Health + Wellness
Providence House has spread its arms just a little bit wider to Northeast Ohio abused and neglected children with the recent expansion of its facilities.
The Ohio City-based agency, which stands as the first crisis nursery in Ohio, renovated its current at W. 32nd Street and Lorain Avenue location and added 6,500 square feet of space, which combines the children’s shelter and services. As a result of its growth, Providence House will be able to serve an additional 125 at-risk children each year, notes executive director Natalie Leek-Nelson.
"All of our kids are moved over," Leek-Nelson says.
The expansion is the first part of a $2 million, three-phase project designed to allow the nonprofit agency to better serve Northeast Ohio families in crisis. Providence House has raised $2.3 million since launching its "Protect the Promise" campaign in spring 2011. Not only will the agency be able to provide more short-term housing for kids unsafe in their homes, it will also increase the ages of children served from newborn to six up to the age of 10.
"Now the older brothers and sisters in the same crises as their younger siblings will be helped," says Leek-Nelson. "We've created unique educational spaces with computers and academic resources so these kids can catch up on their schoolwork."
The second phase of the “Protect the Promise” capital campaign will include a new family center that will take over an existing building across the street from the expanded facility. The third and final phase involves construction of a 60,000-square-foot children and family campus.
SOURCE: Natalie Leek-Nelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The Ohio City-based agency, which stands as the first crisis nursery in Ohio, renovated its current at W. 32nd Street and Lorain Avenue location and added 6,500 square feet of space, which combines the children’s shelter and services. As a result of its growth, Providence House will be able to serve an additional 125 at-risk children each year, notes executive director Natalie Leek-Nelson.
"All of our kids are moved over," Leek-Nelson says.
The expansion is the first part of a $2 million, three-phase project designed to allow the nonprofit agency to better serve Northeast Ohio families in crisis. Providence House has raised $2.3 million since launching its "Protect the Promise" campaign in spring 2011. Not only will the agency be able to provide more short-term housing for kids unsafe in their homes, it will also increase the ages of children served from newborn to six up to the age of 10.
"Now the older brothers and sisters in the same crises as their younger siblings will be helped," says Leek-Nelson. "We've created unique educational spaces with computers and academic resources so these kids can catch up on their schoolwork."
The second phase of the “Protect the Promise” capital campaign will include a new family center that will take over an existing building across the street from the expanded facility. The third and final phase involves construction of a 60,000-square-foot children and family campus.
SOURCE: Natalie Leek-Nelson
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program designed for people of all ages and fitness levels. Jillian Neimeister and Tricia Tortoreti, owners of the recently opened Birdtown CrossFit in Lakewood, believe the program can empower the lives of Cleveland's teenagers in ways beyond physical prowess.
During a fundraising campaign to help purchase equipment for the gym, the pair promised to donate a one-year membership to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland for every $2,000 raised. The duo ended up raising $7,260 through their indieGOGO.com campaign, equating to three memberships for teens affiliated with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
"Our intention is to introduce teens to a larger community of people who are committed to health, and a network of Clevelanders who may encourage and support them," says Tortoreti, a "Big Sister" with the organization for the last five years.
"We're happy to engage a different audience around the benefits of mentoring," says Big Brothers Big Sisters president/CEO Gretchen Faro regarding the partnership. "Fitness is clearly a need for our community."
The business partners expect that participating teens will come to the gym with their Big Brother or Big Sister, but membership affords them use of all classes on offer. CrossFit is not a typical gym, relying more on jump ropes and barbells than elliptical machines and treadmills. The Cleveland-based CrossFit is located in the Lake Erie Building in Lakewood's Birdtown neighborhood.
Partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters was an easy call for Tortoreti. Her 14-year-old "Little" was eagerly searching for after-school activities that didn't involve video games or just hanging out with friends.
"CrossFit can do so much for you besides making you more fit," says Tortoreti. "We have a great community spirit here."
SOURCES: Jillian Neimeister, Tricia Tortoreti, Gretchen Faro
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
During a fundraising campaign to help purchase equipment for the gym, the pair promised to donate a one-year membership to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland for every $2,000 raised. The duo ended up raising $7,260 through their indieGOGO.com campaign, equating to three memberships for teens affiliated with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
"Our intention is to introduce teens to a larger community of people who are committed to health, and a network of Clevelanders who may encourage and support them," says Tortoreti, a "Big Sister" with the organization for the last five years.
"We're happy to engage a different audience around the benefits of mentoring," says Big Brothers Big Sisters president/CEO Gretchen Faro regarding the partnership. "Fitness is clearly a need for our community."
The business partners expect that participating teens will come to the gym with their Big Brother or Big Sister, but membership affords them use of all classes on offer. CrossFit is not a typical gym, relying more on jump ropes and barbells than elliptical machines and treadmills. The Cleveland-based CrossFit is located in the Lake Erie Building in Lakewood's Birdtown neighborhood.
Partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters was an easy call for Tortoreti. Her 14-year-old "Little" was eagerly searching for after-school activities that didn't involve video games or just hanging out with friends.
"CrossFit can do so much for you besides making you more fit," says Tortoreti. "We have a great community spirit here."
