Cardiovascular Health Program

The Cardiovascular Health Program of Cuyahoga County

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and Cuyahoga County.  The Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Program aims to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease among the residents of Cuyahoga County. In collaboration with partners in the City of Cleveland, the program focuses on policy and environmental changes in schools, worksites, healthcare systems, and communities that will improve the modifiable risk factors related to cardiovascular disease including physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes.  The program focuses on the target communities of North Randall, Warrensville Heights and East Cleveland, and three neighborhoods within the City of Cleveland. 

Last Year  
In 2006, the program was instrumental in assisting the East Cleveland School district create a set of Board-approved wellness policies, addressing physical and nutrition education, and nutrition in the cafeterias.  This policy impacts the entire school district, which services greater than 4000 students.  The YMCA’s of Greater Cleveland, with the assistance of the CVH program, made a policy and environmental change in 2006, by ensuring that the vending machines in 9 out of the 10 YMCA’s provide only healthy snacks and beverages.  In North Randall, the Village employees successfully created a worksite wellness committee, and have assessed their worksite and begun nutrition, physical activity, and cardiovascular health screening programs.  The CCBH “ DIET” (Cuyahoga County Board of Health, Dietitians Involved in Education and Training) program was expanded from serving only the city of Cleveland through the Steps to a Healthier Cleveland program, to also serving the target communities in the CVH program.  This program educates and trains health care providers to prevent and treat childhood obesity.  Each health care provider is given a resource toolkit, to assist in counseling and education of families and community resources available to them.
 To more effectively serve the smaller communities of Cuyahoga County, local CVH task forces were created in North Randall, East Cleveland and Cleveland.  These task forces are vital to providing grassroots efforts that will result in sustainable changes for the communities we serve.  These local partners, along with our county –wide partners, come together twice a year to meet at the CVH coalition meetings.

This Year  

We have many exciting plans for 2007 in the CVH program.  We continue our grassroots efforts through the local CVH task forces in East Cleveland, North Randall, and Cleveland.  Warrensville Heights leaders are working with CVH staff to establish a local CVH task force in their community as well. 
 The CVH program continues to enhance programming in the community.  For example in North Randall, information sessions are being scheduled to gather local support for a community garden.  This garden will provide fresh produce to volunteers who help work in the garden.  The CVH program will promote the Coit Road Farmers Market in East Cleveland who will be planting a community garden this spring as well.
 The CVH program is partnering with the Place Matters Project, which aims to reduce health disparities in East Cleveland.  This program examines the social determinants of chronic disease.  A thorough community assessment will be conducted, to look at the lifestyle and preventive care environments and how they affect the residents of East Cleveland.    
 CVH is also seeking ways to enhance communication with the communities.  A CVH newsletter comes out quarterly (February, May, August, and November).  An East Cleveland cable access channel show on the CVH program is being planned, along with a CVH East Cleveland newsletter.  CVH articles are being added to local newsletters in the village of North Randall and Warrensville Heights. 
 The YMCA’s of Greater Cleveland, have healthy options in their vending machines, with the assistance of CVH staff.  This year, the three agencies involved will partner to plan the sustainability of this policy, to ensure that healthy options remain in the vending machines for years to come.  The YMCA of Greater Cleveland has a mission to be a lead agency promoting health in the community.  The CVH program will assist with the promotion of this message to the community members served by the YMCA’s across the county. 
 Dining with Diabetes, a three–class series for diabetics and their families will be held twice this year in Cuyahoga County, one in Warrensville Heights (at the Civic Center)  and one in East Cleveland (at Helen S. Brown).  These classes are taught by staff from Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland and Ohio State University – Cuyahoga Extension. 
 Best Practices in Glucose Monitoring, also provided by the Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland, is a course which aims to train community health workers, parish nurses, nurses, nurse assistants, and nurse technicians to accurately screen for blood glucose.  This course will be offered twice this year in Cuyahoga County, once in East Cleveland and once in Warrensville Heights. 
 The CVH program will continue to expand the CCBH “DIET” program in 2007, and is currently scheduling trainings with health care providers in the CVH target communities. 
 The Cleveland Department of Public Health CVH staff will organize trainings for stroke and cholesterol to health care providers in target communities in Cleveland. 
 The CVH program is working to expand the worksite wellness programs and policies to 16 more worksites in 2007.  CVH will assist with worksite health environment assessment, interest surveying of the staff, and program planning, implementation, and evaluation. 
 The CVH program will continue to work with East Cleveland School District to implement wellness policy programming.  School-based wellness teams have been established in 3 elementary schools, and will meet to discuss student and staff wellness issues.  CVH will also attempt to work with the Warrensville Heights School District on wellness programming as well. For more information on wellness policy programs, click:
   The CVH program staff participates in the county wide Coordinated School Health Initiative.  For more information, click: 
 

OBJECTIVE:  The Cardiovascular Health (CVH) Program aims to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease among the residents of Cuyahoga County.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS:  Ohio Department of Health, Cleveland Department of Public Health, Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland, Ohio State University Extension – Cuyahoga County, Huron Hospital, South Pointe Hospital, American Heart Association, YMCA of Greater Cleveland, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, NorthEast Ohio Neighborhood (NEON) Health Services, and Ohio Dietetics Association.

CONTACT INFORMATION:  If you are interested in joining a local task force, or programming in Warrensville Heights, East Cleveland, or North Randall, please contact: