Golden sunlight seeps through the cracks of Cade Cook’s blinds, illuminating the dust that dances through the air. The faint but frantic vibrations of his cellphone alarm buzz against his nightstand. It’s nearly 3 p.m. and Cook has accidentally slept through all his lectures for the fourth time since the University of Akron switched to remote learning due to COVID-19.
Dazed and defeated, Cook takes a swig from one of the many half-empty water bottles that litter his night stand, gets up only to turn on his gaming system, and then quickly settles back into bed. The faint hum of the gaming system’s fan whirs as it boots up. This has become a typical day for Cook during quarantine.
Without his traditional routine of attending classes on campus, playing basketball at the recreation center, and grabbing food with his friends at the dining hall, Cook is struggling to get through his day in a way that he barely thought about before quarantine. Typical tasks such as completing assignments on time, eating nutritious meals, maintaining a sleeping schedule, and, on some days, even showering have become difficult.
“Quarantine has drained all my energy,” said Cook, 20, a sophomore education major from Sheffield, Ohio. “Which is weird because I’m not even doing anything.”
Cook is one of many college students trying to cope with quarantine and the transition to remote learning.
According to CNBC, Bryan Alexander, a professor at Georgetown University, estimated that college closures have impacted at least 14 million students. These students now must make the switch to remote learning while being quarantined in their homes — an unprecedented adjustment for millions of students.
Gene Cash has worked in the mental health field for 29 years and is the CEO of Counseling Alliance of Virginia. Cash says a drastic change in routine can be taxing on one’s mental health.
“COVID-19 has pushed a lot of individuals into a ‘new normal or abnormal’ situation,” Cash said in an email interview. “This radical shift can cause individuals to exhaust or maximize their current functioning and coping capabilities — bringing on an increase in suicidal ideations, hopelessness, depression, chemical use and domestic violence.”
Along with being mentally draining, Cash says quarantine can disrupt sleeping schedules, which can have a negative impact mental health.
“[Quarantine] could also challenge one’s biological clock if sleep patterns become out of sync with the real world,” Cash said. “Inadequate sleep only further burdens the psyche.”
Cash says the drastic change of students’ learning environment — from the classroom to the home — can make accomplishing responsibilities, such as school assignments, more difficult.
“Students are trying to complete assignments while dealing with the distractions that come with being in their own home rather than a classroom,” Cash said. “Students now have full and constant access to cellphones, video games and TV. These can distract from school work as well as sleep.”
Cash suggests reducing these distractions as best as possible in order to create an environment that is more suitable to focus in.
“Working from home is a new to a lot of students, and their current home environment is likely not appropriately set up to focus in,” Cash said. “Reducing distracting stimuli is the first step. Turning off the cellphone, changing the lighting, and even closing the blinds to block the view of pedestrians and cars can make the environment more apt to work in.”
Alyssa Tirabassi is a college student at Cleveland State University who is also being negatively impacted by quarantine. Her usual sleeping schedule has changed since quarantine began.
“Pre-quarantine, I always woke up before 9 a.m,” Tirabassi, 21, a junior psychology major from Chesterland, Ohio said. “Now, it’s a good day if I’m out of bed by noon.”
This new sleeping pattern has had an impact on Tirabassi’s academic performance.
“I’ve noticed I’m missing deadlines and doing worse on assignments,” Tirabassi said. “This never used to happen.”
Courtney Kelley has been a professor of psychology since 2006 and has been teaching at Cuyahoga Community College since 2012. To combat the negative effects of quarantine and improve mental health, Kelley suggests communicating with loved ones.
“We are currently living in a time when social-distancing is vital for our health and the health of our community,” Kelley, 38, said in an email interview. “Ironically, as a result of social distancing, many of us may need to feel that social support, even more, to feel connected and less distressed.”
As an alternative to face-to-face interactions, Kelley suggests digital communication. She says the unique qualities of technology are more appropriate for social distancing beyond communicating from a distance.
“Research that has been conducted over the past decade suggests that opportunities to communicate with friends and loved ones through technology can strengthen the quality of those relationships,” Kelley said. “It can definitely help people maintain an emotional connection to loved ones and feel less isolated.”
Back at his Akron apartment, Cook puts on his chunky, neon green gaming headset. He hopes that social distancing ends sooner than later so he can reunite with his friends.
“I hope this is all over soon,” Cook said. “I miss actually being able to see my friends, but, for now, all we can do is talk over Xbox.”
Dear West Park Friends, Family, Neighbors, and Scholars,
If you drive past West Park Academy, you will see four large banners attached to the front of the school proclaiming what we stand for. These values are ideals, goals, and inspirations to all who are a part of the school. But now, more than ever, these are values that must unite us against all things that suffocate our nation, our city, and even our community.
Those four values are: COMMUNITY, INTEGRITY, RESILIENCE, and EXCELLENCE. Sadly, we have witnessed our society fail to be a community where love and equality are cherished and held sacred. We have experienced an utter letdown of integral members of our society who have abused power over others and allowed prejudice and discrimination to be the law of the land. Some of our leaders and community members have made it impossible for citizens to demonstrate resilience. As we rise, we are torn back down again…and again…and again. We have failed to be profoundly American in our country where we pride ourselves on being able to seek prosperity and independence. We have failed to be excellent.
More than ever, we need these values – but more importantly, we need to listen. We need to learn. We need to consciously recognize those things that prevent true, full, judgement-free communities that keep racism, xenophobia, hate and prejudices of all kinds from impacting the lives and futures of our community.
West Park Academy is here to be a part of those dialogues and movements that bring unity, and we will stand for nothing short of it. Our faculty and staff are committed to learning and growing. And we are committed to being teachers of truth and the histories of all people – especially those of color whose voices have been silenced, experiences invalidated, and histories quieted and nearly erased. We will stand against the injustices that have plagued our nation for centuries and those injustices that continue to threaten our citizens to this day; we stand against bullies small and tall.
ASHTABULA— Alexis Turner listened carefully as the administrators at the freshman orientation for Kent State University at Ashtabula ticked through the student groups she could join on campus that fall: English Society, Psychology Club, Student Veterans Association.
She left the auditorium apprehensive. There was no Black Student Union, Latino Student Union or Multicultural Society.
Once the semester started, it became more apparent why those clubs don’t exist.
“There’s not a lot of black representation,” said Turner, a black freshman.
Kent State Ashtabula is in a rural county near Cleveland, where black and Latino students make up about a third of the local high school. While Turner is right— black students are underrepresented at the university— hundreds have enrolled in the last decade.
At Kent State University at Ashtabula, 55 black students received an associate or bachelor’s degree between fall 2013 and spring 2019.
Very few have succeeded.
The six-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time black students has been zero for five years running, according to federal data.
University officials said that number fails to capture all its students because Ashtabula is a regional, or satellite, campus. Although Ashtabula offers both associate and bachelor’s degrees, they said, the main campus, Kent State University at Kent, receives credit for Ashtabula’s students who pursue certain bachelor’s degrees. Between fall 2013 and spring 2019, university officials say, 55 black students received an associate or bachelor’s degree from Ashtabula.
That’s an average of eight a year, at an institution where about 100 black students enroll annually.
When it comes to graduating black students, the university has one of the worst records in Ohio among public colleges and universities, in a state that stands out nationally for how poorly it serves students of color. In Ohio, “black students are half as likely to complete a degree at a public four-year institution compared to white students,” said Marshall Anthony Jr., a research analyst for higher education at Ed Trust. The six-year grad rate for black students in Ohio is about 30 percent, compared to 40 percent for black students nationally.
Ohio has a desperate need for more college graduates, but its problems serving black students contrast with universities across the U.S. that are actively working to attract more diverse students and make sure they succeed. Many college systems in other states are adding more support services, like centers for students of color, data tracking to keep tabs on students’ progress and even cash grants for those facing financial difficulties.
Though Ashtabula has limited support services targeted for black students, officials at the university said the abysmal graduation rates aren’t their fault.
School leaders say that their students, many of whom are low-income, must juggle jobs along with their coursework, lengthening the time it takes them to graduate. They also said local public schools don’t prepare young people for the rigor required for university classes. “Before they can enroll in, I’m going to say college-level, courses, they’re in developmental math or developmental English,” said Susan J. Stocker, the dean and chief administrative officer. “They’re taking at least a year to complete prerequisites.”
Across the state, Kent State’s campuses of comparable size are also struggling to serve these students. Among full-time, first-time students at Kent State University Salem, which is 4 percent black, two black students received an associate degree and one received a bachelor’s degree in 2017. At the Tuscarawas campus, also 4 percent black, one black student received an associate degree and zero received a bachelor’s in 2017. Student enrollment hovers between 1,400 and 1,800 students at each institution.
Part of Ohio’s challenge is cost. “Ohio is 45th out of 50 states in college affordability. Like we are one of the worst — the worst places — cost wise,” said Maggie McGrath, director of the Higher Education Compact of Greater Cleveland.
Cost of attendance is now at $8,101, and 62 percent of students receive federal aid, though it’s often not enough. Between 2004 and 2014, Ohio cut funding for a college grant program for low-income students by 33 percent. The state also consistently decreased spending on colleges and universities for 10 years. In 2018, it spent 16.5 percent less per full-time equivalent student, after adjusting for inflation, than it did in 2008.
Yet money doesn’t completely explain why Ohio’s public universities are failing to graduate students of color.
Campus culture is a major factor in student success, research has found. And black college students at Ashtabula rarely see a faculty member who’s a person of color. This school year, only four of 99 instructional faculty members were people of color. Scholars have long argued that minority faculty provide mentorship for minority students and enrich the classroom in other ways. Nonetheless, at Ashtabula, no programs are underway to increase that number, and no campus administrator is specifically charged with running diversity initiatives.
Turner wishes the university had additional resources for black college students like her, though their numbers are relatively small. Black students at Ashtabula comprise 6 percent of the student body; students of color overall, about 15 percent. “I honestly don’t even really see people my color at school,” she said.
“I wish there were more,” she said. “It gives me an unsettling feeling.”
The state should be more proactive with helping black students succeed, said Anthony from Ed Trust. “Public institutions in Ohio most certainly have to do more to serve black students.”
Kent State University at Ashtabula is small, just four buildings for nearly 2,000 students. The campus is located in Ohio’s northeast corner, bordering Lake Erie, 53 miles from Cleveland. About 17 percent of households in Ashtabula County earn incomes under the federal poverty line, and there are few options for postsecondary education. “We’re the only college in our county,” said Amanda Dolan, director of enrollment management and student services. “We’re our own competition.”
The journey to graduation for most Ashtabula students takes longer than six years because they juggle several responsibilities outside of school. At Ashtabula, 43 percent of students are part-time, which naturally slows their pace for degree attainment. “Eight years for a bachelor’s degree, four years for an associate degree, maybe three and a half for an associate degree,” said Dolan. “Most of our students are working and have families.”
Turner chose Ashtabula largely for its location, 10 minutes from her home, and its price: “I didn’t want any debt,” said Turner. Her federal Pell Grant, reserved for college students with the highest financial need, covers much of her costs.
If she graduates, she’ll be the first in her family with a college degree. Making sure she succeeds is an urgent problem for this state, and the region.