SOURCES: Jillian Neimeister, Tricia Tortoreti, Gretchen Faro
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
usa today features cleveland's historical fairfax neighborhood
In a USA TODAY feature titled “Historic black neighborhoods climb from recession,” Melanie Eversley explores the influx of investments and resurgence of historically black neighborhoods including Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood.
“In Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, where poet Langston Hughes once lived and where a 98-year-old theater launched his plays, a bank is investing millions.”
Eversely goes on to explain that as the country recovers from the recession, communities are calling attention to what made them famous to begin with.
In Cleveland, she explores the renovations of the Karamu House, the new Langson Hughes center, and others.
"One of the reasons that PNC [Bank] chose Fairfax was because there's such a rich culture there."
Examine the full feature here.
“In Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, where poet Langston Hughes once lived and where a 98-year-old theater launched his plays, a bank is investing millions.”
Eversely goes on to explain that as the country recovers from the recession, communities are calling attention to what made them famous to begin with.
In Cleveland, she explores the renovations of the Karamu House, the new Langson Hughes center, and others.
"One of the reasons that PNC [Bank] chose Fairfax was because there's such a rich culture there."
Examine the full feature here.
clinic's efforts to control type 2 diabetes with bariatric surgery touted
In a Richmond County Daily Journal piece titled “Bariatric surgery may help send Type 2 diabetes into remission,” Laura Edigton reports on the Cleveland Clinic’s efforts to control Type 2 diabetes and how Bariatric surgery might help.
The Cleveland Clinic said that diabetes experts now believe that bariatric surgery “should be offered much earlier as a reasonable treatment option for patients with poorly controlled diabetes -- and not as a last resort.”
The Cleveland Clinic discovered the correlation and released it in their Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2013 list.
“Bariatric surgery can have a profound effect on diabetes, and many published studies have looked at the effect,” bariatric surgeon Raymond Washington is quoted. “Surgery can account for almost an 80 percent remission of diabetes. Oftentimes, patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes will leave the hospital off of their oral medications after only a few days.”
Read more about this exciting discovery here.
The Cleveland Clinic said that diabetes experts now believe that bariatric surgery “should be offered much earlier as a reasonable treatment option for patients with poorly controlled diabetes -- and not as a last resort.”
The Cleveland Clinic discovered the correlation and released it in their Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2013 list.
“Bariatric surgery can have a profound effect on diabetes, and many published studies have looked at the effect,” bariatric surgeon Raymond Washington is quoted. “Surgery can account for almost an 80 percent remission of diabetes. Oftentimes, patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes will leave the hospital off of their oral medications after only a few days.”
Read more about this exciting discovery here.
The motto of the Near West Family Network (NWFN) is "Stronger Families, Stronger Cleveland." Good schools are an important means of bringing those families into town, maintains the volunteer group's founders, hence the forthcoming Near West Cleveland PreK-8 School Fair.
The fair takes place February 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius High School. Sponsored by NWFN and advocacy group Ohio City, Inc., participants will get information about the private, charter, public and parochial schools found in Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Tremont and other Near West Side neighborhoods. School representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.
"There will be a gamut of educational options available," says NWFN co-founder and Ohio City resident Norma Polanco-Boyd.
The mother of two daughters expects between 18 to 20 schools to be represented at the fair. "The goal goes back to the reason we started this organization [in November 2012,] says Polanco-Boyd. "We wanted to create a resource-based organization to retain families or attract them to these neighborhoods."
Along with the schools, Polanco-Boyd expects attendance from a handful of non-academic groups as well. These entities will provide yet another source of information for participating parents.
The NWFN website has a list of schools serving the Near West Side. Polanco-Boyd, a community affairs officer with a bank regulator, moved to Cleveland from Chicago with her husband, Joe. At the time, the couple didn't know anyone; Polanco-Boyd helped create NWFN for young families in similar straits.
The school fair is a critical to her group's mission, Polanco-Boyd believes. "We want to grow Cleveland and help maintain its vibrancy," she says.
SOURCE: Norma Polanco-Boyd
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The fair takes place February 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius High School. Sponsored by NWFN and advocacy group Ohio City, Inc., participants will get information about the private, charter, public and parochial schools found in Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Tremont and other Near West Side neighborhoods. School representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.
"There will be a gamut of educational options available," says NWFN co-founder and Ohio City resident Norma Polanco-Boyd.
The mother of two daughters expects between 18 to 20 schools to be represented at the fair. "The goal goes back to the reason we started this organization [in November 2012,] says Polanco-Boyd. "We wanted to create a resource-based organization to retain families or attract them to these neighborhoods."
Along with the schools, Polanco-Boyd expects attendance from a handful of non-academic groups as well. These entities will provide yet another source of information for participating parents.
The NWFN website has a list of schools serving the Near West Side. Polanco-Boyd, a community affairs officer with a bank regulator, moved to Cleveland from Chicago with her husband, Joe. At the time, the couple didn't know anyone; Polanco-Boyd helped create NWFN for young families in similar straits.
The school fair is a critical to her group's mission, Polanco-Boyd believes. "We want to grow Cleveland and help maintain its vibrancy," she says.
