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Inclusion

Donna Jones Baker, one of the Agenda 360 Leadership Team Members, describes the "Inclusion" Priority Focus area.

WHAT IT IS

We must create a welcoming community in which all people are embraced, they have an equal opportunity for success, and their differences are the foundation for the community's successes.

Partner Sites:
Access Health 100, CincyCare, Greater Cincinnati Commitment

WHY IT MATTERS

Regions cannot be successful in attracting talent or new jobs if there are great disparities in tolerance and economic condition. Right now, Southwest Ohio has too big a gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.

WHERE WE ARE

Today we are battling both the perception nationally that we are not open for business to all and the reality locally that many people feel discrimination due to their race, ethnic origin, income level, sexual orientation or gender.

Hispanics, African Americans, and gays report they don't always feel welcome here. We still have a racial divide. And people of color, persons with disabilities, and others have fewer opportunities for achieving economic independence here than in other cities.

The citizens of Southwest Ohio recognize that everyone needs to be at the table, contributing to decisions about our community and making their voices heard. In our Agenda 360 Community Survey, 76 percent of respondents said that ensuring our diverse residents actively participate in shaping our region was a high priority for our community.

The Agenda 360 process itself was an unprecedented effort in inclusion. People from across the region, from a wide variety of racial and ethnic groups and income levels, participated. From start to finish, inclusion was a priority for Agenda 360.

Progress is being made toward a more inclusive region. A recent report from BRIDGES For A Just Community found only 5 percent of its survey respondents ranked race relations a major challenge for our community, compared with 22 percent in 2003.

WHERE WE'RE GOING

Although we are making progress, much work remains to be done to create economic opportunity for everyone in Southwest Ohio.

Here are two strategies identified by Agenda 360 for building a more inclusive region.

Improving health care access and insurance coverage

you can't have a healthy region if you don't have healthy citizens. So we must provide the care that people need at a price they can afford.

Affordability is crucial for us. The percentage of people without health insurance in the region increased notably between 2002 and 2005, according to the United Way State of the Community report released in December 2008.

Nearly 20 percent of the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky metropolitan statistical area was uninsured in 2005, the latest data available, compared with 15.3 percent in 2002.

On a related note, United Way says the number of people who report that they do not have a regular health-care provider went from 13 percent in 2002 to 20 percent in 2005.

That means people are using hospital emergency rooms for their primary health care. This is expensive and does not help prevent health problems.

We must create programs that provide better health care coverage, and ways to pay for it, for those who need it most.

Access Health 100

JUDITh WARREN (left), SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER FOR ACCESSHEALTH 100, HEALTH FOUNDATION FOR GREATER CINCINNATI.

Bill had a fever and was coughing so hard he could hardly speak when he showed up at the emergency department at Mercy Hospital fairfield. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, for which he needed immediate medication and antibiotics.

Afterward, he met with a patient resource advocate in the ED, who was paid for with an Access Health 100 grant. He told her that although he was sick, if he didn't work, he didn't get paid. So he continued to work despite his respiratory distress. The Patient Resource advocate set him up with an appointment at the Ernst J. Bever Community Health Center in Hamilton. bill expressed concern about being able to pay for the office visit, and so the advocate set up an appointment two days later with the outreach nurse at Mercy franciscan at st. Raphael, a social service agency on High street.

Bill arrived at st. Raphael after his night shift. He was tired, still ill, and having an episode of uncontrollable coughing. The outreach nurse completed the process to qualify Bill for medical assistance through the emergency Moneyfund. she also gave him a voucher to a nearby pharmacy, where he could pick up several expensive inhalers. in addition, the fund covered the fee for his initial appointment in three days at the Health Center.

Bill called the outreach nurse the next day. He had taken a turn for the worse and thought he might have to return to the ED. The outreach nurse and patient resource advocate helped get him into the Health Center sooner, avoid an emergency department visit and receive additional treatment for his respiratory problems.

Advance a culture of inclusion

Inclusion is about race, gender, economic status and much more. It is difficult to engage those living below the poverty level on receiving job training and participating in community activities if they can't access avenues through which they can get support.

Inclusion also encompasses ethnicity. Our region has fewer ethnic groups represented than many strong metro areas. With an immigrant population that is nearly 10 percentage points lower than the national average (2.6 percent vs. 12 percent), it is difficult to achieve the kind of economic growth seen in metro areas with more vibrant immigrant groups.

We must cultivate a culturally diverse population and a community that provides openness and economic opportunity for all so that we create a healthy, respectful community—a place we all want to live.

GETTING STARTED

The following are initiatives the Agenda 360 research has so far identified as good ways to make progress on the above strategies for being a more inclusive society. They are just a start; new programs and initiatives will be found, created and evolve with the changing needs of our community.

Access Health 100

Access health 100 was developed by the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati in response to the need for more medical and dental providers who devote all or a sufficient portion of their resources to serving the uninsured.

The program's goal is 100 percent access to primary care for all.

To accomplish that ambitious goal, the Health Foundation has gathered a diverse group of stakeholders who will provide leadership in the development of an integrated delivery system capable of closing the health care access and service gaps. This will also create stability for the safety-net providers.

CincyCare

CincyCare will provide primary care, prescription drug benefits and care coordination for 2,000 workers in Cincinnati who are not eligible for health care. The program will be free for participating employers and only cost a $10 co-payment for doctor visits to those enrolled.

A two-year pilot program for CincyCare is scheduled to launch in early 2009 paid for with a Community Development Block Grant, which will cover defined medical benefits that focus on primary and preventive care. Additional funds are coming from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. The program is a creative approach to helping provide quality health care to those in need.

A Commitment to Inclusion

The Greater Cincinnati Commitment Alliance, a consortium of 20 organizations committed to the inclusion of persons of all human differences, is seeking citizen signatures for the "Greater Cincinnati Commitment."

Launched by Cincinnatus and BRIDGES for a just Community, the short-term goal is to obtain 25,000 signatures from people of all ages and walks of life who will pledge to work on behalf of an inclusive, equitable and just community for all who work, play and reside in our region.