Prescription for Hope

MetroHealth President and CEO Dr. Airica Steed sits down for an open and vulnerable conversation about growing up in Chicago, about being muted and held back as a young woman, about her passion for equity, and about how the tragic death of her mother called her to a career in healthcare leadership.

A never-before-heard, behind-the-scenes look inside a hospital morgue.

Two years ago, in 2021, we spent some time with the amazing team inside MetroHealth’s Department of Mortality and Autopsy Services – the hospital morgue.

We wanted to answer questions, dispel myths and capture the amazing professionalism and compassion these workers show every day of the year – how they prove that MetroHealth’s mission of quality care for everyone, no matter their means, doesn’t stop when a patient passes.

And we think we succeeded, except that we didn’t get this episode done in time for Halloween 2021. So it stayed on the shelf – until now.

“I want to be known for giving the voiceless a voice. I want to be known for positioning people and adding a seat at the table. I want to be known for having those footprints in the sand, delivering health care for everyone regardless of their ability to pay. I want to be known for shattering health care disparities. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”

It’s a new year and a new era at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland.

New President and CEO Dr. Airica Steed has hit the ground … sprinting.

As the first woman, first Black person and first nurse to serve as Metro’s chief executive, she is on a passionate mission to reverse racial disparities and make sure every person – in Cuyahoga County and beyond – has an equal chance at a long and healthy life. That is just one part of her bold vision for the future of the $1.7 billion, 8,000-employee safety-net health system.

As a proud fourth-generation nurse, her initial vision for MetroHealth is focused on excellent patient care, innovation, accelerating growth and health equity. She plans to turn that vision into reality by using her favorite leadership tools: partnering with others and listening.

A Listening and Engagement Tour, the central piece of her 100-day-and-beyond plan, has her in ongoing meetings with employees throughout the health system, leaders throughout the state, and community members throughout Cuyahoga County.

Dr. Steed, who started on December 5, 2022, took some time from her whirlwind tour to take part in a wide-ranging conversation with Diane Suchetka, MetroHealth’s Senior Manager of External Affairs.

This is Part 1 of their conversation.

Every weekday, from a big white box truck parked in the vacant lot at 3370 West 25th Street, MetroHealth’s Project DAWN Expanded Mobile Unit dispenses sterile syringes, Narcan kits, condoms and other supplies to those living with opioid-use disorder.

Perhaps most important, the team also dispenses hope – a light in the darkness, a hand to grab and hold until a user finally can say, “I’m ready.”

Join us as we spend a day with this incredible team of caregivers.

MetroHealth’s Office of Opioid Safety operates the Project DAWN Expanded Mobile Unit, which is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays at 3370 West 25th Street in Cleveland.

Anyone can visit, and clients remain anonymous.

Find out more about the Office of Opioid Safety by visiting www.metrohealth.org/office-of-opioid-safety

The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on our relationships is something that doesn’t get talked about enough. And we are witnessing a mental-health crisis as a result. MetroHealth’s Dr. Robert L. Smith – aka “Dr. Bob” – joins us again to offer his trademark voice of comfort and kindness as he shares his thoughts on COVID’s damage to our relationships and how the pandemic just might be the opportunity we all need to focus on love.

The caregivers in MetroHealth’s Mother and Children Dependency Program have always had a wish: a place, a home – with a “mother hen” – where new moms struggling with substance-use disorder could stay to continue their recovery and healing while also caring for their newborns. … Well, sometimes wishes do come true. … This is an UPDATE of an episode from Season 1 titled “I Feel Like a Monster.” Listen to that episode here: https://soundcloud.com/metrohealth/4-i-feel-like-a-monster

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, it’s been rigorously tested, and it works – really, really well. Still, some people may be hesitant to receive it. To build trust within the community, MetroHealth invited faith leaders from around Greater Cleveland to come in, roll up their sleeves and set a lifesaving example for their flocks. Check out a video version of this extraordinary event here: https://vimeo.com/500569138

The vaccine has arrived, the vaccinations have begun and the prescription for hope is finally being filled. Join us for an up-close look at the historic Wednesday when MetroHealth took the first steps in the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If all goes according to plan, we are just days away from the arrival of a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Amy Ray, MetroHealth’s Medical Director of Infection Prevention, leads the system’s Vaccine Preparedness Committee, which has been planning for the arrival of a vaccine for months. She shares some of those plans, some important info on the shots and her thoughts on this historic – and hopeful – moment.

We are exhausted. Caregivers – and everyone else – have been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic for nine long months. We’re not only tired, we’re facing a frightening third wave of COVID-19 infections and a long winter ahead. MetroHealth’s Dr. Robert L. Smith, aka “Dr. Bob,” the caregiver for the caregivers, joins us to provide guidance on how to approach the coming days with hope, gratitude and optimism.