SOURCE: Norma Polanco-Boyd
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies (GLNT), which creates biomedical technologies, received Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval to market its Kinesia technology in Australia. The technology is used to assess and find treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
“The Kinesia system is used for quantitative assessment of Parkinson’s motor systems, which include tremors, bradykinesia, or slow motor movements, and rigidity,” explains Joe Giuffrida, president and principal investigator at GLNT. Furthermore, Parkinson’s medications can cause side effects, including involuntary movements.
Kinesia hooks patients up to motion sensors that are in turn hooked into a computer. It has applications for both the doctor’s office and at home. Doctors can then monitor symptoms of the disease and patients’ responses to different medications and doses. The technology has multiple uses. “For patient care, doctors can assess the symptoms,” says Giuffrida. “Pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs can measure efficacy. And it can be used for deep brain stimulation.”
GLNT received FDA clearance to market in 2006, and permission to market in Europe a couple of years ago, says Giuffrida. “This continues our international growth,” he says. One in 350 Australians has Parkinson’s. Kinesia features a system for home users, which will help patients in the country’s remote locations. “Australia is an important place for us to come next.”
GLNT grew from 15 to 23 employees last year, and is hiring three additional people now.
Source: Joe Giuffrida
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The Kinesia system is used for quantitative assessment of Parkinson’s motor systems, which include tremors, bradykinesia, or slow motor movements, and rigidity,” explains Joe Giuffrida, president and principal investigator at GLNT. Furthermore, Parkinson’s medications can cause side effects, including involuntary movements.
Kinesia hooks patients up to motion sensors that are in turn hooked into a computer. It has applications for both the doctor’s office and at home. Doctors can then monitor symptoms of the disease and patients’ responses to different medications and doses. The technology has multiple uses. “For patient care, doctors can assess the symptoms,” says Giuffrida. “Pharmaceutical companies developing new drugs can measure efficacy. And it can be used for deep brain stimulation.”
GLNT received FDA clearance to market in 2006, and permission to market in Europe a couple of years ago, says Giuffrida. “This continues our international growth,” he says. One in 350 Australians has Parkinson’s. Kinesia features a system for home users, which will help patients in the country’s remote locations. “Australia is an important place for us to come next.”
GLNT grew from 15 to 23 employees last year, and is hiring three additional people now.
Source: Joe Giuffrida
Writer: Karin Connelly
With the new year comes the inevitable glut of new year's resolutions. Cleveland Clinic's Fairview Hospital is aiming to ensure people keep their health-related resolutions with its Fit in Fairview Health Challenge fitness program.
The eight-week program, sponsored by the hospital, Gemini Recreation Center and the City of Fairview Park, kicked off January 5. Participants are given an initial health assessment that includes a free lipid profile and screenings of their body mass index and blood pressure. Challengers will be re-screened in early March when the program ends to see how far they have come.
"The challenge is for people to get healthier," says Rosemary Miles, community outreach manager at Fairview Hospital.
Developing strong exercise and eating habits will be encouraged through free fitness classes. Another piece is “Walk with a Health Professional” sessions where body-conscious Northeast Ohioans will hike a track in gradually increasing increments along with a cardiologist, oncologist or dietitian. The walk will be increased by two laps every week.
"It's about upping levels of stamina and working a little harder each week to reach a goal," Miles says.
Prizes will be awarded at the end of the challenge to the top three participants based on involvement in walks, screenings and fitness classes. The program is aimed at people ages 18 and over, and has drawn 180 participants so far. Miles believes the challenge will motivate partakers to make healthy lifestyle choices that keep them out of the hospital.
"People will get sick, but being physically fit helps them fight disease," she says.
To register for the challenge, visit www.activityreg.com. Click on Ohio, then Fairview Park. Select "register for activity" link, then "adult fitness," then "Fit in Fairview." The challenge costs $10 to enter.
SOURCE: Rosemary Miles
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
The eight-week program, sponsored by the hospital, Gemini Recreation Center and the City of Fairview Park, kicked off January 5. Participants are given an initial health assessment that includes a free lipid profile and screenings of their body mass index and blood pressure. Challengers will be re-screened in early March when the program ends to see how far they have come.
"The challenge is for people to get healthier," says Rosemary Miles, community outreach manager at Fairview Hospital.
Developing strong exercise and eating habits will be encouraged through free fitness classes. Another piece is “Walk with a Health Professional” sessions where body-conscious Northeast Ohioans will hike a track in gradually increasing increments along with a cardiologist, oncologist or dietitian. The walk will be increased by two laps every week.
"It's about upping levels of stamina and working a little harder each week to reach a goal," Miles says.
Prizes will be awarded at the end of the challenge to the top three participants based on involvement in walks, screenings and fitness classes. The program is aimed at people ages 18 and over, and has drawn 180 participants so far. Miles believes the challenge will motivate partakers to make healthy lifestyle choices that keep them out of the hospital.
"People will get sick, but being physically fit helps them fight disease," she says.
To register for the challenge, visit www.activityreg.com. Click on Ohio, then Fairview Park. Select "register for activity" link, then "adult fitness," then "Fit in Fairview." The challenge costs $10 to enter.