In Ohio, 44 percent of working-age adults have a certificate or degree, but to keep up with workforce demand that number needs to reach 65 percent. To make Ohio an attractive option for businesses and jobs, the state is pushing for 1 million more adults to get a certificate or degree by 2025.
Manufacturing dominates here, meaning that, for decades, some of the best jobs haven’t required a college degree. Most residents have a high school diploma, yet only 28 percent have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to Census data. But in Ohio the high-wage jobs that are growing the fastest now require more education.
Jobs in health care are expanding, which is a plus for Turner, who is studying nursing, a career that could propel her into the middle class.
Turner attended Ashtabula’s high school, Lakeside High, where almost every student is economically disadvantaged. The Ohio Department of Education gave Lakeside an F for its ability to prepare students for life after high school. Turner says Lakeside required her class to take the ACT college-entrance exam her junior year, but didn’t actively help students study. For the Lakeside class of 2016, just 37 percent entered college within two years.
“I wasn’t prepared for it,” said Turner, who scored less than 20.3, the average score for Ohio test takers.
Students of all backgrounds struggle at Ashtabula. Its eight-year grad rate is 26 percent.
University officials say they offer plenty of help outside of class for students to get up to speed. Ashtabula regularly has more than a dozen tutors available, and can increase the number depending on need, said Carol Jones, coordinator of academic services. Students receive academic advising and can visit the writing center, sign up for tutoring or attend supplemental instruction.
Supplemental instruction “targets our historically difficult classes,” said Jones. These are classes in which students often get a grade of D or F, such as anatomy and physiology. Supplemental instruction, just like the campus’ tutoring program and writing center offerings, is optional. The instructors for the supplemental learning option spend three hours a week going over lectures, preparing students for exams and offering other guidance.
As a nursing major, Turner has taken classes in anatomy and physiology, chemistry and English, a rigorous course load that has had her in class until 7 p.m. some evenings. The irregularity of the college course schedule places more responsibility on her to keep up with class material.
Now, “it’s harder for me to remember everything and stay fresh on all of the content,” she said.
Many students are unable to persist through the tough classes and, as a result, leave the university. Ashtabula had the lowest retention rate of full-time students in 2017 — 44 percent — out of all the public colleges and universities in Ohio.
With so many institutions with low retention and graduation rates, the state has taken a few recent steps to make college more enticing and affordable. In July, Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation to increase funding for Ohio’s college grant program by $50 million over two years.
And even with a significant depletion of the state’s budget because of the covid-19 pandemic, “everything possible will be done to ensure that these higher-level per-student award amounts are maintained in the next academic year,” said Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner in a statement.
DeWine has also said that public institutions will be required to guarantee that students will pay the same tuition their freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years. The covid-19 crisis, however, may hurt these efforts to improve student outcomes. The state’s revenue is down by almost $777 million, and in May the governor reduced the state’s higher education budget by $110 million.
Changing the culture of the institutions, however, while challenging, could reap more benefits, education experts say. Diverse college classrooms can help students sharpen their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students of color in such classrooms are also at a lower risk of experiencing discrimination, which can affect how and if they excel.
When a student doesn’t see others like them, it can affect their performance and persistence in school, says McGrath. “They don’t feel comfortable,” she said.
At orientation this summer, Deahrah Williams, a black student, was already considering transferring to another university after she finishes a year at Ashtabula.
“I feel like, as African Americans, when we get a chance to leave or do something better, we take the chance,” Williams said.
She grew up in Ashtabula, and says her father wants her to go south for college because he thinks there will be more opportunities.
Nate Ritchey, vice president for Kent State System Integration, which requires him to be a bridge between the Kent campus and the regional institutions and keep track of enrollment at all of the universities, agrees that the university system should be doing more to recruit and support students of color. “There’s a need across the regional campuses to increase diversity. That’s absolutely true,” he said.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve invested in a lot of recruiters,” Ritchey said. “Before that, students kind of just showed up on a regional campus.”
Other changes, though slow, may be on the way. The retention rate for all freshmen is going up, Ritchey says, rising from 50 percent to 56 percent between the most recent school years, though he couldn’t verify that black freshmen are included in this uptick.
Some students of color have felt more at home at Ashtabula. Valerie Gonzalez, a 2018 Ashtabula graduate, wanted to attend Ohio University but couldn’t afford it. At Ashtabula, she picked up a work-study job in the admissions office and fell in love with the university, so much so that she wanted to continue working there after graduation.
And Ashtabula wanted her to stay, too. Gonzalez, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, speaks Spanish. As an admissions counselor, she supports Spanish speaking students. And she helped launch the school’s first Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations this school year.
“We want this to be a campus where people feel safe,” said Gonzalez, “We want people to come here and know that they’re accepted no matter what.”
School administrators say they’re following their students’ lead on which cultural activities to introduce. They said there’s been little excitement for a club or student group for black students, but that could be a reflection of the university’s low black student population rather than a real lack of interest.
Turner considered starting a group for black students like herself early in the school year, but once classes started and she saw how few other black students there were, she paused. She was also too busy. She works 28 to 35 hours a week at a gas station — ringing up items, making food and meeting other customer needs — on top of taking a full course load.
“Of course you have those moments where you get very overwhelmed, and you’re like, man, like is this even for me?” Turner said. “But you have to keep going. That’s the only thing you can do is keep going. So that’s what I’m doing now.”
“No justice no peace.” “George Floyd,” and “I can’t breathe.”
Protesters shouted these powerful sentiments and the name of George Floyd as they made their way across Cleveland’s West Side during the late afternoon hours of Tuesday, June 2.
Around 75 protestors initially gathered near the First District police station and reportedly moved toward Lakewood.
I-71 south and north ramps were closed to traffic near West 130th Street.
Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams emphasized the demonstration was peaceful and that they were monitoring the situation from the room, even as the Mayor and Police Chief held a 3:30 p.m. conference call with Cleveland’s small media outlets arranged by Neighborhood Media Foundation (including the West Park Times, Plain Press, The Tremonster, Cleveland Street Chronicle, La Mega Nota CLE, Profile News Ohio, Cleveland Jewish News, Erie Chinese Journal, The Lotus, Ward 7 Observer, Collinwood Observer, East Side Daily News, The Real Deal Press, Neighborhood News) to update Cleveland’s residents at the grassroots.
“What is happening right now is we have deployed people there to ensure that if something [gets] out of control they can handle it,” he said at the time of the protests. “We have the Deputy Chief of Operations in the midst…right now talking to them. They are [having a] conversation… So far, they are peaceful. They are just talking and expressing their opinion.”
When asked how the protests began the Mayor noted:
“They start off by somebody organizing it. They get on social media. We were aware of this happening…about a day and a half ago- whenever the organizer posted it and asked for people to come to the rally. So, we were aware of it, and in some cases, depending on who the organizer is, we might even have a conversation with them beforehand to ask how they’re going to behave. Nine out of ten times, nobody’s gonna tell you they aren’t going to behave right.
“But we have [formed] relationships with many people over time,” he said. “And they have pretty much conducted themselves as they promised they would.
“We have modified our current curfew for Downtown and near-West Side, Ohio City (W. 25th St.), and we are going to relax some of that at 6 a.m. for just normal business operations and then reinstitute at 8 p.m… But the rest of the city we haven’t put under curfew,” he says.
“We have deployed resources to prevent things,” the Mayor reiterated, “to ensure that we can get on top of it quickly and squash it if anything happens.”
While the Mayor and Police Chief commented on how Cleveland Police are dealing with protests in our city, multiple First District Police climbed over barriers to join the protesters. Steve Lorenz commented on the Facebook page for The West Park Times, “I want to commend Commander Daniel Fay, his officers, and the protesters for their mutual show of respect.”
Posted at the 5 Points Coffee & Tea Facebook page are the following updates for June:
“* Our menu has some updates – The Slugger, tulsi lemon iced tea, lavender lemonade, Irish breakfast pies and veggie breakfast pies are now on the menu!
* Our hours will remain Tuesday – Friday 7-2 and 8-2 Saturdays + Sundays. Closed on Mondays.
* Our socially distanced patio will be reopening very soon with some updated rules of engagement. Stay tuned for more.
* Please continue to follow the rules at the window as it will continue to be our ordering point for the time being. Be smart.
It’s great to be back! Thank you for making our reopening such a success. We hope that we are bringing you all a little cheer during these uncertain times.
Throughout COVID-19, The Hope Center has worked to keep its residents connected. The center has distributed practical items such as food, and things like lilies and orchids to mothers to show solidarity and support during these trying times.
By Jessie Schoonover
The Hope Center for Refugees and Immigrants (Building Hope in the City), 15135 Triskett Rd., is coming up with solutions for connecting those who rely on the organization throughout COVID-19.
The Hope Center provides walk-in assistance as well as classes for immigrants and refugees arriving in Cleveland.
“Part of what they’re facing is not having that ability to have a face-to-face relationship,” says Building Hope in the City Refugee & Immigrant Ministries Director Eileen Wilson. “I think that’s a piece of it that is lost; that I think is an underlying piece.”
But the bigger things our immigrant and refugee communities have lost include much of what the entire country has because of COVID-19: employment, job security, and food security.
“They’ve lost continuity,” says Wilson, “where their children were at school and they were able to do things with their life. So, not having the kids at school and not having daycare has been a huge part of this because even if we’re doing virtual classes- even doing virtual classes with your children there- you can’t really stay in the class. And, on the other hand, your children need help with the technology and how to do the schoolwork, and a lot of parents are finding themselves really not equipped, both from the language and technology perspective, to be able to help their children.”
According to Wilson, they are also seeing people having difficulties with benefits and “just being able to reach out to people to get answers,” she says.
“And with new families that came right as the COVID-19 was hitting; they are brand new families who are coming to Cleveland; they haven’t been able to get registered at school yet. They don’t have any real resources,” she says. “They are kind of just hanging out there.”
Internet access has also been a challenge for some. According to Wilson, some Internet providers have extended offerings such as free access. But, she says, it is for a certain amount of time only and many still have trouble navigating how to sign up for this particular benefit.
“Some things have been given to people to say ‘yes we’ll help you’ but there’s a step in between,” explains Wilson. “There’s a lot of that kind of thing where there’s partial access.”
According to Wilson, they have been utilizing a mobile, video, and messaging application to interact with individuals who would normally go to the center.
“We’ve been pretty successful with people doing their English classes. We also have people doing citizenship; we have people working on English and we’re tutoring some kids. So, it’s hit or miss.”
So, with the lack of face-to-face communication and possibly the barrier of no Internet access, how are people still finding The Hope Center during COVID-19?
“The good thing is the relationships we’ve built and the community workers we know,” says Wilson, who noted being within “these communities” for 11 years. “We’re using those people to find the vulnerable populations. Who do you know or who do you hear about that actually needs the help,” she says.
“While we would never want something like this to happen, we’ve actually been able to build some networks that are stronger now,” says Wilson. “We now have access to some of the more vulnerable families to make sure they’re okay because people are realizing ‘okay we have to make sure all of the families are doing okay.’
“So, while people aren’t able to come and walk in and find us, they are absolutely finding us through this network of refugee and immigrant population organizations that work really well together in Cleveland. They are a huge blessing.”
