Cleveland, OH,
06
May
2020
|
10:00 AM
America/New_York

Dollar Bank Joins as a Community Partner Toward MetroHealth's Transformation

Major Contribution to Increase Internet Access for Cleveland Residents Boosts MetroHealth’s Campaign

CLEVELAND – Dollar Bank has partnered with The MetroHealth System, pledging $600,000 over the next five years to provide low-cost internet access to low and moderate-income households in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. The partnership will support MetroHealth’s efforts to bring digital resources to that neighborhood.

In his speech at the 2019 MetroHealth Annual Stakeholders Meeting, President and CEO Akram Boutros, MD, FACHE, discussed the importance of being digitally connected in today’s world and the lack of internet availability in the neighborhoods surrounding MetroHealth. As a result, Dr. Boutros committed to collaborating with partners to provide low-cost internet for those households. MetroHealth’s Institute for H.O.P.E.™ is coordinating these efforts.

Increased access, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic, is crucial for social connection, accessing social service resources, health care portals, academics and college and job applications.

“Dollar Bank is honored to be a community partner with MetroHealth, providing families with much needed access to digital communication and resources, especially during these unprecedented times,” said Dollar Bank president and CEO Jim McQuade. “This project enables us to provide continued support for community reinvestment, economic development, and education in the metro Cleveland region. At Dollar Bank, we believe that together with our community partners, we can bring positive and systemic change in the neighborhoods we serve.”

Dollar Bank’s partnership launches this effort and will partially subsidize the cost of internet access for up to 1,000 households in the neighborhood over the next five years. As part of this partnership, DigitalC, a non-profit focused on making Greater Cleveland’s digital future more equitable, will provide reliable and low-cost broadband internet access to the unserved and underserved neighborhoods closest to MetroHealth’s main campus through its EmpowerCle+ initiative.

Through this partnership, residents may take advantage of Dollar Bank’s Home Ownership Program, which provides specialized in-house credit counseling, homebuyer education classes and valuable resources on the path to home ownership.

The first households in the neighborhood began receiving subsidized internet access in April. By early June, internet service will become available to residents in the Scranton Castle senior apartment complex off West 25th Street – part of the Cuyahoga Housing Metropolitan Authority (CMHA). The project aims to connect 300 individuals and households with internet access within the first year.

“Since COVID-19, our mission has become more relevant than ever,” said DigitalC CEO Dorothy Baunach. “MetroHealth’s leadership and support as an anchor institution and Dollar Bank’s financial commitment will allow us to provide all the components of a digital inclusion package to address the digital divide.”

“The significant commitment made by Dollar Bank is one that will have an impact for generations to come,” said Brian M. O’Neill, chair of The MetroHealth Foundation Board of Directors. “Their investment in this timely initiative speaks volumes about the importance of our shared missions.”

Other partners in this effort include AT&T, Computers Assisting People, Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Cuyahoga Community College, Esperanza, MCPc, Metro West Community Development Organization and US Communications and Electric Inc.

MetroHealth’s philanthropic campaign, “For All of Us,” was publicly launched in 2018. The campaign is halfway toward its goal of raising a minimum of $100 million by 2023 for core aspects of MetroHealth’s transformation. The transformation not only includes the construction of a new hospital on the health system’s main campus, but also the creation of opportunities for community wellness and economic development.

About The MetroHealth System

Founded in 1837, MetroHealth is leading the way to a healthier you and a healthier community through service, teaching, discovery, and teamwork. Cuyahoga County’s public, safety-net hospital system, MetroHealth meets people where they are, providing care through five hospitals, four emergency departments and more than 20 health centers. Each day, our nearly 9,000 employees focus on providing our community with equitable healthcare — through patient-focused research, access to care, and support services — that seeks to eradicate health disparities rooted in systematic barriers. For more information, visit metrohealth.org.