SOURCE: Rosemary Miles
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
JumpStart recently invested $250,000 in Guided Interventions, a startup company that has developed technology to assess coronary artery blockages. The company was formed two years ago and has been mainly focused on developing its intellectual property and proof of concepts, says Guided Interventions CEO Matthew Pollman.
“The concept is revolutionary,” Pollman says. “It uses a pressurized guideline to measure fractional flow reserve (FFR). It facilitates assessing blockages in the coronary artery and determines whether to perform an intervention.”
Pollman cites a clinical study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that showed using technologies like Guided Interventions’ FFR product instead of traditional angiogram indicate that 37 percent of the time the blockage should be left alone. “Sometimes leaving it alone is actually the best thing for patients,” he says.
Pollman plans to use the JumpStart investment to build out operations at GLIDE and the SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems at Lorain County Community College.
The money will also allow the company to hire as many as six employees in the next two years, in particular engineers, and then triple or even quadruple the number of employees in the next three to five years. Currently, Pollman and his partner, Reinhard Warnking, are the only two employees.
Pollman, who is in the process of moving to Northeast Ohio from California, says he is looking forward to moving to a region that is so supportive of startup biotechnology companies and research.
Source: Matthew Pollman
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The concept is revolutionary,” Pollman says. “It uses a pressurized guideline to measure fractional flow reserve (FFR). It facilitates assessing blockages in the coronary artery and determines whether to perform an intervention.”
Pollman cites a clinical study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that showed using technologies like Guided Interventions’ FFR product instead of traditional angiogram indicate that 37 percent of the time the blockage should be left alone. “Sometimes leaving it alone is actually the best thing for patients,” he says.
Pollman plans to use the JumpStart investment to build out operations at GLIDE and the SMART Commercialization Center for Microsystems at Lorain County Community College.
The money will also allow the company to hire as many as six employees in the next two years, in particular engineers, and then triple or even quadruple the number of employees in the next three to five years. Currently, Pollman and his partner, Reinhard Warnking, are the only two employees.
Pollman, who is in the process of moving to Northeast Ohio from California, says he is looking forward to moving to a region that is so supportive of startup biotechnology companies and research.
Source: Matthew Pollman
Writer: Karin Connelly
legal aid society of cleveland presses on despite budget cuts
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland has become a leaner operation in the last year, but that hasn't stopped the nonprofit organization from assisting low-income Northeast Ohioans in need of council.
Cuts in federal funding forced Legal Aid to lay off eight staff members in 2012. It could have been worse, says director of development and communications Melanie Shakarian, but private donations allowed the nonprofit to keep most of its staff intact.
Legal Aid now has 50 lawyers on hand to give free help to the poor on cases involving evictions, divorce, loss of benefits and other civil issues. The organization still has the capacity to help 25,000 people annually, although the reduction in funding will force Legal Aid to turn away some potential clients.
"We're striving to help as many people as possible, but we're always going to need more assistance," Shakarian says.
The century-old agency receives most of its funding through a federal grant, civil filing fees and interest on money that attorneys set aside in trusts for their clients' legal settlements. With the cuts, Legal Aid must make the difficult determination of what cases are the most desperate.
"We take on pro bono volunteers to take the cases we cannot," says Shakarian.
Legal Aid is fortunate to have nonprofit partners that add value to its legal services, notes the agency director. For example, the organization has three attorneys on site at MetroHealth Medical Center to resolve the legal issues that can become barriers for patients.
Shakarian believes that with additional help, these good works can continue into 2013 and beyond. "The community really stepped up last year," she says. "We're confident that generosity will continue."
SOURCE: Melanie Shakarian
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Cuts in federal funding forced Legal Aid to lay off eight staff members in 2012. It could have been worse, says director of development and communications Melanie Shakarian, but private donations allowed the nonprofit to keep most of its staff intact.
Legal Aid now has 50 lawyers on hand to give free help to the poor on cases involving evictions, divorce, loss of benefits and other civil issues. The organization still has the capacity to help 25,000 people annually, although the reduction in funding will force Legal Aid to turn away some potential clients.
"We're striving to help as many people as possible, but we're always going to need more assistance," Shakarian says.
The century-old agency receives most of its funding through a federal grant, civil filing fees and interest on money that attorneys set aside in trusts for their clients' legal settlements. With the cuts, Legal Aid must make the difficult determination of what cases are the most desperate.
"We take on pro bono volunteers to take the cases we cannot," says Shakarian.
Legal Aid is fortunate to have nonprofit partners that add value to its legal services, notes the agency director. For example, the organization has three attorneys on site at MetroHealth Medical Center to resolve the legal issues that can become barriers for patients.
Shakarian believes that with additional help, these good works can continue into 2013 and beyond. "The community really stepped up last year," she says. "We're confident that generosity will continue."
SOURCE: Melanie Shakarian
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
wall street journal discusses affordable care act with clinic's dr. cosgrove
In an article titled "Cleveland Clinic Diagnoses Health-Care Act," the Wall Street Journal sits down with CEO Delos "Toby" Cosgrove to discuss the Affordable Care Act.
Anna Wilde Mathews writes, "Just over a year from now, the Affordable Care Act is set to unleash enormous change in the health-care sector, and Cleveland Clinic Chief Executive Delos 'Toby' Cosgrove is preparing his institution by expanding its reach and striving to make caregivers more cost-conscious.
