Northeast Ohio has a growing Hispanic and Latinx population, and there's an increasing need for services.
One of the nonprofit organizations that is directly helping these communities is Esperanza, which provides scholarships and mentoring to Hispanic students and families in the region. The longtime executive director of Esperanza, Victor Ruiz, is stepping down after 15 years on the job.
We'll start Wednesday's show by talking to Ruiz about his own path to Cleveland, and career, and what happens now that he's stepping away. We'll talk broadly about the Hispanic community in Northeast Ohio, including what the joys are of seeing this group grow, and some of the challenges the population faces.
Later in this hour — the number one cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease. But in some cardiac arrest cases, a simple piece of equipment can make the difference between life and death.
One family that knows the the pain of losing someone from a cardiac arrest is Cleveland Brown's cornerback Denzel Ward. His dad, Paul Ward Junior died suddenly during a spin class in 2016. The family recently created a foundation, "Make Them Know Your Name", in honor of Paul. His wife, Nicole Ward, is the foundation's executive director and explained what prompted their awareness campaign during an interview with Fox 8 last year.
Ward said, "When he collapsed, to our understanding, CPR or an AED was not used until EMS arrived. We did learn the AED was steps away and no one took the intuitive to use it."
And just last year, Damar Hamlin from the Buffalo Bills experienced cardiac arrest during a Monday Night football game in Cincinnati. Hamlin survived due in part to CPR being administered on the field before he was taken to the hospital.
We'll talk to local health leaders about what to do during a cardiac arrest and the importance of having training and equipment available to help save lives.
Guests:
- Victor Ruiz, Executive Director, Esperanza, Inc.
- Josh Boose, Associate Producer, Ideastream Public Media
- Nicole Ward, Founder, Make Them Know Your Name Foundation
- David Margolius, M.D., Director of Public Health, City of Cleveland
- Orlando Wheeler, Commissioner, Cleveland EMS
