Our Urban Health Care Initiatives
We build healthy and safe communities to eliminate health disparities through prevention, healthy eating and fitness, and we assure complete access to affordable health care for all.
URBAN HEALTH CARE BOOSTS BETTER LIVING
We want everyone to get a healthy start … because everything else depends on health. A healthy attitude starts with a healthy body. That means it makes sense that we address health needs in our community, because if you’re not healthy, it’s harder to deal with education or employment or other important goals.
When you have health, you have hope. Hope that you can reach out and make new things happen in your life and the lives of your family. Your Urban League is committed to you over the long term, just like healthy habits are necessary over the long term to make a real difference. We also help tear down the barriers to accessing what you need to be the healthiest you possible.
Much more than programs, and more like a lifetime friendship.
This is your Urban League. The Greater Stark County Urban League has been part of the community for more than 100 years. We’ve formed a deep understanding of the needs and concerns for the community’s culture. We speak your language and never speak down to you. That’s because we’re here to elevate your life, to build you up like the friends that we are.
ACCESS (household and hygiene program)
We help put cleaning products and personal care essentials in the hands of those who need them most. Since April of 2020, the Greater Stark County Urban League has distributed nearly 40,000 products in almost 4,500 bags. Products include bleach, all-purpose disinfectant, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, deodorant, body soap, lotion, trash bags, antibacterial soap, surface cleanser, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent and denture cleanser for seniors.
To provide much needed household cleaning and hygiene products to individuals in the community, we purchased and packed bags that were then delivered throughout the community each week. Urban League staff and board members, together with valued volunteers, have contributed to this effort by distributing to different locations in Stark County — from Alliance to Massillon.
In a related program, the Greater Stark County Urban League works with Stark County Diaper Bank to distribute diapers in newborn to size 7, pull-ups and baby wipes, as well as adult briefs and incontinence pads.
ACTION (pandemic response)
COVID-19 brought new challenges and increased urgency to our community. Beyond health issues, increased and more dramatic food insecurity necessitated direct action. 12,000 boxes of food were distributed to Stark County families and organizations through the Greater Stark County Urban League’s Centennial Food Distribution Program.
To help slow the spread of COVID and protect people with high-risk, we partnered with the Canton City Health Department to assist more than 250 people to get the COVID vaccine through the Equity Clinic.
In an example of using nontraditional means to make something important happen, your Urban League has been implementing “Shots at the Shop,” a culturally-based program to leverage the power black-owned barbershops and hair salons have in their communities, together with the State of Ohio. Hair stylists and barbers will be trained with information to dispel myths and disinformation about COVID-19 to help clients make informed decisions, as a means to increase COVID-19 vaccinations.
PROACTIVE (infant mortality)
9 out of 1,000 BABIES don’t reach their first birthday, with premature birth the leading infant mortality factor. Often, young expectant mothers have faced many new responsibilities at once and have become overwhelmed. Many of these young women have no family or support system and feel as if they are alone when they need help the most.
To meet this crisis, the Greater Stark County Urban League in partnership with Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett, Director of the Program for Research on Anxiety Disorders among African Americans (PRADAA), has begun a new program guided by unique expertise about infant mortality and the impact of stress, race and PTSD on it. Because of our special insight about infant mortality, we have received a grant to implement a program involving therapy, parental training and musical therapy for children.
DRIVE (community health)
Access to healthcare is about more than whether you have a doctor. Communications and understanding play a big role in creating a healthy environment.
The Greater Stark County Urban League partners with a variety of organizations in Stark County to help engage members of the African American community. Our unique experience, insights and relationships in that community help create a bridge to other service organizations so that the community understands and accesses them in a culturally relevant manner. We sum it up with the adage, “the gap is filled once you can connect with trust.”
A recent example is our participation in Black College Football Hall of Fame Game activities. We organized a health fair, with Urban League staff on hand to encourage families to get vaccinated and give them free tickets to the game. Additionally, we encourage preventive care, such as our partnership with Aultman for breast cancer screening.
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