Mayor fills newly created health equity ambassador spot

April 24--Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan has tapped a former public policy expert from Cleveland's MetroHealth System to take on the disparities that put minorities in Akron at greater health risks, including not living to celebrate a first birthday.

Tamiyka Rose, former vice president of government relations at the MetroHealth System, will assist Horrigan and Terry Albanese, the mayor's top adviser on education, health and families, to develop policies aimed at reducing deaths among infants and other health outcomes that adversely impact racial and ethnic minorities.

"We cannot and will not accept health disparities in our community," Horrigan said in a news release announcing the appointment of Rose. "Every Akron resident deserves an equal chance at a long, healthy, and successful life -- and nothing is more important that ensuring that our children are provided with every opportunity to thrive, regardless of race, economic status, or zip code. Tamiyka's significant experience and insight will be invaluable in helping us tackle these issues as a community."

Horrigan used his first official State of the City address in late February to add a "health equity ambassador" to his cabinet. The $40,000, part-time position will be paid for with equal funding from the city, Akron Children's Hospital, Summa Health and Cleveland Clinic Akron General for the next two years.

At MetroHealth, Rose went after millions of dollars in grants, much of it for programs to retrain and insure the underserved in Cuyahoga County. Now, she will shift her attention to Akron where some neighborhoods have the state's highest infant mortality rates.

"I am honored that Mayor Horrigan and the hospital systems chose me to lead the efforts in this very important initiative," Rose said. "I spent the first 365 days of my life on Montgomery Street in Akron. I believe that every child should have the same opportunities that I had, and that starts by making it to day 366 and beyond. In Akron, we will not allow a person's race or Zip code to determine their life expectancy."

The effort to address premature births and infant mortality follows Horrigan's pledge to reduce health disparities at the city's inaugural Health Equity Summit last Fall.

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