Cincinnati Public Health Trends - Christian Derenthal

I interviewed Shay Stanford, who is an MD at the UC Health Montgomery Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio where I am from.  She is a friend and an MD, who is very knowledgeable about the health trends specifically in Cincinnati.  She talked to me about some of the up and coming projects that are happening in Cincinnati within the healthcare arena that are exciting and particularly relate to public health.

1.     One of the unknown facts about Cincinnati is their experience in the water research field.  Recently the city celebrated "100 Years of Water Research in Cincinnati" this year.  They have teamed up with people from around the world to make a water research hub.  The goals of the initiative is to create safer water, better water, and easier to access water.  This affects lots of people because everyone needs water!

2.     In Cincinnati there can often be lots of snow, which can present many dangers to people.  The city is always working with hospitals and public health officials to create better ways to control traffic in winter months.  They have been using salt on the roads to control ice that builds on the roads from melting and freezing snow.  Public health officials are also always trying to help people learn how to drive safely in the snow.  This is an important health trend in Cincinnati because every winter there are many injuries Shay says from people who don’t know how to drive in the snow.

3.     The city mayor has proposed a plan to improve the infant mortality rate.  His plan has gained national recognition and is now being applauded by others as one of the best plans in the country.  There have been videos circulating Cincinnati that deal with their push to improve infant fatalities.  It is a really cool program that helps mothers in certain poor areas receive good education and information about how to care for new babies.

4.     Another item that Shay talked about was the building of newer, safer structures in the city.  There are many old buildings that are presenting health issues and are creating a bad environment within the city.  The state has given a large sum of money to the city to demolish and rebuild where necessary in order to clean up the city.  This will help not only with old apartments or other buildings, but will hopefully change attitudes and outlooks that current residents have in Cincinnati.

5.     The city also put a couple million dollars into a new recreational center.  They put a lot of money into it to improve the quality of the structure.  They also improved the quality of the recreational facility.  It had been a thing that had been forgotten about, but apparently is making people very excited about exercise and wellness.  The city has put a lot of money into it and therefore is making a statement, which is cool, about where they feel we as a city should be moving and what our priorities should be.