Dr. Cosgrove sat down with the newspaper to discuss the coming changes and how the Clinic is preparing for them.
Read the entire exchange here.
Anna Wilde Mathews writes, "Just over a year from now, the Affordable Care Act is set to unleash enormous change in the health-care sector, and Cleveland Clinic Chief Executive Delos 'Toby' Cosgrove is preparing his institution by expanding its reach and striving to make caregivers more cost-conscious.
Dr. Cosgrove sat down with the newspaper to discuss the coming changes and how the Clinic is preparing for them.
Read the entire exchange here.
Physical power is an important component of most any successful sports-related endeavor. However, athletics can also be used as a source of inner strength, a lesson Liz Ferro knows well.
Ferro is founder and executive director of Girls With Sole, a Rocky River-based nonprofit offering athletics programs to young victims of abuse throughout Cuyahoga, Lorain and Stark counties. Since its inception in August 2009, the program has aided nearly 500 girls. The organization offers traditional team sports as well as yoga, dance, Pilates and other wellness and nutrition activities.
"It's an outlet for these girls to expend their negative energies," says Ferro, whose organization brings its programming to different venues throughout the Cleveland area.
Ferro founded Girls With Sole to help girls who have experienced abuse gain self-esteem and mental strength. An abuse victim herself, Ferro used athletics as a source of empowerment when she had nowhere else to turn. Through the nonprofit, local girls have a chance to put teamwork, confidence and plain old fun into their daily routines.
"It's an amazing feeling for them to do something physically," Ferro says. "They can take that and use it in other areas of their lives."
Ferro has numerous success stories among her young clients. One girl, a ward of the state in residential treatment, initially rejected Girls With Sole. Today, she's a marathon runner and triathlete, a far better option than drugs or other unhealthy coping mechanisms troubled teens undertake.
"These kids don't get this kind of encouragement elsewhere," says Ferro. "Seeing positive and healthy people around them makes an impact."
SOURCE: Liz Ferro
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
Ferro is founder and executive director of Girls With Sole, a Rocky River-based nonprofit offering athletics programs to young victims of abuse throughout Cuyahoga, Lorain and Stark counties. Since its inception in August 2009, the program has aided nearly 500 girls. The organization offers traditional team sports as well as yoga, dance, Pilates and other wellness and nutrition activities.
"It's an outlet for these girls to expend their negative energies," says Ferro, whose organization brings its programming to different venues throughout the Cleveland area.
Ferro founded Girls With Sole to help girls who have experienced abuse gain self-esteem and mental strength. An abuse victim herself, Ferro used athletics as a source of empowerment when she had nowhere else to turn. Through the nonprofit, local girls have a chance to put teamwork, confidence and plain old fun into their daily routines.
"It's an amazing feeling for them to do something physically," Ferro says. "They can take that and use it in other areas of their lives."
Ferro has numerous success stories among her young clients. One girl, a ward of the state in residential treatment, initially rejected Girls With Sole. Today, she's a marathon runner and triathlete, a far better option than drugs or other unhealthy coping mechanisms troubled teens undertake.
"These kids don't get this kind of encouragement elsewhere," says Ferro. "Seeing positive and healthy people around them makes an impact."
SOURCE: Liz Ferro
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
clinic ceo cosgrove shares transparency lessons with forbes
In a feature titled "Five Lessons in Transparency from Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove," Forbes magazine discusses the Clinic's unique approach to medical transparency.
"Cleveland Clinic is the health care industry trailblazer when it comes to publishing its clinical outcomes. As discussed in this earlier story (“How To Report Quality To The Public”), the Ohio hospital system annually publishes Outcomes Books that detail the clinical performance of each of its departments."
Writer David Whelan spoke to CEO -- and "unofficial transparency officer" -- Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, who personally developed the Outcomes Book concept in the first place.
"Almost thirty years ago when he became chair of heart surgery -- and 20 years before he ascended to his current role -- he started measuring and sharing surgical outcomes as a way to hold staff accountable."
The feature goes on to share five lessons from Dr. Cosgrove on how to run a hospital in an increasingly transparent world of health care.
Read the rest here.
"Cleveland Clinic is the health care industry trailblazer when it comes to publishing its clinical outcomes. As discussed in this earlier story (“How To Report Quality To The Public”), the Ohio hospital system annually publishes Outcomes Books that detail the clinical performance of each of its departments."
Writer David Whelan spoke to CEO -- and "unofficial transparency officer" -- Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, who personally developed the Outcomes Book concept in the first place.
"Almost thirty years ago when he became chair of heart surgery -- and 20 years before he ascended to his current role -- he started measuring and sharing surgical outcomes as a way to hold staff accountable."
The feature goes on to share five lessons from Dr. Cosgrove on how to run a hospital in an increasingly transparent world of health care.
Read the rest here.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) has launched an ambitious $125 million campaign to renovate and expand its campus in University Circle. Dr. Evalyn Gates, the particle physicist who has led the museum since 2010, wants the new structure to become a hands-on learning lab for green building, science education and environmental stewardship.
