizations, and received media endorsements from The Plain Dealer and Crain’s Cleveland Business.
About Sisters of Charity Health System
The Sisters of Charity Health System was established in 1982 as the parent corporation for the sponsored ministries of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine in Ohio and South Carolina. The Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine is a congregation of women religious that, since founding in 1851, continues a faith-based legacy of high-quality, compassionate care in partnership with its co-ministers, who are the heart and hands of the ministry.
The Sisters of Charity Health System solely owns two Catholic hospitals: St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio; and Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. The health system also oversees three grantmaking foundations located in Cleveland, Canton and Columbia, South Carolina. Each foundation sponsors significant community initiatives and collaborations that address causes and consequences of poverty. Outreach organizations include Joseph’s Home, a unique residential care center for homeless men in Cleveland; Early Childhood Resource Center for people working in childcare in all settings in Canton; Healthy Learners, a health care resource for children from low-income families in South Carolina; and the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, a state-wide organization supporting initiatives to reengage fathers in the lives of their children. The Sisters of Charity Health System also provides residential elder care services at Regina Health Center in Richfield, Ohio, and Light of Hearts Vila in Bedford, Ohio. More information at sistersofcharityhealth.org.
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