Dr. Melba Moore - City of Cincinnati Health Commissioner

If you didn't know who Dr. Melba Moore was before March 2020 you definitely know who she is now. As the Health Commissioner for the City of Cincinnati, Dr. Moore provides critical information during the COVID-19 press conferences along with Mayor Cranley and Police Chief Isaac. The Cincinnati Health Department (CHD) is responsible for protecting public health, preventing illness & disease and promoting health. The pandemic we are living through is something most of us have not experienced so communication from the CHD is very important at this time. The CHD closely monitors the hospitalization numbers as well as the ICU admissions in our area. Dr. Moore said,  "I'm looking at the number of cases and wondering who they are, their racial and ethnic origin. I need to know who they are so the right message is targeted towards them. When we know who is impacted, the appropriate message can be developed and delivered to change behaviors and ensure compliance."

The Cincinnati Health Department and CMHA have worked together for years and that partnership has grown closer during these unprecedented times. CEO Gregory Johnson reached out to Dr. Moore initially to see if the CHD could establish a testing center at one of the CMHA sites. The principles of public health are assessment, assurance and policy development so that conversation developed into two leaders collaborating on the best way to assess the needs of public housing residents. The first step was to survey the residents and the CHD provided guidance on how to develop the message and questions to CMHA residents. Reminders about precautionary measures were also provided to residents from the CHD along with the COVID-19 Command Center Hotline. Very few residents had symptoms however a testing center was still established on-site just for CMHA residents. Dr. Moore said,  "It is a great partnership. When Mr. Johnson and I talked we went through the core functions of public health. We assessed the community needs, assured them by connecting them to necessary services and testing. And he developed the policy that would improve safety for the families of CMHA."

The Vision is that Cincinnati Health Department will be a public health leader for building and maintaining a healthy and safe community. The CHD is focusing on four key areas that will make the vision a reality. They are infant mortality, mental behavioral health, access to care and access to nutritious food. According to the CHD, poverty is an underlying factor in poor health and connecting with people in the community through innovation will change the lens. The CHD encourages you to reach out to your neighbors, encourage them to seek health care. There are six primary health centers across the city that can help. The development of food co-ops and employment or entrepreneurial opportunities for young people will also improve health. What the pandemic has taught us according to Dr. Moore is many systems were not prepared for the surge and now we are more informed and we can do better when moving forward. She shares some inspirational thoughts, "Seek help, be hopeful, be helpful and stay calm. We will get through this. Education is powerful and information is too!"