By: Kimberly Foreman
Dear Mayor:
As we enter a season of transition for the Cleveland community, Environmental Health Watch (EHW) would first like to acknowledge the investment of our outgoing official, Mayor Frank G. Jackson. His tenor has produced for our city a focus on raising various public and environmental health needs such as First Year Cleveland for infant mortality, the new Lead Safe Certification law, investment into the Lead Safe Home Fund, implementation of Say Yes Cleveland, and the establishment of racism defined as a Public Health Crisis. For this, we pause to honor him. It is the hope of EHW to see a continued, long-term investment into the overarching health and well-being of all Clevelanders. As our organization seeks to build city collaboration with residents, we entreat you concerning the next phases of growth and advancement for our city.
EHW has served as a pioneer for the health and safety of Cleveland citizens in homes and communities for over 40 years. Over the last decade, EHW has trailblazed work rooted in our vision for a future where all children, families and individuals are living in healthy homes and sustainable communities. The organization aims to do so through intentionally hearing and responding to the collective community voice. These efforts have included 20 years of work with the City of Cleveland Health Department on facilitating direct service projects for home assessments and remediation, cultivating neighborhood leaders to actively engage in their communities through the Neighborhood Leadership for Environmental Health Initiative and coordinating community collaboration efforts through policy advocacy both nationally and locally.
Environmental Health Watch has served as a pioneer for the health and safety of Cleveland citizens in homes and communities for over 40 years.
At the forefront of our approach to community health is our belief in promoting regenerative environments and communities by supporting continuous enhancement of health, justice and prosperity, while maintaining respect for natural, social, cultural and historic value of place. As the administrator of the new Lead Safe Resource Center for the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, EHW has elevated this framework by supporting the implementation of city-wide policy and advocacy classes to build community leadership, supplying living wage employment for residents with lived experiences in Cleveland neighborhoods and centering efforts around activating community perspectives to fulfill the mission of creating healthy homes and sustainable communities by identifying and removing hazards, engaging people and advancing equitable environmental solutions.
With respect to fostering the momentum established in our city, EHW urges each candidate to maintain a focus on health policy that is directly responsive to health needs as defined by Clevelanders.
With respect to fostering the momentum established in our city, EHW urges each candidate to maintain a focus on health policy that is directly responsive to health needs as defined by Clevelanders. As well-stated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” The investment into revitalizing neighborhoods for the benefit of residents currently living in those neighborhoods is essential to seeing our city develop holistically. EHW offers continued partnership to each candidate, and to the future mayor of our city. We do so to see the vision for Cleveland realized equitably and effectively for every citizen. Together we can see a better, healthier, stronger, more unified and sustainable Cleveland.
In Solidarity for our city,Kimberly ForemanExecutive Director, Environmental Health Watch
