Skip to main content.

Summa Health joins the cause to reduce racial disparity in Akron communities

Posted February 07, 2022 by Tracy Carter & Iriel Hopkins, MSW, LSW

Group of Diverse People

With a national spotlight on racism in recent years, numerous efforts across the country are underway to help reduce racial disparity, and the city of Akron and Summa Health are jumping in to join the fight.

Last summer, the city of Akron declared racism a public health crisis and put plans in place to reduce racial disparity here at home through the newly created Racial Equity and Social Justice Taskforce. The taskforce’s mission is to build public trust by making recommendations of policy change to create a more racially, equitable, socially just community and to bridge the racial wealth divide in Akron.

The taskforce is made up of six subcommittees that each focused on a specific area to identify problems, examine potential responses, research best practices and ultimately recommend policy solutions. The subcommittees then presented their findings to the Executive Taskforce, which prioritized policy and program opportunities for the Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan and Akron City Council to consider as they work to advance inclusion and equity strategies for city of Akron residents.

Summa Health along with other Akron-based organizations joined the cause to help reduce racial disparities specifically in health care. Racial discrimination leads to negative consequences for both patients and providers, leading to higher risk of illness, strains on mental health and lower life expectancies.

Iriel Hopkins, Summa Health’s system director for community relations and diversity, served as Chairman of the Health and Healthcare Subcommittee. Tracy Carter, in her capacity as a city of Akron resident, , served on the Health and Healthcare Subcommittee and the Executive Taskforce. Lastly, Dr. Michael Hughes served as a member of the Executive Taskforce.

Hopkins, Carter and the rest of the Health and Healthcare Subcommittee spent a year identifying problems and researching solutions to reduce racial disparities in health care. The subcommittee’s final policy recommendations included:

  • Assure that the City of Akron’s health plan and employee assistance vendors have African-American providers who can better meet the physical and mental health needs of the city’s diverse workforce.
  • Create a new position and hire talent that is dedicated and accountable for promoting positive youth development by reducing youth violence through community-based interventions.
  • Create a City of Akron Diversity Scorecard, which would be available to the public, to track progress and outcomes in practicing diversity, equity and inclusion with its leadership, hiring and supplier chain practices.

In December, the Executive Taskforce outlined policy-change recommendations from the subcommittees in a five-year strategic plan and presented it to Mayor Horrigan and City Council to implement. The strategic plan included specific policy recommendations, timelines and funding allocations required to achieve them. 

Summa Health is proud to announce one step in the right direction. As a result of the Health and Healthcare Subcommittee’s recommendations, a Violence Intervention and Prevention Coordinator position was created and posted for hire.

While there’s much more to be done, the city of Akron, Summa Health along with other local entities, have begun the necessary steps to tear down the walls of racism.


About the Author

Tracy Carter & Iriel Hopkins, MSW, LSW

Vitality eNews Sign Up

Receive the Summa Health eNewsletter for the latest health tips, advice and updates.

Related Blogs

View all Flourish Blogs

The Importance of Diversifying Medical Education [Podcast]

The podcast features Dr. Yoleetah Ilodi, discussing diversity and inclusion in medical education at Summa Health. Dr. Ilodi addresses obstacles faced by underrepresented minorities, emphasizing the importance of diversity for better patient outcomes. She explains her role as the Medical Director of DEI and highlights Summa Health's efforts to increase underrepresented minority residents and faculty, underscoring the impact of diversity on patient satisfaction and reducing health disparities.

Minority Health Month and the Social Determinants of Health [Podcast]

Iriel Hopkins: Summa Health System Director of Community Relations and Diversity, and Marlo Schmidt: Summa Health System Director of Community Benefits, discuss the social determinants of health.

Juneteenth: What It Is and Why It’s Celebrated [Podcast]

Dr. Yoleetah Ilodi & Iriel Hopkins discuss Juneteenth and its importance. Listen and learn more in this episode of Healthy Vitals.

Summa Health's Project SEARCH helps young adults with disabilities gain employment

Summa Health is helping to educate and employ young adults with disabilities one student at a time through Project SEARCH.

Since 2005, Summa Health has partnered with the Six District Educational Compact, a regional collaborative that provides career-technical education programs, to offer high-school students a one-year, school-to-work transition program on-site. Modeled after the growing Project SEARCHnational program, the initiative is designed to help qualified students…

Get the facts on heart disease in Black women

Updated February 2025

You may have heard heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 killers in women. But did you know that cardiovascular disease, including stroke, disproportionately affects Black women?

It’s true. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 60 percent of Non-Hispanic Black women aged 20 and older have some form of cardiovascular disease. Black women have almost two times higher risk of stroke than Caucasians and are sadly more likely to…

African-Americans More at Risk for Heart Disease

February is Black History Month, when we recognize African-Americans and those of color who have played major roles in shaping our present culture. February is also American Heart Health month – a time to raise awareness of heart disease. While these two events are different, they are linked in healthcare. Heart disease remains the number one killer of Americans, and African-Americans are 20 percent more likely to die from heart disease than non-Hispanic whites.

We do not…

Summa Doctors Address The Black Community’s Hesitancy With The COVID-19 Vaccine [Podcast]

Healthy VitalsListen to this episode of the Healthy Vitals Podcast featuring Drs. Yoleetah and George Ilodi.

Hispanics and diabetes: Are you at a higher risk for developing diabetic wounds?

Type 2 diabetes is at an all-time high in the United States. One of three types of diabetes - a disease that causes your blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal - type 2 has a direct correlation with your choices in diet and the amount of physical activity you do on a regular basis.

Did you know that the CDC estimates 40 percent of all US adults have type 2 diabetes? Another staggering statistic: 50 percent of all U.S. Hispanics will develop this disease and they are twice as likely to die from it. More than 30 million Americans have diabetes and 1 in 4 don’t even know they have it.

[{"RootId":"ba198066-3078-4dcd-8e69-28251bebb940","RootUrl":"/glossary/"}]

Options to Request an Appointment

If your situation is an emergency, call 911.