5 Critical Ways The Cleveland Department Of Public Health Is Transforming City Health In 2025
The Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) is currently operating under a renewed mandate, driven by its ambitious 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, with the year 2025 marking a critical midpoint for achieving core health equity goals. Under the leadership of its first physician Director in over four decades, the department is tackling some of the city's most entrenched public health crises, including devastating infant mortality rates and the persistent threat of lead poisoning in older housing stock. The CDPH's strategy is centered on being "Responsive, Trusted, and Impactful," shifting its focus to data-driven, community-based solutions to ensure a healthier future for all Cleveland residents.
This deep dive explores the current structure, key leadership, and most urgent initiatives of the CDPH, providing the latest data and context on how the department is actively working to improve the well-being of the community today, in late December 2025.
The New Era of Leadership: Director Dr. David Margolius, MD
The Cleveland Department of Public Health entered a significant new chapter with the appointment of its current leader, a move that signaled a profound commitment to clinical expertise at the city's highest public health level.
- Name: David Margolius, MD
- Current Role: Director of Public Health, City of Cleveland
- Appointment Date: August 1, 2022
- Historical Significance: Dr. Margolius is the first physician to hold the position of Public Health Director for the City of Cleveland in over 40 years.
- Background: A Cleveland native, Dr. Margolius was born in the city and raised in Shaker Heights.
- Previous Experience: Before leading the CDPH, he served as the Division Director of General Internal Medicine at MetroHealth, a major Cleveland healthcare system.
- Focus: His leadership has emphasized tackling key public health challenges centered on equity and health equity, setting aspirational goals, and measuring outcomes that directly impact residents' lives.
The 2023–2025 Strategic Blueprint: Responsive, Trusted, Impactful
The CDPH’s current strategic direction is governed by its 2023–2025 Strategic Plan, which was updated in January 2024 to reflect new leadership and a renewed focus on core community health issues. This comprehensive plan has established three core values—Responsive, Trusted, and Impactful—to guide all departmental operations, from environmental health to infectious disease surveillance.
The department's work is not done in isolation; it is built on a foundation of collaboration with major partners, including the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, MetroHealth, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals, to create a unified Community Health Implementation Strategy.
The 5 Most Critical Public Health Challenges and CDPH Initiatives
The Cleveland Department of Public Health is currently dedicating significant resources to five critical areas that disproportionately affect the health and longevity of its residents. These initiatives represent the most urgent and measurable priorities for the 2025 fiscal year and beyond.
1. Confronting the Lead Poisoning Epidemic
Lead poisoning remains one of the most critical public health problems for Cleveland’s children, largely due to the city’s aging housing stock. The CDPH is at the forefront of the city's "Lead Safe Living" initiative, which focuses on investigation, prevention, and enforcement.
- The Current Crisis: In 2024, a concerning 1,369 Cleveland children were found to have an elevated blood lead level, underscoring the severity of the issue.
- CDPH Action: The department publishes a detailed 2023 Lead Poisoning Data Brief and conducts Public Health Lead Investigations to track and mitigate exposure.
- The Goal: To significantly reduce the number of children with elevated blood lead levels by increasing the number of lead-safe rental units and enforcing compliance with lead-safe laws.
2. Combating the Alarming Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
Infant mortality is a key indicator of a community's overall health, and Cleveland faces rates that are significantly higher than national averages. The CDPH is a core partner in the First Year Cleveland initiative, aiming to reduce the number of infant deaths.
- The Latest Data: Preliminary data for 2023 showed a devastating infant mortality rate of 13.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Cleveland, highlighting a crisis that demands immediate attention.
- CDPH Action: Efforts are focused on addressing racial disparities in health outcomes, improving access to prenatal and postpartum care, and promoting safe sleep practices.
3. Managing Infectious Disease Surveillance and Response
The department maintains a robust surveillance system to monitor and respond to various infectious disease threats, a core function that was severely tested during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains vital today.
- Key Surveillance Areas: The Office of Epidemiology and Population Health produces regular reports on:
- COVID-19 Surveillance
- Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Surveillance
- Weekly Influenza Surveillance Reports
- Focus in 2025: Ensuring rapid data collection and transparent communication to the public and healthcare partners to prevent outbreaks and manage community spread.
4. Addressing the Ongoing Opioid and Overdose Crisis
The opioid epidemic continues to plague Northeast Ohio, and the CDPH is actively involved in harm reduction and resource dissemination.
- The Urgency: The city has seen a recent spike in fatal overdoses.
- CDPH Action: The department is urging residents to carry and be trained in the use of Narcan (naloxone) and is actively promoting awareness of addiction treatment and recovery resources available to the community.
- Violence & Injury Prevention: This initiative is closely tied to the opioid crisis, as the department tracks and reports on violence and injury data to inform prevention strategies.
5. Protecting Environmental Health and Air Quality
A significant division within the CDPH is the Division of Air Quality (CDAQ), which is crucial for the environmental health of the city and surrounding region.
- Role: The CDAQ functions as the air pollution control agency for both the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
- Mandate: It operates under contract with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), working to monitor and enforce air quality standards to protect public respiratory and overall health.
The Future: A Focus on Health Equity and Data
The Cleveland Department of Public Health is moving forward with a clear mandate: to embed health equity into every program and policy. Under Dr. Margolius’s leadership, the department is prioritizing the use of current, local data—such as the 2023 Infant Mortality and 2024 Lead Poisoning figures—to target resources where they are needed most. By strengthening partnerships with major healthcare systems and community organizations, the CDPH is building a public health infrastructure that is more resilient, transparent, and capable of addressing the complex, interconnected challenges facing Cleveland today.
Residents are encouraged to utilize the department's resources, from free health screenings to accessing the latest surveillance reports, to become active partners in the city's journey toward better health outcomes.
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