Making a Public Comment
Council welcomes public comment before regular council meetings. Fill out the online form below for your chance to make a public comment at the next regular Monday Council meeting. Please read the revised rules and procedures.
Registrations can also be submitted:
* In person at Cleveland City Hall, Room 220, 601 Lakeside Ave. NE. Paper forms are available to register.
* If you don't want to fill out the online form below, you can download this form and fill it out, and email it to publiccomment@clevelandcitycouncil.gov or drop it off at Council offices. (Parking at City Hall on the upper lot is free on Mondays after 5 pm when Council is meeting.) If you need assistance, language, or disability, go here to make a request (at least 3 days in advance.)
Make a Comment in Person
Registrations to speak up to 3 minutes at a regular council meeting can be submitted between noon Wednesday and 2 pm on the Monday before a regular 7 pm council meeting. (Early, incomplete and false registrations are not accepted.) Only the first 10 are accepted.
Make a Comment Online
If you don't want to speak at a Council meeting, please submit your written comments below.
Public Comments
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We need the ability to care for our citizens in the event of an emergency impacting the provision of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. As citizens face cuts to Medicaid, health center shutdowns, and other symptoms of a federal administration that devalues the health of citizens, it's imperative that we invest in a regional HIV/AIDS Emergency Preparedness Plan. As a health provider in the area, I know this plan will benefit countless individuals, their families, and communities.
My name is Dr. Austin Hopkins and I write to you in support of a Regional HIV/AIDS emergency preparedness plan. As a pharmacist specializing in HIV treatment and prevention, I know how imperative it is to have planning in place to take care of a vulnerable population. From testing for HIV, having the ability to rapidly initiate treatment, and continuing to educate the public about the awareness of HIV’s presence. All of these risk-reducive measures are going to help save the healthcare system money as well as promote community benefits by reducing the likelihood of new infections and preventing long term negative complications associated with those unable to receive care.
Even preventing one case saves hundreds of thousands of dollars to existing programs and so part of this planning has to consider the present efforts to impact everyone who is eligible for PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis), medication that when taken can prevent someone from acquiring HIV if exposed to it.
By keeping those living with HIV, virally suppressed, they can’t transmit the virus to someone who isn’t living with HIV, this not only will save lives, but extend them and in the process cut down on the burden on our community. Being virally suppressed means more stability in those living with HIV, less visits to the ER, lesser chance of hospitalization, and less long term complications.
In summary, having a Regional HIV/AID emergency preparedness plan will be a measure that will not only impact those living with HIV, but those who’re not living with HIV.The amount putting into this plan will financially benefit the community by reducing the overall healthcare costs (to the tune of millions) and burden to the healthcare system by preventing new cases of HIV as well as virally suppressing those living with HIV. I implore the members of the Council to be in favor of this plan as stigma will not fix this problem, compassion, understanding, and empathy will. I’ve seen this myself in the patients I take care of on a daily basis. In this moment of need, consider being looked up upon rather than take this as an opportunity to look down on others.
Thank you for you consideration,
Dr. Austin Hopkins, PharmD, RPh, AAHIVP
We already get taxed for their paychecks, and all they do is peacock around, making a whole lot of noise and the entire city smell like fumes. No one even attends the actual event because you can hear and smell them from Michigan!
Long time fed up cituzen
And to address the ill-equipped of the City of Cleveland's, Mayors administration decision not to intervene when Community Relations Board is doing harm to the community regarding District Policing Committee. And is not a unifier as it is quoted in their mission statement. With residents doing the majority of the work where's the compensation?