"Our role is to give kids a taste of real science with real scientists in a hands-on, minds-on kind of way," says Gates. "We can do things in a museum that can't be done in every classroom. Natural history is about our understanding of the world around us. We can help people better understand our place in the natural world."
CMNH will demolish a portion of its older, 1950s-style building and renovate the rest of it. The museum also will add two light-filled wings, a glassy lobby, and 300-space parking garage. The re-do will bring activity that now takes place in the bowels of the building -- such as paleontology work -- into a more publicly accessible space where people can more easily see it. CMNH has long sought to expand, but its plans were put on hold when the recession hit a few years ago.
Gates believes that the philanthropic appetite exists to fund CMNH's expansion and it can be completed within the next several years. CMNH has already begun to reinvent itself since she assumed the role of director. One example is the SmartHome, Gates says, which was a draw because it was hands-on.
As examples of science education, Gates cited programs like the junior med camp and vet camp, school field trips to the planetarium and a partnership with the Cleveland schools that allows every second grader to visit CMNH for free.
Source: Evalyn Gates
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Our role is to give kids a taste of real science with real scientists in a hands-on, minds-on kind of way," says Gates. "We can do things in a museum that can't be done in every classroom. Natural history is about our understanding of the world around us. We can help people better understand our place in the natural world."
CMNH will demolish a portion of its older, 1950s-style building and renovate the rest of it. The museum also will add two light-filled wings, a glassy lobby, and 300-space parking garage. The re-do will bring activity that now takes place in the bowels of the building -- such as paleontology work -- into a more publicly accessible space where people can more easily see it. CMNH has long sought to expand, but its plans were put on hold when the recession hit a few years ago.
Gates believes that the philanthropic appetite exists to fund CMNH's expansion and it can be completed within the next several years. CMNH has already begun to reinvent itself since she assumed the role of director. One example is the SmartHome, Gates says, which was a draw because it was hands-on.
As examples of science education, Gates cited programs like the junior med camp and vet camp, school field trips to the planetarium and a partnership with the Cleveland schools that allows every second grader to visit CMNH for free.
Source: Evalyn Gates
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Milo Biotechnology, a BioEnterprise startup created to find therapies for neuromuscular diseases, received FDA orphan drug designation for its AAV1-FS344, a drug that increases muscle strength.
The drug is a myostatin inhibitor that produces the protein follistatin, which increases muscle strength. Milo is focused on using the drug for treatment of Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In both types of the disease, patients have progressive muscle weakness and cardiac and respiratory degeneration. The drug also has potential uses in muscle degeneration in AIDS and cancer patients, but Milo's initial focus is on muscular dystrophy.
Orphan drug classification is given to therapies that treat diseases that affect less than 200,000 people nationwide. “Orphan says two things: One, it says this compound looks like it’s effective in some model of whatever disease it’s treating,” explains Al Hawkins, Milo CEO. “Second, it means that the target population is under 200,000 patients." The designation gives expedited regulatory review, seven years of post-market exclusivity and it qualifies for an FDA grant program in clinical trials.
Milo was founded about a year ago, after receiving a $250,000 investment from JumpStart. The company also received funding from the North Coast Opportunities Technology fund.
Milo's drug is being used in clinical trials at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus with patients who have Becker muscular dystrophy and inclusion body myositis. Hawkins says the designation will expedite development of the therapy.
“There are no approved drugs for muscular dystrophy, but there are a lot of promising therapies in development,” says Hawkins. “The community has banded together in supporting this, but we are still years away from getting to market.”
Source: Al Hawkins
Writer: Karin Connelly
The drug is a myostatin inhibitor that produces the protein follistatin, which increases muscle strength. Milo is focused on using the drug for treatment of Becker and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In both types of the disease, patients have progressive muscle weakness and cardiac and respiratory degeneration. The drug also has potential uses in muscle degeneration in AIDS and cancer patients, but Milo's initial focus is on muscular dystrophy.
Orphan drug classification is given to therapies that treat diseases that affect less than 200,000 people nationwide. “Orphan says two things: One, it says this compound looks like it’s effective in some model of whatever disease it’s treating,” explains Al Hawkins, Milo CEO. “Second, it means that the target population is under 200,000 patients." The designation gives expedited regulatory review, seven years of post-market exclusivity and it qualifies for an FDA grant program in clinical trials.
Milo was founded about a year ago, after receiving a $250,000 investment from JumpStart. The company also received funding from the North Coast Opportunities Technology fund.
Milo's drug is being used in clinical trials at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus with patients who have Becker muscular dystrophy and inclusion body myositis. Hawkins says the designation will expedite development of the therapy.
“There are no approved drugs for muscular dystrophy, but there are a lot of promising therapies in development,” says Hawkins. “The community has banded together in supporting this, but we are still years away from getting to market.”
Source: Al Hawkins
Writer: Karin Connelly
cleveland clinic dietitian explains kids' health study
In a KYPost.com article titled “Study: What your kids snack on could determine how full they feel,” Christian Hauser explores the correlation between snacking habits of children and its relation to overall caloric intake.
“A new study finds that children who swap foods like potato chips for more nutrient-rich choices like vegetables or cheeses actually consume fewer calories when snacking,” writes Hauser.
