Shaker Heights May Join County Health System

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — In October, Shaker Heights City Council will weigh a recommendation that the city join the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH). The change would mean the closing down of the city's own health department.

If the council decides to accept the recommendation, the change would be effective on Jan. 1, 2018. The city says the recommendation to shutter the Shaker Health Department and join CCBH is the result of changing state laws. Namely, the state is now requiring that all city health departments be accredited by the federal Public Health Accreditation Board by July 1, 2020. If the city health departments fail to do so, they will lose funding from the Ohio Department of Health.

The Shaker Heights Health Department has been losing funding over the past several years, according to the city. The department has also seen a decrease in use after the city transferred prisoner housing to Solon Jail. In a press release, the city said fewer than 4 percent of Shaker Heights residents make use of the health department's services.

By contracting with the CCBH, the city says it could save $200,000 annually. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Shaker Heights newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

“We are sorry to lose the convenience of a locally based health department,” says Mayor Earl Leiken in a statement, “but the lack of local resources to comply with the new state accreditation requirements and the large financial savings make a case for the change. Further, with the increase in neighborhood mini-clinics and other means of obtaining services, we believe there are now good alternatives. Our highly respected and dedicated department staff have provided these important services to our residents for many years. They have also served Shaker’s city employees with tremendous professionalism and kindness.”

Only two cities in Cuyahoga County have their own department of health: Shaker Heights and Cleveland. The CCBH has a facility in nearby Lyndhurst and a second in Parma that would be able to provide 19 of the 20 services currently offered to Shaker Heights residents by the city's health department.

City council will debate moving to CCBH at its Oct. 10 work session. The session is open to the public for comment.

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