According to Wilson, The Hope Center is currently re-open for walk-ins from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
The Hope Center is also collecting sports equipment or sporting goods to put together kits for 48 families/118 children, which would allow them to play outside. These include wiffle balls, soccer nets, and similar items.
For more information, contact the West Park Times at email westparktimes@gmail.com.
Currently the curfew for Downtown Cleveland has been prolonged to 8 p.m. on June 2, according to city officials.
“The Cleveland Division of police arrested 65 adults and one juvenile during the course of these protests. Charges include but are not limited to aggravated rioting, vandalism, disorderly conduct and curfew violations.
“The Division of Fire responded to two structure fires, a total of 10 vehicle fires, including four police cars as well as 11 additional fires involving dumpsters, trash cans, ticket booths and other items. Firefighters also responded to multiple first responder calls for trauma. The Division of Emergency Medical Service transported a total of 20 individuals to area hospital systems. Multiple first responders were injured, though none reported serious injuries.
“The Cleveland Division of Police continues to investigate criminal activity stemming from Saturday night’s rioting that has not yet resulted in charges or arrests. More arrests are expected. Investigators continue to analyze evidence, including video of offenses committed in order to identify offenders and bring them to justice. Investigators ask that anyone with information regarding the criminal activity that occurred during yesterday’s downtown protests contact law enforcement. Anonymous information can be provided anonymously by calling Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME,” officials said in a release Sunday.
In April, Cleveland restaurant Der Braumeister began serving meals to frontline workers battling against COVID-19.
The West Park Times reached out to third-generation owner Jenn Wirtz of Der Braumeister to learn more..
Q: What does it mean to a frontline worker when they receive a home cooked or quality, comforting meal? Can you go into detail on some of the feedback you received from those workers?
A: The caregivers working on the front lines of this crisis are working overtime, so thinking about preparing food for their families when they get home is the last thing they would want to deal with. We were able to provide premium comfort food for these hard workers, and their families, during a time they needed it most- and the feedback has been incredible. We’ve received countless voicemails and messages online at how much they’re enjoying our food and how thankful they are to be receiving it. It’s important to note, though, that this paid program wouldn’t be possible had the Clinic not taken the initiative to create it. An official quote from the Clinic regarding the program:
“The program is funded through donations to our COVID-19 Response Fund, which is directed toward caregiver support programs and is part of Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 Community Response Campaign. We are inspired by the overwhelming generosity of our donors and are grateful for the positive impact of the program on our caregivers and our community,” says Lara Kalafatis, chair of the Philanthropy Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
Q: What have you learned throughout this experience? How has it changed you as a person and maybe even the way you run your restaurant moving forward?
A: It is strange to think that all of this has happened in almost three short months but where we were back then and where we are now seems like night and day. Part of the reason we’ve been able to keep our heads above water was our ability to pivot immediately: providing beer/food takeout; buying a new POS system that allows for online ordering; pushing out valuable and relevant content on social (media) to engage and communicate with our customers, etc. I don’t think anyone will come out of this pandemic unchanged, myself included. We know things aren’t going back to “normal” (for Der Brau) and honestly, I think that’s a good thing. We’ve been around a long time for a reason. But this crisis has inspired me to really challenge our old ways. And we’re tired, we’re stressed, we’re anxious- but at the same time- we’re really hopeful and excited for a refresh.
Q: What were some challenges you initially faced when trying to start doing this? I imagine there might have been some “learning curve” moments as COVID-19 is a new thing for everybody. Can you discuss some of those challenges and what you did to solve them?
A: The hardest challenge was, and continues to be, really not knowing what the “right” answers are. Everything about this is unprecedented and no one really knows what to do. We are all making fast decisions based on our gut or our capabilities and that can be really scary. It feels like trying to walk a tightrope with a blindfold on. We are forced to make decisions that we know might not be the most popular or well received, or that might negatively impact people. And we can’t predict how it will impact our future, but we have to keep making those decisions and trust ourselves.
Q: Do you have any numbers as far as meals per-day or people per-day/month you served?
A: For the Clinic program during the month of May, we were delivering about 1,200 family four-pack meals/week to the surrounding hospitals, so close to serving 20,000 individuals per month.
Q: How were your interactions with the frontline workers in general? Were they typically trying to ‘stop and take a moment’ from their busy day or did they generally have to rush through their meals and ‘downtime’ activities as well?
A: There actually wasn’t much interaction at all. We delivered the meals, which were stored in refrigerated trucks outside of the hospital, so the caregivers would stop by the trucks after their shifts to pick up the meals to take home with them.
Q: Were there other restaurants that you directly worked with or collaborated with when planning to serve frontline workers and/or in executing some sort of a plan?
A: My mom and I did all of the menu planning ourselves, based on food and product availability. And I made every attempt possible to purchase our products and food from local businesses. We’ve purchased from Ohio City Pasta, Stone Oven Wholesale Bakery, Taste of Europe spice shop, Rainbow Farms, Dohar Meats, Dee Jays Custom Butchering, Reinecker’s Bakery, Czuchraj Meats, Raddell’s sausage… to name a few.
Q: When can everyone in West Park and beyond expect their beloved Der Brau to open back up!? We love you! What are some things you are considering for Der Brau operations only, (i.e. welcoming patrons back, best practices) moving forward?
A: We recently made the decision to remain closed to the public through the month of May and June. Here is our official statement:
Dear Friends & Customers,
We have missed everyone so much over the past few weeks, and we are really looking forward to the day we can see you all again!
After thoughtful consideration we have made the decision to remain closed to the public through the end of May and for the month of June.
We need to take time to think through how we can best move forward, and adhere to the new safety guidelines while hopefully preserving the best parts of our restaurant that make us who we are. We are looking at this as an opportunity to refresh and renew- and we are confident that when we open back up- we will be stronger- and better- than ever before.
