Take a seat at our Open Tables and help us improve our neighborhood

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Relationship transforms communities.

It’s an idea that’s at the heart of how we care for our patients. It’s also central to the Open Table Initiative, an international project focused on improving neighborhoods through communication, connections and support. As we keep transforming our main campus, we want everyone to benefit from the changes. That’s why we’re excited to create 15 Open Tables right here in our West 25th Street neighborhood.

When we launch our Tables, MetroHealth will be the first health system in the nation to adopt the Open Table Initiative. The connection is an obvious one, according to MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Akram Boutros. “Open Table knows that those struggling financially don’t need our worn-out clothes or the toys our kids have outgrown. They need us. They need people at their side to provide encouragement and friendship, to help them set goals and reach them,” he explained.

Once the project is up and running, a program manager will identify local families in need of support, and community members will be invited to lead the Tables. Groups will commit to helping a family for one year, meeting with them weekly. The volunteers will be a team of supporters and advocates, using their professional and personal experiences to provide guidance in a nonjudgmental space for their Table participants. To reflect our neighborhood’s diversity, several of the Tables will be Spanish-speaking.

So far, Open Tables has made an amazing difference for people involved, both as volunteers and participants. Ninety-five percent of people who participate in the program form a long-term relationship with at least one person they meet at their Table. For more information about the program, and to see other cities where it’s been implemented, click here.

Interested in helping? There will always be a seat for you at our Tables when we launch the program in the fall.