Watch: 'Front Row to MetroHealth,' hosted by 3News Senior Health Correspondent Monica Robins

It all began in 2014, when MetroHealth announced the biggest campus transformation in its history. 

The reason may surprise you. When Boutros arrived in Cleveland to take over the hospital system, he had no intention of rebuilding the physical building. His focus was redesigning the care model, that is, until the polar vortex hit in January of 2014.

The facility lost 200 rooms after pipes froze and flooding occurred. It also disabled the fire sprinkler system, among other damage, so it became clear that the Metro Towers were beginning to deteriorate rapidly.

But when Boutros began discussing the needs to leaders, he received a response that became his rallying cry. 

"I got a reaction from some folks that was just absolutely both infuriating to me and became the greatest motivation for us doing this," he remembered. "The comments were like, 'The towers were good enough for 'those people.''"

It was an insult that hit him deeply, both personally and professionally, and gave him the determination to make a much bigger difference.

Year by year, the transformation envisioned by Boutros began to take shape. In 2016, the Critical Care Pavilion above the emergency department opened on time and on budget. A year later, MetroHealth raised $946 million in hospital revenue bonds so no taxpayer money would be used for the project. 

Groundbreaking took place for the new hospital on April 15, 2019. 

Donations were also a huge help in making the new hospital a reality. 

In December of 2020, MetroHealth announced the largest gift in its history. A $42 million donation from Bob and JoAnn Glick. Their name is on the new building, but their donation wasn't necessarily intended to build a new hospital, it was meant to fund the philosophy.

Both saw the need for better health outcomes in Cleveland neighborhoods. JoAnn, a registered nurse, worked in inner-city hospitals in both Cleveland and Philadelphia. Bob was the founder and CEO of Dots clothing chain before selling the retail company in 2011. He saw the need from the perspectives of both his employees and customers. 

So the couple decided to do something. 

“Our mission was improving the healthcare outcomes for women and children in the city of Cleveland and we spent a lot of time researching organizations and came up with Metro,” Bob Glick says.  

MetroHealth is in the heart of Cleveland's Clark-Fulton neighborhood, with some 11,000 residents and the largest concentration of Hispanic and Latinx people in the state of Ohio.

However, the median income level is less than $23,000.

Housing and health are intertwined, unsafe or unsuitable housing can lead to health inequities. MetroHealth partnered with other agencies, and in August, the Vía Sana affordable housing project opened.

The complex brings 72 mixed-use apartments to the Clark-Fulton neighborhood developed jointly by The MetroHealth System and The NRP Group.

“MetroHealth understands that health doesn’t stop at the hospital walls. It’s about so much more than just going to the doctor – including the stability and dignity of having a roof over your head,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), who took part in the ribbon cutting. “This project will mean families will be healthier and more able to live their fullest lives. I’m proud to have worked closely with MetroHealth over the years to support our city, and to fight for federal investments that make projects like this work.”

The building includes 5,000 square feet of commercial space for the MetroHealth Opportunity Center in partnership with Cuyahoga Community College. It will provide education and resources needed in the community. 

With a recognition that our well-being depends on food, environment, job, and available resources, MetroHealth has been at the forefront in several aspects of community care. 

Since 2014, MetroHealth has been focused on population health, trying to fix the root causes of problems that impact the community's health. 

If you can prevent or minimize health issues, it improves outcomes, efficiency and lowers cost, which benefits all of us. 

That’s why MetroHealth created the Institute of H.O.P.E.: Health, Opportunities, Partnerships and Empowerment. 

MetroHealth has screened 80,000 patients for the social determinants of health. If they find a barrier, they try to add a fix to the prescription.

“Understanding who's impacted across what different domains, whether that's food or housing or transportation, and then to do our best job to strategically design services and supports and interventions to meet those needs,” explains Karen Cook, Director of Healthy Families & Thriving communities in MetroHealth’s Institute for H.O.P.E. 

If it's a problem they can't solve, they partner with those who can. 

Another social determinant of health that is a concern in the community is food insecurity. MetroHealth partnered with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and promised one million meals to the surrounding community over the next five years.  

They’re also teaching patients how to view food as good medicine.

According to Feeding America, more than 14% of people living in Cuyahoga County can’t afford good, quality food. 

Those who are food insecure have higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. To combat this, MetroHealth started the Food As Medicine clinic. 

Ohio grocery prices increased 12% this year. According to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, demand for assistance is up 11% from pre-pandemic levels. There is more need now than ever, but often those who need healthier food, don’t know how to find it. 