This was a tough decision, but we know it was the right one for us. We’re so happy for our fellow restaurateurs who have taken the time necessary to open back up the right way- and we can’t wait to join them!
We promise to keep you posted on everything we’re doing, and we will continue to support our fellow community and business owners every chance we get.
In the meantime, raise one for us, and we’ll see you all soon. #Prost.
This article provided by Eye on Ohio, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Ohio Center for Journalism. Please join our free mailing list as this helps us provide more public service reporting.
In early March, just as Ohioans were learning about the first cases of novel coronavirus in the state, Anna Bondar’s grandfather fell at his Cleveland home.
Luckily, the 92-year old, who lives with dementia, wasn’t injured badly.
The tight-knit family started to discuss the possibility of a nursing home, though they had serious reservations.
Their tough choice was made even more difficult by mounting fears about the coronavirus. In nearly four months, COVID-19 has infected more than 31,191 people statewide and has proven particularly deadly for residents of long-term care facilities in Ohio.
Seventy percent of the reported deaths in Ohio due to COVID-19 complications have been in long-term care facilities, which is among the highest in the country.
Nationally, the portion of COVID-19-related deaths in long-term care facilities has hovered just over 40%, though the amount of testing done in nursing homes varies significantly by state.
Every day, families like Bondar’s are making what can feel like an impossible choice– whether to send a loved one to a nursing home where they will receive around-the-clock specialized care, but face a greater risk of contracting COVID-19; or to care for that person at home where risk of transmission is lower but providing care can be more challenging.
Even before the pandemic, sorting through the myriad of quality ratings and measures was daunting enough. Then, COVID-19 deaths started to soar.
Now, families and seniors agonize over what could be a life or death choice, using confusing numbers on infection “hotspots,” and without the ability to visit nursing homes to observe how the staff there cares for residents– which is the number one recommendation of most advocates.
State officials, including Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Department of Health, have emphasized that “congregate” settings like nursing homes are at the highest risk for infection. Staff, who often travel between facilities, need to be in close contact with residents to provide care. And residents, who are primarily older and have multiple medical conditions, are more susceptible to COVID-19-related complications.
“All of this makes it high risk. At the same time, it’s really necessary for many patients to be there,” said Dr. Steven Schwartz, a geriatric physician at the Cleveland Clinic who travels to nursing homes as part of the Clinic’s Center for Connected Care.
Ohio National Guardmembers will begin testing all staff members and any residents who likely were exposed to COVID-19 in the state’s nursing homes, Gov. Mike DeWine announced May 27. What are being called Congregate Care Unified Response Teams will focus on facilities where confirmed or assumed positive cases are reported in hopes of reducing the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Ohio’s nursing homes, which as of May 27, was 5,324 resident cases and more than 1,442 deaths.
Last month, state officials began to release the numbers of reported infections and deaths in long-term care facilities, which include nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and assisted living centers.
But it’s unclear how much the numbers– which are reported weekly and are also tracked cumulatively– matter for families currently trying to choose a facility.
The state on its coronavirus website says the infection and death numbers shouldn’t replace a thoughtful conversation with a nursing facility about infection control practices and that “residents and family members should understand that the presence of COVID-19 at a facility is [in] no way an indicator of a facility that isn’t following proper procedures.”
Yet many in the health care industry say infection information should be considered along with other factors when deciding which site to choose.
“If you see a nursing home with a large outbreak, that’s something to worry about. If you see a nursing home with a small outbreak, I’m not sure it means anything but bad luck,” said Dr. James Campbell, department chair of geriatric medicine at MetroHealth.
The infection information provided by the state can be useful. For instance, if a family is choosing between two similar facilities, said Nate Cyrill, a long-term care ombudsman for Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties.
Since information on the virus changes rapidly, most families still rely on the quality measures that were available before COVID-19, including existing state and federal online guides Cyril said.
One of the commonly-used ranking systems maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services assigns ratings from 1 to 5 “stars” to facilities based on performance, quality measures, staffing, and inspections.
The number of “stars” Ohio’s nursing homes received, however, does not appear to have a correlation to the number of infections reported to the state, based on a comparison of the publicly available information. The analysis did not include assisted living facilities.
“You want to look for a nursing home that’s 4 of 5 stars preferably, but even that doesn’t tell you the whole story,” Steven Schwartz said.
There are numerous 1-star-rated facilities that have reported few infections, like Whetstone Gardens and Care Center in Columbus, which has reported 9 cases or 8 per 100 residents.
Salem North Healthcare Center in northern Columbiana County had 51 patients test positive for the virus as of May 20, as well as five staff, according to the state. It is rated a 5-star facility, the highest rating from CMS.
It’s one of four 5-star facilities with an infection rate over 50 cases per 100 residents, based on Medicare’s calculation of each facility’s average number of residents. (The rate does not include infections among staff because the number of staff in each facility was not available).
Since April, the focus on high numbers of reported infections (often referred to as clusters) in long-term care facilities has intensified. In some cases those numbers are a reflection of the level of testing, said Fred Stratmann, general counsel and chief compliance officer for CommuniCare Health Services. It doesn’t mean all of the residents with a positive test had symptoms of COVID-19. The state infection numbers also don’t show the residents who have recovered from the virus, he said.
This story is first in a series covering graduations during COVID-19
Story and photos by Jerry Masek
No prom, no traditional graduation ceremony, no hanging out with friends.
It would be perfectly normal if members of the Class of 2020 feel cheated and depressed as they watch a national pandemic wash away their senior year.
But that’s not the case, says Faith Habrat of West Park. “I’ve talked a lot with other seniors, and we agree. We started the year together, and we are going to end it together. We’ll just remember all the good times. We’ll be fine.”
