Health + Wellness

Fresh food takes root in Fairfax
Access to healthy food options is growing in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, thanks to the efforts of learning farms and cooking classes.
Clark-Fulton is a known food desert. Can new health initiatives change the way a neighborhood eats?
Hispanic Americans are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic whites, a fact that doesn't escape residents of Clark-Fulton—home to Cleveland's largest Hispanic/Latino population. Meet the changemakers working toward prevention and healthier eating options for the neighborhood.
Not your everyday daddy-daughter dance: Him & Me offers families a party with a purpose
All daddy-daughter dances have that “aww” factor, but the Him & Me Dance is truly awe-inspiring. With its seventh go-round scheduled for this Sunday, August 4, the annual event is planned by suicide prevention nonprofit Alive on Purpose to strengthen the bond between dads and daughters—and bring much-needed awareness to the fact that 63 percent of all suicides come from fatherless homes.
Hats off! Cleveland Clinic Louis Stokes Internship celebrates its first cohort of graduating seniors
Not every high school junior can knowledgeably drop terms like “reiki” and “acupressure” into conversation, but thanks to her summer internship, Ashley Hayden can talk Eastern healing modalities with the best of them.
New child advocacy center helps children at time of greatest need
Each year, Cuyahoga County receives approximately 50,000 calls through the Child Abuse Hotline at the Division of Child and Family Services, according to the county website. These calls report acts of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect to children throughout Northeast Ohio. Nationally, abuse affects three million children annually, and causes the death of about four children every day.
This dynamic councilwoman is amplifying the voices and visions of Ward 14 residents
If someone had told a teenage Jasmin Santana that she would one day be the first Latina elected to Cleveland City Council, she probably wouldn’t have believed it.
Local black babies are 4x as likely to die before age one. This Clevelander is saying, “No more."
In Cuyahoga County, the infant mortality rate for African-American babies is 15.1 per every 1,000 live births, compared to 3.8 for white babies. In other words, Cleveland's black babies are approximately four times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies.
Inside the Lead Safe Summit and the quest to save CLE kids from lead poisoning
Cleveland's decades-long lead poisoning epidemic has dominated policy and community debates in recent years. The concern is warranted: Each day, four Cleveland children are poisoned by inhaling or ingesting lead dust—putting our city's childhood lead poisoning rate at four times the national average.
An exam away from certification, Hispanic nurses rise above language barriers to reclaim careers
The women come from a variety of backgrounds. Some work in factories or grocery chains, others as school lunch ladies, making $8 to $9 an hour. Others are Hurricane Maria refugees who work for Burlington, some for U.S. Cotton, supporting families as they tilt on the poverty line.

All have one thing in common: the dream to one day be registered nurses.
Garden experts build sensory garden for kids at Providence House
The children who come through Providence House—a crisis nursery providing free, voluntary emergency shelter to children—have enough going on in their worlds without having a quiet, relaxing place to think, reflect, or just be alone. Last week, Valley City-based landscape tool manufacturer Troy-Bilt sent six gardening experts to Providence House on W. 32nd Street to help revive the facility’s sensory garden as a place where even the youngest clients can take a peaceful time out.
A special yoga event will give motherless Clevelanders the gift of remembrance on Mother's Day
In many homes, Mother's Day means smiling children, fresh flowers, and homemade breakfast-in-bed. But for families facing loss, their mom might be a lifetime away. Yoga to Remember offers a remembrance event on Thursday, May 9, at St. John’s Episcopal Church to honor the memory of mothers—or any loved one—who is missed.
 
Cleveland-based Augment Therapy is making physical therapy fun for kids via augmented reality
When Lindsay Watson saw how many kids took to the streets to play Pokemon Go, it sparked an idea. In her 13 years working with children with conditions like Down’s Syndrome and cerebral palsy, the pediatric physical therapist often dealt with patients who resisted doing their repetitive and boring physical therapy exercises after leaving her office—but here was a game that inspired kids to ditch the PlayStation for the park without prodding from parents.
Opioid-related deaths in NEO have risen 125%. These two agencies are tackling the problem head-on.
Timothy Gerber started using Percocet and Adderall when he was 15 years old. By the time he was 21, Gerber was addicted to heroin. When he was 24, in February 2015, his mother died of a heroin overdose—and so began Gerber’s own road to recovery at Stella Maris, a drug and alcohol treatment center in Tremont.
The heat is on: Cleveland yogi is the brains behind Toasti, a new heated yoga mat
Jeff Bargiel wants to warm up your yoga routine. As the founder of Toasti, Bargiel has created a heated yoga and exercise mat that makes it easier to get muscles loose and workout-ready—a necessity if you live in a not-so-toasty environment like Cleveland. The avid yoga practitioner first came up with the concept after shivering through one too many home yoga routines.
Meet the movers and vapers shaping Cleveland's growing cannabis scene
When Terrasana opened its doors on March 28 to become Cuyahoga County's first medical marijuana dispensary, it brought a sigh of relief to cannabis users throughout the Cleveland area. Prior to the opening of its Garfield Heights store, Ohio Marijuana Card holders had to travel to dispensaries in Canton or Wickliffe to get doctor-prescribed cannabis to treat the 21 state-approved medical conditions that qualify.
Cheers! Sipt café serves up healthy food and drink with an extra boost for what ails you
Carina Grenier opened Sipt in February to give customers a healthy, fresh option for fueling up in Beachwood's fitness plaza.
How two Cleveland boomerangs are making waves on the med tech scene with MedPilot
Who says Cleveland isn’t a tech hub, let alone a medical tech hub? Not Matt Buder Shapiro, Nate Spoden, and Jake Myers, co-founders of MedPilot. In fact, the team believes so much in the city’s potential for business growth that they relocated MedPilot from New York City to Cleveland last year, where they set up shop at 5500 S. Marginal Road.
Green thumb guidance: Cleveland's houseplant doctor is in at Ohio Tropics
Raffaele Di Lallo may work as a chemical engineer for a top specialty chemicals and coatings company, but his true passion is caring for tropical houseplants and sharing his knowledge. So, two years ago, the Clevelander starred Ohio Tropics—a daily blog focused on teaching readers how to grow and nurture their houseplants.
Ben Turshen is bringing his unique brand of meditation to Cleveland
If Ben Turshen had his way, meditation would be just as vital to your daily routine as brushing your teeth. Like him, you’d settle in for multiple daily sessions to ease anxiety and feel more relaxed. And, now thanks to Turshen, it’s easier to learn how to follow in his Zen footsteps. After successfully founding Ben Turshen Meditation studio in New York City, he recently moved to Cleveland—bringing his practice with him.
How Cleveland Clinic and Fairfax are reinventing their relationship for a brighter future
The Cleveland Clinic's positive impact is felt far and wide, but how does it affect its immediate neighbors? Its new CEO is committed to finding out. Read on to learn what's in store, and get the scoop on a big FreshWater announcement!