Cleveland City Councilwoman Jasmin Santana shows us our neighborhood from her perspective
Being a good neighbor means knowing what’s going on in your community, being invested in its future and supporting efforts to improve the area. But how do you do that when you’re a health system?
That’s exactly what we asked Ward 14 Councilwoman Jasmin Santana. Her solution? Come and see. And that’s what we did.
Recently the councilwoman took representatives from MetroHealth on a tour of our neighborhood. She wanted to show us what’s going great, what needs improvement and how MetroHealth can help in both areas.
Representatives from our Transformation team, violence prevention programs, the MetroHealth Foundation and government relations all brought their unique perspectives to the tour. We even sent our community development and real estate experts along. No matter which department they were representing, everyone was there to see firsthand how we can help our neighborhood grow with us.
From one stop to the next, Councilwoman Santana showed us everything she’s doing on behalf of her residents. Highlights included programs that empower the ward’s Latin community like La Villa Hispana and La Placita, year-round activities and programs for youth at organizations like City Life and all the small businesses that form the backbone of the Ward 14. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t areas for improvement. Vacant buildings and homes continue to be an issue throughout the ward, and ongoing struggles with violence, access to fresh, health foods and persistent health issues are still barriers to overcome.
Discussions like this are critical to our present and future. We mean it when we say that we’re proud to be a part of our neighborhood, and that means understanding which issues are important to the Councilwoman and the people who live here. One way we’ll stay informed is by attending Councilwoman Santana’s community meetings regularly. Those will also be great forums for us to share news about our Transformation.
We’re grateful for Councilwoman Santana’s insight, and we’re excited to help her and Ward 14 residents move our area into a healthier future.