“We are trying not to feel cheated. We understand that everyone is doing what they can.”
But she admits,”It has been scary. It’s not the senior year I expected.”
Prom has been pushed back to July, and may not happen at all.
“I’m not really huge on prom,” she said. :But to not have it is very upsetting. It is a good time to share with friends.”
Before the shutdown, Faith attended the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, located next to the sprawling Cleveland Clinic campus. Since March, he has studied at home.
“I try to cope with that. Life is hectic, and its really frustrating and hard. We text and e-mail our teachers and our principal a lot throughout the day. They are very helpful. We want to make sure we know what their expectations are.”
This summer, Faith will work as a camp counselor at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU). After that, she begins work on a psychology at the University of Cincinnati.
For now, she is focusing a school-by-school drive-thru graduation ceremony that all Cleveland seniors will eventually particpate in.
Her graduation party was “no big get-together.” but a drive-by parade of family and friends as they drove past her house on Woodbury Ave., on Sunday afternoon, May 24.
Carmine Ballard graduated from The Ohio State University in 2016, with two Bachelor of Arts degrees— one in Psychology, another in Women’s and Gender Studies. Ballard’s parents helped them through college— paying their tuition. Yet, despite that, Ballard still ended up with about $10,000 worth of federal student loans by graduation, for living expenses during college.
Ballard graduated with a 3.0 average, and made the dean’s list several times. Ballard planned to get into counseling and spaces that served minorities and other at risk populations.
However, after more than twenty-five applications and interviews that didn’t go anywhere, Carmine, short on cash after three months of applying, ended up taking a food service job to make ends meet. The $114 a month for their student loan repayment was too much to handle with very little income, so Ballard’s parents continued to help out.
“When I tried to apply for jobs, I just wouldn’t hear back. I couldn’t even get a job doing clerical work,” said Ballard.
Boost aid to meet need. Improve flexibility. Lengthen duration. Include everyone.
By Wendy Patton & Will Petrik
During tough times, government leadership can keep our society going. The government can step in to keep families putting food on the table, help people who are sick get medical care and make sure parents who have to work have safe places to care for their children. It’s government action that makes sure the trash keeps getting collected and an ambulance shows up if there is an emergency. Only the federal government has the tools and the means to fully address the size and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession it caused.
Thirty-nine percent of low-income workers were laid off by their employers.[1] With so many people suddenly without income to spend, cities and state governments have less of the income and sales tax revenue they need to perform essential functions, like making sure businesses are keeping workers and customers safe by following social distancing rules.
Although the federal government deployed several aid packages, a crisis this size calls for an even bolder response. The aid packages Congress passed are set to expire before the pandemic and recession end. They prohibited cities and states from using aid for budget shortfalls, so state and local lawmakers are slashing services and laying people off. This will make the pandemic recession worse.
City Wide Glass Ohio, Inc., 12909 Bellaire Rd., is now offering COVID-19 plexiglass shields to protect employees.
Convenience stores, doctor’s offices (particularly where the receptionist sits), and public places with cashiers are among those that can benefit from having COVID-19 plexiglass shields, says Lisa Setser, office manager at City Wide Glass.
“It has a real clean look and it’s totally temporary,” she says, adding that they are designed with “acrylic feet on the bottom so that nothing has to be screwed into the counters or walls or anything.”
“When the time comes, just take it away; you don’t have to damage any surfaces,” says Setser.
The process begins with a consultation with the store owner. The area the owner would like to cover is then measured and then cut to size.
For more information about these or to schedule a consultation with City Wide Glass, call (216) 476-1888.
The Greater Cleveland COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund coalition announced today its latest round of grants to support the nonprofit community, which continues to face unprecedented challenges during the ongoing pandemic. In total, $908,000 was awarded to 20 organizations and groups serving Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. Since the Fund’s creation in mid-March, partners have granted more than $4.7 million to 85 nonprofit groups and organizations. The latest round of grant recipients includes:
Food & Shelter
• Asian Services in Action, Inc. ($20,000): To provide emergency food assistance, basic needs and small business support for immigrant and refugee populations across the organization’s Northeast Ohio service area.
• Bellaire Puritas Development Corporation ($32,000): For the Community Essential Needs Collective, a collaborative effort between Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation, The Bountiful Basement at Blessed Trinity Church, Neighborhood Family Practice, and St. Paul AME Church Pantry to distribute emergency food resources, public health information and cleaning supplies and emergency assistance to families in the West Park neighborhood.
• Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. ($65,000): To prepare and distribute hot meals and care packages containing PPE, hygiene products and cleaning supplies to homebound residents in Cleveland’s Buckeye-Shaker Square, Buckeye-Woodhill, Central and Kinsman neighborhoods.
• Family Pride of Northeast Ohio ($30,000): To support the immediate needs of individuals and families throughout Geauga and Lake counties who are clients of this behavioral health organization including access to food, technology, and emergency shelter and housing support, as well as resources for families to keep kids physically and emotionally healthy.
• Front Steps Housing and Services ($75,000): For food, supplies and staffing to serve the growing needs of its clients, who are formerly homeless individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
• Greater Collinwood Development Corporation ($16,000): To safely scale up its provision of free food packages to residents in need.
• Harvard Community Services Center ($40,000): To serve homebound adults and families across the Lee-Harvard, Miles and Seville neighborhoods through the mobile delivery of care packages containing food and basic hygiene items.
• Lakewood Community Services Center ($34,000): For staffing needed to continue its zero-contact food delivery and distribution system for individuals and families in Lakewood who are facing food insecurity.
• MidTown Cleveland ($30,000): For bulk meal purchases from AsiaTown restaurants, providing a direct infusion of business to locally owned restaurants while serving the needs of food insecure residents.
