In recognition of innovative initiatives that strengthen community services, Cuyahoga County has been honoured with two Achievement Awards by the National Association of Counties (NACo) for the year 2025. The awards were bestowed upon the county’s Child Wellness Campus, known as the H.O.P.E Campus, and the Toxicology Lab Modernization Project by the Medical Examiner’s Office. Celebrating these strides in public service, County Executive Chris Ronayne expressed pride in the hard work and innovative spirit these programs represent. According to a Cuyahoga County statement, these initiatives reflect Cuyahoga County’s commitment to evolving with the community’s needs.
Enhancing the lives of at-risk children, The H.O.P.E. Campus integrates multiple child-serving agencies to create a unified hub for assessment, treatment, and placement, focusing on rapid family reunification and kinship care. Jacqueline Fletcher, Director of the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, highlighted the program’s impact, saying via Cuyahoga County, “The H.O.P.E. Campus reflects the hard work and dedication of Cuyahoga County’s Division of Children and Family Services professionals along with many partner agencies, who have come together to develop a new model to provide individualized care and support for our most vulnerable children.” This award-winning initiative is becoming a beacon of hope and a potential model for other communities to emulate.
The county’s Medical Examiner’s Office Toxicology Lab significantly benefited from modernization efforts that included an upgraded IT infrastructure, better cybersecurity, and the elimination of outdated network barriers. These improvements have enabled lab technicians to perform data analysis remotely with increased efficiency and enhanced oversight. As a cornerstone of forensic investigative work, the lab’s enhancement has led to more efficient law enforcement investigations and heightened public health response, according to Thomas P. Gilson, M.D., Cuyahoga County’s Medical Examiner. “The enhancements to the lab have not only increased efficiency, they’ve streamlined law enforcement investigations, increased public safety, and improved health and wellness outreach efforts,” Gilson told Cuyahoga County News…