“All the foods that we have are diabetic friendly, we are getting foods that are lower in sugar, lower in sodium, but we’re really promoting fresh foods as well,” said Ellen McLaughlin, DTR, supervisor of the Food as Medicine clinic. 

Think of it like a pharmacy, only the medicine tastes better. 

Meanwhile, MetroHealth's community development and outreach is far from over.

Still to come is a new headquarters for Metro's police department and a senior apartment building is scheduled. Another apartment complex is still being considered. 

West 25th Street will be looking very different in the next decade.

The pandemic shined a very bright spotlight on the increasing need for mental health care in Ohio and across the nation. The issue remains a lack of beds and a shortage of caregivers.  

MetroHealth is set to open a new 112-bed Behavioral Health Hospital at its Cleveland Heights Medical Center on Oct. 8. 

It couldn't happen at a more critical time. 

While University Hospitals is keeping the Richmond Heights Behavioral Health facility open, it's an outpatient facility. In August, UH shut down inpatient and emergency care at both the Richmond Heights and Bedford Medical Centers.

St. Vincent Charity Medical Center announced earlier this month it will also move to only outpatient care in November. St. Vincent is well known for its behavioral health care as well as its Rosary Hall center for those battling substance use disorders, but soon it will no longer offer inpatient detox care. 

MetroHealth's new center, which was meant to help fill a gap, will now become a primary resource for inpatient care, and some of its rooms will be available for those battling both substance use and mental health disorders.

The state-of-the-art center also offers a new philosophy of care curriculum that follows patients through inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient services so patients can continue to make progress on their journey to well-being. Hospital stays will be shorter — seven to 10 days, on average — while patients are evaluated and stabilized. 

Everything is designed to keep people safe: There are secured entry and exits for both visitors and patients, and he furniture is weighted with sand to make it too heavy to lift. Door handles, TV sets, shower heads, and safety bars are designed to prevent ligature points. Even the screws are specialized so they can't be removed. 

Maintenance spaces for electrical and plumbing are self-contained to keep both workers and their tools out of patients' reach. Bathroom doors are artfully designed but also magnetic so they provide privacy but no risk of injury. 

It's all subtle safety in a peaceful environment. 

When Dr. Boutros arrived in Cleveland a decade ago, he didn't intend to build a new hospital. But he soon realized there was a need.

The end of this year will mark the end of his tenure at MetroHealth. Boutros' successor is someone he believes is the perfect fit to move the mission forward.

Dr. Airica Steed will take over as MetroHealth's new CEO, effective January 1, 2023. Steed, who currently serves as the Executive Vice President/System Chief Operating Officer of Sinai Chicago Health System and President of Mount Sinai and Sinai Children’s Hospital, was selected for the position following a nationwide search.

Healthcare is in Dr. Steed's blood. She's the fourth generation of nurses in her family, trained in critical and emergency care. Her passion is the vision Dr. Akram Boutros set for MetroHealth in his decade at the helm. She will be the one to make it a reality.

"I was really tapped to care and provide leadership for the most vulnerable, underserved, unheard, voiceless communities and that is where I thrive and I shine," she says.

Dr. Steed will bring the successful programs she created while running Sinai Chicago Health System, focusing on health equity and prevention. "The marriage of health care with the social determinants of health is really a sweet spot that we've been particularly focused on in the Chicagoland market that I know full well will bring a lot of value and a lot of power to really fueling the health equity type of mission," she adds.

She will utilize community advisory boards to navigate the direct needs of those they serve. But first, Dr. Steed will have to deal with the damage the pandemic left behind. 

"How do we deal with the residual harm that has impacted the industry, the workforce, staffing, labor crisis? That is one key area that certainly keeps me up at night," Dr. Steed tells us. 

Dr. Boutros will assist with Dr. Steed's transition, then hand her the keys to the new MetroHealth poised for the next century. "[I'm] going to be a great partner, I'm going to be a great listener," Steed says. "[I'm] just looking forward to what the bright future looks like."

Links to more coverage:

• 'Devoted to hope, health, and humanity': How MetroHealth's new logo reflects the hospital system's vision
• 3News exclusive: A look inside MetroHealth's new Glick Center hospital
• 3News exclusive: Inside MetroHealth's new Behavioral Health Hospital in Cleveland Heights
• As MetroHealth prepares to break ground on new hospital, here's a look back at its history
• MetroHealth names Dr. Airica Steed new CEO