As Black History Month continues, News 5 is highlighting the work of one Cleveland woman who is making a global impact in the medical field to address socioeconomic and public health concerns.
“As a young person, I would pray for enlarge my territory,” said Vickie Johnson, who’s the First Chief Community Officer at Cleveland Clinic.
Johnson said she didn’t realize this manifestation would one day become her reality when she received an offer from the Cleveland Clinic to be its first Chief Community Officer.
News 5’s Remi Murrey asked: “Now you are the first Chief Community Office, the first, a black woman?”
“I am, and there are days that I even think I’m here,” responded Johnson.
Within this role, Johnson has a lot of responsibilities, like leading the clinic to engage with every community across the clinic’s footprint to address hunger, protect children from lead poisoning and develop the local workforce.
“I thought enlarging my territory was moving from a neighborhood perspective to a city not a neighborhood to a globe,” said Johnson.