News Releases

Craciun Serves on "Why Community Health Planning Matters" City Club Panel

On Wednesday, Feb.21, Kirstin Craciun, MPP, MSW, director of community outreach for The Center for Health Affairs, spoke on a panel during The City Club of Cleveland event, “Why Community Health Planning Matters (Now More than Ever) Forum.” 

Rita Horwitz, RN, president and CEO of Better Health Partnership, invited Craciun to share the hospital perspective on how collaborative community health assessment planning can help tackle some of the region’s greatest health challenges. Community health planning is central to the work Craciun does on behalf of The Center’s Northeast Ohio hospital members.

Dr. Clint Koenig, medical director for the Ohio Department of Health, led this forum by presenting his thoughts on how the state’s significant health challenges can be better addressed through a more coordinated approach to health planning throughout the state. Terry Allan, health commissioner for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and Ben Miladin, director of health, community impact at the United Way of Greater Cleveland, joined Craciun as panelists to share their perspectives on why community health planning matters.

Topics addressed during the panel discussion include:

• The Northeast Ohio Hospital Opioid Consortium’s collaborative effort to impact the opioid crisis by increasing the number of providers licensed to provide medication-assisted treatment and sharing best practices regarding opioid-related programming.
• How infant mortality is often used as a gauge of the overall health of a population.
• Why racial disparities in Northeast Ohio are cause for significant concern and focused attention.
• How Northeast Ohio hospitals have remained committed to community health planning despite significant threats to health coverage and hospital reimbursement at the federal level. 

To learn more about why community health planning matters and how hospitals are collaborating with public health stakeholders to coordinate health assessments, contact us.