Award Winners at Care Alliance

John Corlett and Brian Davis both received awards from Care Alliance at the Annual Meeting last week.  Francis Afram-Gyening (on left) presents the award to John Corlett (middle holding award) for all his work locally to expand health insurance for low income people in Cleveland.  John is an executive at MetroHealth and he put in place MetroHealth Care Plus in preparation for Medicaid Expansion.   This policy has allowed nearly 40,000 people locally to finally have health insurance.    Cuyahoga County is a far better community because of John Corlett and we are way ahead in signing people up for Medicaid when compared to the other counties in Ohio.  This will have huge ramifications in saving money for the hospitals indigent care budgets and the health clinics. 

The Care Alliance Board also gave an award to Brian Davis Community Organizer for the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless.  Afram-Gyening and outreach worker, Jim Schlecht, presented the award to Davis for his years of service to the homeless community in Cleveland.  Afram-Gyening cited his long history with NEOCH going back 20 years including a time when Davis led a protest outside of the previous incarnation of Care Alliance called Healthcare for the Homeless.  Afram-Gyening also made the crowd aware of the work of Davis in keeping people safe over this past winter.  

Just a few numbers from the Care Alliance Annual Report:

  • 10,643 patients served.
  • 59% of the clients were experiencing homelessness and half had a chronic health condition.
  • 68% had no health insurance.
  • 94% live in extreme poverty.
  • 663 patients received dentures, partials or other restorative dental care.
  • 2,473 received behavioral health services.

This number of 68% having no health insurance in 2013 is significant.  Previously this number hovered around 80%.  Thanks to MetroHealth this number is going down in our community, and it will continue to decrease with Medicaid expansion.  This is going to have huge implications for the community with a healthier society and improved outcomes.  

Chris KnestrickCare Alliance, Medicaid expansion, health care, health insurance