While idea may appear obvious to some, the study explained that the children needed significantly fewer calories in order to feel satisfied.
"Snacks that are higher in fiber and have more protein, like we find in cheese and vegetables, leave your kids feeling fuller and they're likely to eat less,” explains Carrie Gonzales, a pediatric dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.
"I think it always goes back to what's being offered in the home. So, if we do offer more healthful choices like vegetables or cheese versus potato chips, your child will actually eat them. It's just about what you have available,” concluded Gonzales.
Read the entire article here.
“A new study finds that children who swap foods like potato chips for more nutrient-rich choices like vegetables or cheeses actually consume fewer calories when snacking,” writes Hauser.
While idea may appear obvious to some, the study explained that the children needed significantly fewer calories in order to feel satisfied.
"Snacks that are higher in fiber and have more protein, like we find in cheese and vegetables, leave your kids feeling fuller and they're likely to eat less,” explains Carrie Gonzales, a pediatric dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic.
"I think it always goes back to what's being offered in the home. So, if we do offer more healthful choices like vegetables or cheese versus potato chips, your child will actually eat them. It's just about what you have available,” concluded Gonzales.
Read the entire article here.
clinic doc makes strides in cowdon syndrome research
In a Science Codex report titled “Cleveland Clinic researcher identifies 2 new genetic mutations associated with Cowden syndrome,” the post highlights Charis Eng, MD, Ph.D., Chair and Founding Director of the Cleveland Clinic's Lerner Research Institute's Genomic Medicine Institute’s research and discovery that could lead to better management of Cowden syndrome.
"Gene-enabled risk assessment and management begins with the identification of all the genes that, when mutated, account for as many or all the individuals with a particular syndrome, in this case CS," said Dr. Eng. "We started with only PTEN, and now we know that SDHB/D, KLLN, PIK3CA and AKT1 account for CS. Each also brings differing risks of breast, thyroid and other cancers, and so this discovery directly aids genetic counseling and clinical management."
This comes as great news for individuals carrying an increased cancer risk.
“Until now, only four clinical factors were known to predict an inherited PTEN mutation -- and this study's blood test out-predicts them all. Future studies testing thyroid tissue itself may reveal additional biomarkers.”
Read the full blog post here or the American Journal of Human Genetics research paper here.
"Gene-enabled risk assessment and management begins with the identification of all the genes that, when mutated, account for as many or all the individuals with a particular syndrome, in this case CS," said Dr. Eng. "We started with only PTEN, and now we know that SDHB/D, KLLN, PIK3CA and AKT1 account for CS. Each also brings differing risks of breast, thyroid and other cancers, and so this discovery directly aids genetic counseling and clinical management."
This comes as great news for individuals carrying an increased cancer risk.
“Until now, only four clinical factors were known to predict an inherited PTEN mutation -- and this study's blood test out-predicts them all. Future studies testing thyroid tissue itself may reveal additional biomarkers.”
Read the full blog post here or the American Journal of Human Genetics research paper here.
Nearly 100 years after it was first constructed, the Hope Memorial bridge, which is home to the famous Guardians of Transportation statues and connects downtown to Ohio City, is now considered to be "complete."
That's because a 14.5 foot protected bikeway just opened, making the street safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists who would prefer not to ride in the street. The $4.5 million investment is consistent with the city's new Complete and Green Streets law, which requires sustainable transportation options to be incorporated into new road projects.
"We really want to encourage more people to bike more often. Anytime you can create an environment where you can take kids out, you know it’s a safe place," says Jacob Van Sickle, Executive Director of the nonprofit group Bike Cleveland. "We're always advocating for infrastructure that makes biking as safe and stress-free as possible. To create a mode shift, that's where we need to be."
The Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to pay for the bikeway as well as bike-friendly enhancements to the Abbey Road bridge a few years ago. At the time, it was offered as a concession to multimodal transportation advocates who had pressed for bike lanes to be built on the new I-90 Innerbelt bridge.
The Carnegie-Ontario intersection also has been made safer for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a new pathway along the bridge's northeast end. That pathway will lead cyclists and walkers to cross at Eagle Avenue. Finally, the Guardians of Transportation statues will also be lit at night as part of the roadway project.
Source: Jacob Van Sickle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
That's because a 14.5 foot protected bikeway just opened, making the street safer and more accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists who would prefer not to ride in the street. The $4.5 million investment is consistent with the city's new Complete and Green Streets law, which requires sustainable transportation options to be incorporated into new road projects.
"We really want to encourage more people to bike more often. Anytime you can create an environment where you can take kids out, you know it’s a safe place," says Jacob Van Sickle, Executive Director of the nonprofit group Bike Cleveland. "We're always advocating for infrastructure that makes biking as safe and stress-free as possible. To create a mode shift, that's where we need to be."
The Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to pay for the bikeway as well as bike-friendly enhancements to the Abbey Road bridge a few years ago. At the time, it was offered as a concession to multimodal transportation advocates who had pressed for bike lanes to be built on the new I-90 Innerbelt bridge.
The Carnegie-Ontario intersection also has been made safer for pedestrians and cyclists thanks to a new pathway along the bridge's northeast end. That pathway will lead cyclists and walkers to cross at Eagle Avenue. Finally, the Guardians of Transportation statues will also be lit at night as part of the roadway project.
