Cause

Community Health & Wellness

Make an Impact

Ensure a healthier community for everyone

Healthy residents make the Mahoning Valley thrive

You help every person lead a fuller life when you give to community health initiatives

A healthy community depends on everyone having the resources for wellness. Donations to the Foundation allow Mercy Health to provide programs that help people overcome the barriers that prevent them from prioritizing their health.  

Our health and wellness services extend well beyond the walls of our Mercy Health facilities, reaching into neighborhoods across the Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. Because of donors' generosity, we can provide a number of important health screenings and wellness resources out in the community to help people access care and support when and where it's most convenient for them. And often free of charge, to further help those who qualify because they lack insurance or the means to pay.

That's the impact your donation will have. You'll help people get the tools and support they need to prioritize their good health and have a better, more independent future.

Community Health, Education and Outreach

With one donation you can support a variety of screenings and educational programs that inspire people to adopt healthy behaviors to get and stay well. The services Mercy Health provides and new programs we launch are informed by a Community Health Needs Assessment and address the key public health needs and issues facing Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties here in northeast Ohio.

Your donation directly supports outreach, prevention, education and wellness opportunities that make the greatest impact on the most pressing needs of local citizens.

The Gift of Good Health

Improve the greatest health challenges facing our Mahoning Valley neighbors

St. Joe's at the Mall

Conveniently located wellness services make it easier for people to make healthy habits a part of their daily routine. Donations to the Foundation help with the costs of operating St. Joe's at the Mall, a fitness center located inside Eastwood Mall. It offers a number of popular and well-attended classes and services that are helping people get and stay healthy: 

  • Exercise programs
  • Nutrition programs
  • Silver Sneakers
  • Programming for seniors
  • Yoga
  • Healthy living classes and information
  • Walk with a Doc
  • Vaccination clinics
  • Health screenings

Invest in Our Community

Help people get free resources to improve their health

Mobile Mammography Unit

Known as “Joanie on the Go!,” the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center Mobile Mammography Unit travels across northeast Ohio making 25-30 stops every month, visiting physician practices, schools, churches, businesses and more.

Donations ensure the mobile unit is well-maintained and updated with the same state-of-the-art mammogram technology that can be found in the JACBCC. Your support means women have a convenient option to get their annual screening and improve their odds of detecting any signs of breast cancer in an early and treatable stage.

Make an Impact

Help our Mobile Mammography Unit stay stocked and ready

Man Up Mahoning Valley Prostate Cancer Fund

Did you know studies show men are up to 50% less likely to seek medical care? That's why donations for our Man Up Mahoning Valley program are so important. Your support helps raise awareness about the importance of routine prostate cancer screenings and encourage men to prioritize their health. 

The fund supports prostate cancer screenings, awareness events like No Shave November and provides funding for a cancer navigator to assist cancer patients. It also enables our focused programming that encourages African American men—who are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer—to prioritize their wellness.

Improve Men's Health

Provide education and resources to men in the Valley

Dental Clinic

Dental health is important for overall health. And some people with underlying medical conditions may have special needs when it comes to their oral health. With ongoing support from donors, we can provide safety net dental services and a mobile dental clinic for the Mahoning Valley.

Mercy Health has oral medicine specialists to provide non-surgical treatments for complex oral and dental conditions at our St. Elizabeth Youngstown clinic. And donations are vital in operating three mobile dental clinics that visit schools, health fairs, nursing homes, doctors' offices, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and other community locations throughout Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana and Carroll counties.

Pay It Forward

With your help, more people can have healthy smiles

Programs for Women, Newborns & Infants

Helping women and families have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies is important for the future of our community. The Mahoning Valley has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the country, so the need is great and urgent. With donations from caring people like you, Mercy Health can provide programs to reduce low birth weights and infant mortality by providing education, support and household assistance for mothers and fathers.

Programs like Resource Mothers, Fatherhood Support Program, Centering Pregnancy and a doula program are already making a positive impact and saving the lives of pregnant women, unborn babies and infants. These donor-supported services provide resources that help people have a healthy pregnancy, healthy parenting, ensure babies get wellness visits as well as nutritious food and safe housing for their families.

Support Healthy Families

Your gift helps more babies celebrate their first birthday

Resource Mothers

Donations sustain this important program that many women depend on to help them take care of their family. The Resource Mothers program offers support, guidance and resources to new and expectant moms. Each participant is paired with a Resource Mother: a trained health worker who is a mother herself. They provide support, referrals and information to help new mothers make the best choices for their baby.

When you give to the Resource Mothers program, you help provide services that strengthen families and keep babies healthy including:

  • Empowering Moms support group
  • Healthy cooking and meal planning
  • Car seat installation
  • CPR training
  • Referrals to social services and assistance programs

Set Mothers Up for Success

Help new moms raise healthy babies

Fatherhood Support

This mentoring and educational program depends on donations to give men the skills needed to be responsible, committed and involved fathers. New dads in the program are paired with a Resource Father: a trained health worker who provides health education and gives parenting advice. Thanks to donor support, Fatherhood Support offers services like:

  • Monthly home visits to prepare men for a new baby through mentorship and support
  • In person and virtual educational sessions
  • Car seat installation
  • CPR training

Help New Dads

Ensure new fathers have good role models and support to care for their family

Centering Pregnancy

This unique program made possible by donations to Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley provides participants with health care in a group setting, which leads to better learning and more positive health outcomes. Pregnant women are supported and prepared for childbirth and caring for their baby throughout the first year of motherhood. The primary goal of Centering Pregnancy is to reduce infant mortality by helping women deliver full-term healthy babies.

Your donation for Centering Pregnancy provides moms-to-be with resources such as:

  • Transportation for prenatal and postnatal care
  • Essentials like diapers, car seats and cribs
  • Doula services
  • Mom support groups
  • Breastfeeding support

Promote Healthy Pregnancy

Help women get the care they need to deliver and care for healthy babies

Related Stories

Play Video

You help teach seniors like Sue how to cook healthy meals

Sue Moderalli is learning about healthy foods and developing her cooking skills at donor-supported classes designed to help seniors improve their health through their diet.