United Way of Greater Cincinnati - LIVE UNITED

The simple fact is, without good health no one functions at an optimal level. Regardless of age, good health practices are vital to our well-being, our ability to function in society, our ability to learn, and to our longevity.

A healthy lifestyle in America seems to be almost an obsession with some – we go to the gym three times a week to work out, we walk, we eat healthy foods – while others, especially low-income families, young children and the elderly, are left without basic things like nutritional meals and dental care, and are unable to obtain the critical services they need to stay healthy.

Issues such as family violence, addiction, and even mental health, once considered social concerns, are increasingly recognized as health concerns. The effect of these issues on hospital emergency rooms, health insurance plans, and our communities, is staggering.

Consider:

• Without strong academic and social development, youth are more prone to engage in risky behaviors, which may continue into adulthood, including drug and alcohol abuse, a serious health concern in our society.
• The #1 reason for childhood emergency room visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – dental needs.
• Older adults with fixed or limited incomes often consume diets of lower nutritional quality and are twice as likely to have poor health status.
• Children learn better when they have healthy diets, and receive adequate health care, including regular check-ups.
• Family violence – including child abuse, elder abuse, abuse of people with disabilities, and domestic violence – is widely considered a health issue as well as a social issue.

United Way is committed to building a stronger, healthier community by raising resources and developing partnerships that make a measurable difference in the health of our citizens. To achieve that goal, we invest in, and partner with, programs and organizations that:

• assure seniors’ nutritional needs are met
• Provide protection from abuse for seniors
• Increase childhood immunization rates
• increase access to health care

For more, click here for the 2012 Health Impact Report.

Strategic Initiatives and Community Collaboratives

Every Child Succeeds, in addition to its many other goals, focuses on promoting pre-natal and early childhood health by encouraging good health practices from pre-natal to 3 years old.

Hamilton County Family Violence Prevention Project is a coalition of more than 40 local organizations implementing a plan to prevent the full spectrum of family violence.

Health Improvement Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati generatesmeasurable, sustainable health improvement initiatives to create a healthier community.

Substance Abuse/Mental Illness (SAMI) Initiativeaddresses systemic issues affecting the care of people who have co-occurring disorders of substance abuse and mental illness.

place matters is United Way’s place-based investment pilot project that seeks to achieve breakthrough change in three Greater Cincinnati neighborhoods – Avondale, Covington and Price Hill – and the Felicity community in Clermont County. Strategies specific to each neighborhood/community are being implemented through an ongoing partnership between funders and neighborhood/community collaboratives. Initiatives focusing on health in these neighborhoods include:

• Educating parents and caregivers on the importance of healthy eating and physical activities for children

Results

• More than 6,000 seniors engaged in services that ensured protection from abuse and neglect
• Nearly 8,700 people with disabilities received social rehabilitation, carreer and employment, and related services
• More than 5,600 older adults received transportation services to and from medical appointments

Get Involved

 Click here to learn more about ways you can help improve people’s health and independence, even your own.

Learn More

Learn about KCHIP - helping with health care for Kentucky kids under 19 whose families meet income guidelines.

Wilma - Services Mean 'Everything' to 86-Year-Old Gramdmother

Once a committed volunteer at the Middletown Hospital, 86 year-old Wilma now lives alone, legally blind due to macular degeneration.

Wilma was first referred to Middletown Area Senior Citizens, Inc. (MASC), a United Way of Greater Cincinnati agency partner, five years ago for transportation services when she could no longer drive.

The agency has since expanded its outreach to her, including daily home-delivered meals and an in-home aid who comes once per week to help with grocery shopping and bill paying, but, most importantly, provides Wilma with moral support and companionship.

Steve, a MASC employee, visits Wilma daily, delivering not only a nutritional meal, but also checking on her well-being and making sure she’s OK. Wilma says, “I wouldn’t have any reason to get out of bed and get dressed," Wilma says of her helpers.”
           
Read more Health success stories.