“There is a need for permanence and a coalition to address minority health disparities in Toledo and Lucas County…”- Schylar M. Meadows, Chairperson, Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Minority Health 

Fall 2009

With the changing of the seasons comes a new chapter with the Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Minority Health (Commission).  Our work begins to take shape under the direction of our program evaluators and the organizations that represent the Commission around the planning table.

We share a common vision of healthy African-American, Latino, Asian, and other minority communities in Toledo and Lucas County and seek to address racial/ethnic disparities in health through collaborating together to develop and implement long-term solutions to eliminate them.

Health disparities among minorities continue to be an urgent public health problem despite advances in medical care, treatment, and increased life-expectancy. 

Over the next few months, we are priviledged to continue the National Partnership of Action to Eliminate Health Disparities (NPA) Phase II of our local conversations through a grant from the  US Department of Health and Human Services (Grant # STTMP-051025-03-01) and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.  Our task is to take the recommendations to reduce and eliminate health disparities set forth in the NPA Phase I Local Conversation Report and draft a clear blueprint for the Toledo-Lucas County region on meeting those recommedations.

We have also formed project working teams whose goal is to seek dollars on behalf of the Commission to reduce health disparities.  We have a Minority Youth Collaborative and a Minority Recreational Collaborative.  If you are interested in being a part of these teams, please e-mail us and we can put you on our working group listserve.

The Board at the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department is pleased with the Commission's work.  This would not be possible without the efforts of many who come together and labor tirelessly on meeting the mission to improve the health and quality of life for minorities in Toledo and Lucas County. 

On behalf of Dr. David Grossman, Health Commissioner of the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department;  Dr. Barbara Gunning, Minority Health Program Project Director; and Cheryl  Boyce, Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health; we welcome you to our website and hope it serves as a means to increase awareness, educate one another, and build lasting partnerships to improve the health and quality of life of minorities in Toledo and Lucas County.

Yours in health,

Schylar M. Meadows, Community Chairperson,
Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Minority Health

Duane L. Herron, MPH, Minority Health Program Coordinator
Toledo-Lucas County Health Department/Toledo-Lucas County Commission on Minority Health

mailto:Info@minorityhealthtoledo.org