MetroHealth to serve more of Northeast Ohio

Our mission compels us to help those in need whenever we can, whereever they are. MetroHealth will soon be able to broaden the reach of its mission by providing care outside of Cuyahoga County.

In recent months, leaders in outlying counties have asked MetroHealth to fill health care gaps created in their communities. Until recently though, Ohio law did not permit us to easily respond to these requests and prevented establishment of certain facilities outside of Cuyahoga County.

House Bill 111, which was passed by the Ohio Legislature and signed by Gov. John Kasich earlier this summer, changes the state law that required us to operate only within our home county. The change allows us to care for patients in eight other Northeast Ohio counties: Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne. The new law goes into effect on Sept. 28.

We are currently evaluating several requests from local communities. We will do so with great care, making sure to help those in need when we can but always ensuring our financial strength and devotion to Cuyahoga County.

“We have capability and capacity to help live our mission beyond the borders of Cuyahoga County,” MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros said in a recent Plain Dealer article. “We feel it’s a moral obligation for us to do that."

MetroHealth receives support from Cuyahoga County taxpayers – $32.4 million in 2018 – via the Health and Human Services levy. That money will not be used outside the county. In fact, our accounting rules make sure those funds are placed in a separate account and spent only for the care of Cuyahoga County’s citizens.