• The Phillis Wheatley Association ($65,000): For staffing, food and other basic supplies to continue to provide meals and critical services to older and disabled adults in the core city of Cleveland.
PPE
• Salaam Clinic of Cleveland ($25,000): To purchase personal protective and infection control equipment and additional technology resources that will allow the clinic to resume operations providing health care services to the uninsured and underinsured population of Northeast Ohio.
• Greater Cleveland Neighborhood Centers Association ($85,000): To support the #Masks4Community project, which will distribute 33,000 kits in Cleveland and East Cleveland neighborhoods. The kits will include: a washable mask, safety outdoors coloring sheet, 2020 Census, Election/Voting and COVID-19 safety information. The kits will be distributed to essential community locations, including grocery stores, pharmacies, discount stores and food bank sites.
Vulnerable Populations
• Forbes House ($80,000): To help Lake County’s only domestic violence shelter increase capacity to support the growing number of low-income and at-risk families dealing with trauma by providing emergency shelter, mental health counseling and access to technology.
• HELP Foundation ($100,000): To continue providing uninterrupted services, including expanded meal delivery, virtual programming, emergency sanitation and PPE supplies, to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities at more than 20 residential locations.
• Kidney Foundation of Ohio ($25,000): To provide medications, transportation support, emergency assistance and patient service programs to those living with kidney disease in Greater Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County.
• Long Term Care Ombudsman ($13,000): To upgrade existing technology to allow certified staff and volunteers across a five-county footprint to advocate for excellence in long-term care services while nursing homes and other care facilities are closed to outside visitors.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America, Buckeye Chapter ($18,000): To provide food, medical supplies and other basic needs to honorably discharged veterans with spinal cord injuries or disease, including Multiple Sclerosis and ALS.
• Cleveland Rape Crisis Center ($90,000): To support case management and hotline staff and coordinate new service delivery methods for survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
• Ravenwood Mental Health Center ($15,000): To provide emergency food delivery, toiletries and hygiene products at this community mental health and addiction treatment center serving Geauga County.
• United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland ($50,000): To cover increased staffing expenses due to COVID-19, including 24/7 care at group homes, virtual employment services, tele-education, telehealth and nursing services for individuals with disabilities.
Overall contributions to the Rapid Response Fund now total more than $8.5 million from 73 different corporate, civic and philanthropic partners, including individuals and families across the region. New funding partners (since May 1) include The Dan and Ellen Zelman Family Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland; The Neary Family; and UnitedHealthcare. Funding partners urge other foundations, corporate entities, individuals and organizations to contribute to the fund via ClevelandFoundation.org/Response, where you can also view a list of partners to date. Donations of any amount are welcomed, and all contributions are tax deductible.
The partners still plan to continue to make grants through June, with the potential to extend grant opportunities as needed and as additional funding resources become available through new partners joining the effort. Frontline nonprofits that have pressing needs related to the COVID-19 crisis response should email covid19response@clevefdn.org to receive more information about the streamlined funding process. The funding collaborative will continue to identify potential grantee partners, solicit guidance on proposed projects from community advisors and recommend final awards. Organizations that have already submitted funding requests will remain in consideration for future grant distributions until further notice.
Based upon the charitable structure of the Rapid Response Fund, grants are limited to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, groups fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or other charitable organizations able to receive a tax-deductible contribution, such as schools, faith-based organizations and other public entities. The partners are not able to fund individuals or businesses directly, labor unions, or other 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5) and 501(c)(6) organizations.
For more information or to donate, visit ClevelandFoundation.org/Response.
More than a decade later, 114,000 more Ohioans live in poverty compared to before the Great Recession of 2008. Now Ohioans, like the rest of the country, are not only living through a public health crisis, but also a recession. A new Policy Matters Ohio report offers a roadmap for state policymakers to ensure Ohio emerges stronger and more prosperous for everyone, no matter where they live or what they look like.
“Government action is how we all come together to tackle big challenges,” said report author, Senior Project Director Wendy Patton. “In the 1930s, President Roosevelt’s New Deal helped Americans get back to work and buy homes. During the Great Recession, the federal stimulus supported state and local governments and federal loans saved thousands of jobs in the auto industry. In both cases, lawmakers made some policy choices that left people out: The New Deal excluded Black and Brown Americans from certain programs and the federal stimulus ended too soon, before recovery reached many small towns and rural areas. This time, our leaders can make different choices that will benefit everyone.”
To get through the recession, Ohio’s leaders must push the federal government for more flexible aid for state and local governments and increased funding for Medicaid that lasts through the pandemic and until unemployment subsides to pre-recession levels. State lawmakers must maintain or expand aid for programs that help people get enough to eat, make ends meet, and stay home if they get sick or to care for their loved ones, Patton said. Black and Brown Ohioans, who suffered most during the last recession, should receive targeted state support.
“As we slowly pulled out of the last recession, Ohio’s lawmakers cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations and slashed the budget for schools, human services and aid to local governments,” Patton said. “One clear bright spot was Gov. Kasich’s decision to expand Medicaid, which supported thousands of jobs and extended health care to thousands of Ohioans.”
Federal lawmakers must expand and extend aid to state and local governments to ensure health care during the pandemic, keep public services intact and help struggling families. State lawmakers must ensure needs are met as well and can generate new revenue to do so by:
Using the $2.7 billion rainy day fund to close the state’s budget gap.
Rebalancing Ohio’s upside-down tax system that favors the wealthy and starves schools, public transit and more.
Tapping unconventional resources like the privatized economic development agency JobsOhio to help close budget shortfalls and put people to work by creating job corps.
“During the last recession, state and federal leaders didn’t do enough for people who were hit the hardest,” Patton said. “This time they can do better.”
