CLEVELAND, Ohio— The Ohio Department of Health has awarded $6.89 million to 26 community-based organizations with the goal of supporting projects that improve the health and lives of residents in Ohio Health Improvement Zones.

Ohio Health Improvement Zones are neighborhoods ODH has identified as dealing with socioeconomic and demographic factors that affect the resilience of individuals and communities, based on their social vulnerability index (SVI) score, created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention using census data.

The community living conditions many Ohioans experience can lead to increased illness and earlier deaths. Cleveland.com has previously reported on how residents of formerly redlined communities have poor cardiovascular health.

According to ODH, organizations awarded funding will either establish or expand initiatives to help remove barriers to health in communities facing the greatest risk of poor health outcomes. That includes programs that support positive health decisions, economic vitality, quality education, safe neighborhoods, and quality housing.

In Cuyahoga County, the United Way of Greater Cleveland, Famicos Foundation and MetroHealth were all awarded funding.

MetroHealth says it will use its funding to support partnerships in job training, finincial and digital literacy in it’s Via Sana apartments in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood, as well as assistance to neighborhood residents securing food, transportation and housing, and programs directed toward spanish speaking health literacy among the local latino population. Famicos Foundation’s Tara Mowry said that they plan to use the $200,000 they were awarded to hire a community health liason to help coordinate and oversee the lead remediation, food distribution, vaccination and health screening programs they run in the Hough, Glenville and St.Claire/Superior neighborhoods.

“We want to engage communities and include them in the development of solutions to the problems they feel are most important,” said Jamie Carmichael, chief health opportunity advisor of ODH’s Health Opportunity Office. “Community members are the experts on how to best improve the conditions that impact their health.”

“As part of our commitment to ensure that every Ohioan has an opportunity to achieve their optimal health, the Ohio Department of Health is focused on elevating the voice of communities across the state who consistently experience health disparities,” ODH director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said. “We want to hear from community members about their biggest barriers to health, and we want to empower them to develop and implement the changes they wish to see in their communities.”

Here are the 26 organizations that were awarded funding:

• Athens City-County Health Department

• City of Columbus, Mayor’s Office

• Community Action Organization of Scioto County, Inc.

• Cuyahoga County Board of Health

• Dayton Children’s Hospital

• Erie County Health Department

• Famicos Foundation Inc. (Cuyahoga County)

• Food Rescue US (Franklin County)

• Huron County Public Health

• IKRON Corporation (Hamilton County)

• Licking County Health Department

• Marion Public Health

• Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center (Allen County)

• National Alliance on Mental Illness, Franklin County

• Nehemiah Foundation of Springfield-Clark County

• Perry County Health Department

• ProMedica Health Systems (Lucas County)

• Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Franklin County)

• Safety Council of Southwestern Ohio (Butler County)

• Summit County Combined General Health District.

• The Breathing Association (Franklin County)

• The Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (Lucas County)

• The MetroHealth System (Cuyahoga County)

• United Way Greater Cleveland

• Youngstown City Health District

• Zanesville Muskingum County Health Department