Source: Jacob Van Sickle
Writer: Lee Chilcote
This week BioEnterprise and Global Cleveland are hosting their fourth online biomedical job fair, hoping to attract top talent to the industry. “This is really driven by the growth in the biomedical sector in Northeast Ohio,” explains Aram Nerpouni, BioEnterprise interim CEO. “We’ve gone from 300 to 700 biomedical companies in the area. Cleveland is becoming a national hotbed for biomedical.”
The job fairs are an effective resource for employers. It is free for employers to post their listings and reach a wide population of qualified candidates. Arteriocyte, which does stem cell research for regenerating bones, has participated in three of the four job fairs this year. In each job fair the company has hired an employee.
“For us it’s appealing because it’s pretty easy as an employer,” explains Kolby Day, Arteriocyte‘s vice president and general manager of research and development. “We’ve seen really high caliber talent applying to the postings." Day says they’ve seen applicants from local schools as well as residents who left Cleveland and wish to return.
“We’ve interviewed a lot of people and, interestingly enough, they all want to be in Cleveland,” says Day. “A big part of that is how quickly the biotech industry is growing in Cleveland.”
Nerpouni points out that the online job fairs especially help the smaller employers. “For smaller companies that are growing rapidly and don’t have an HR staff, it helps them keep up with the pace of growth,” he says. “It’s much easier to hunt as a pack, so potential candidates aren’t looking at just one position.”
Close to 50 employers are participating in the job fair this week, posting 200 open positions. BioEnterprise plans to continue the biomedical jobs fairs on a quarterly basis.
Sources: Aram Nerpouni and Kolby Day
Writer: Karin Connelly
The job fairs are an effective resource for employers. It is free for employers to post their listings and reach a wide population of qualified candidates. Arteriocyte, which does stem cell research for regenerating bones, has participated in three of the four job fairs this year. In each job fair the company has hired an employee.
“For us it’s appealing because it’s pretty easy as an employer,” explains Kolby Day, Arteriocyte‘s vice president and general manager of research and development. “We’ve seen really high caliber talent applying to the postings." Day says they’ve seen applicants from local schools as well as residents who left Cleveland and wish to return.
“We’ve interviewed a lot of people and, interestingly enough, they all want to be in Cleveland,” says Day. “A big part of that is how quickly the biotech industry is growing in Cleveland.”
Nerpouni points out that the online job fairs especially help the smaller employers. “For smaller companies that are growing rapidly and don’t have an HR staff, it helps them keep up with the pace of growth,” he says. “It’s much easier to hunt as a pack, so potential candidates aren’t looking at just one position.”
Close to 50 employers are participating in the job fair this week, posting 200 open positions. BioEnterprise plans to continue the biomedical jobs fairs on a quarterly basis.
Sources: Aram Nerpouni and Kolby Day
Writer: Karin Connelly
Domestic abuse often is treated as a taboo subject and not something the general public likes to admit exists, says Molly Scheetz, development marketing officer at the Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center of Cleveland.
This reluctance makes events like the organization's January 5 benefit at Negative Space Gallery vitally important in reaching out to victims of abuse. Funds procured at the gallery will be put toward programming that aids Cuyahoga County residents suffering in-home violence and other forms of mistreatment.
"We'll be grateful for whatever is raised," says Scheetz.
Awareness of the center's programming is just as important as funding, Scheetz believes. The community should know of the variety of services available to teens, adults and families, including: An education component bringing knowledge about teen dating violence to local schools; a 24-hour family helpline fielding crisis calls and offering referrals for abuse resources; and a shelter available for victims of domestic violence and their children.
"Anytime people can become more educated about the services we provide, it's a good thing," Scheetz says.
The center is working to overcome its own challenges these days. The nonprofit is the result of a merger that took place earlier this year between Bellflower Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and the Domestic Violence Center.
The transition has been fairly seamless, and the organization will continue to shed light on violence shuttered behind closed doors. "We have to acknowledge problems in order to reach solutions," says Scheetz.
SOURCE: Molly Scheetz
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth
This reluctance makes events like the organization's January 5 benefit at Negative Space Gallery vitally important in reaching out to victims of abuse. Funds procured at the gallery will be put toward programming that aids Cuyahoga County residents suffering in-home violence and other forms of mistreatment.
"We'll be grateful for whatever is raised," says Scheetz.
Awareness of the center's programming is just as important as funding, Scheetz believes. The community should know of the variety of services available to teens, adults and families, including: An education component bringing knowledge about teen dating violence to local schools; a 24-hour family helpline fielding crisis calls and offering referrals for abuse resources; and a shelter available for victims of domestic violence and their children.
"Anytime people can become more educated about the services we provide, it's a good thing," Scheetz says.
The center is working to overcome its own challenges these days. The nonprofit is the result of a merger that took place earlier this year between Bellflower Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and the Domestic Violence Center.
The transition has been fairly seamless, and the organization will continue to shed light on violence shuttered behind closed doors. "We have to acknowledge problems in order to reach solutions," says Scheetz.
SOURCE: Molly Scheetz
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth