Safeguarding and Supporting the Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The first case of COVID-19 was found in Cuyahoga County on March 9, 2020. As of February 9, 2021, over 90,000 cases have occurred in Cuyahoga County (probable and confirmed) and 1,225 community members have died. To address the pandemic Cuyahoga County implemented dozens of new programs and changed the way every department did business. Managing through the COVID-19 crisis has taken innovation, creativity, partnerships and a willingness to try new ways of doing business. Innovative programs have allowed the County to cut the jail population in half, provide over 13 million pieces of much needed PPE throughout the County, increase testing in minority communities, address a lack of internet access for students and job seekers, maintain safety in the homeless population and help residents to know which businesses were following COVID-19 safety guidelines. While the pandemic was the impetus for the implementation of many of these programs, the results and lessons learned from them will continue to impact the County and improve the work we do into the future.