Ask UPLIFT: Health Care Resources Plus

Health Care Resources Plus, Inc. (HCRP) is a community-based healthcare company whose mission is to promote the health and safety of individuals, families, and communities through the provision of equitable health and medical services by positively impacting organizational policies that affect health. Everyone deserves access to quality health care. To that end, HCRP makes available diverse healthcare services that improve the quality of life and prevent unhealthy conditions. These services include nursing and medical services, education, training, occupational/worker, health care programming, and management. 

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Ohio Voting Has Changed. We've Got Answers.

There is a special election in August for Ohio. In November, there will be a general election. State constitutional amendments, school board members, and other government positions are on the ballot.

However, Ohio’s voting laws have changed since the last election. You will need to show an unexpired photo ID to vote in person. We have compiled the information you need for both the special election and the general election.

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Ruth Anne Wolfe and the Coffee Cup that Changed a Neighborhood

Along Montgomery Road in Pleasant Ridge sits a charming gray house that, more often than not, is bustling with activity. In this building, countless conversations have occurred between neighbors and friends over steaming hot cups of coffee, cocoa, and tea. This is the home of Community Happens Here, a local nonprofit on a mission to connect people. Its founder, Ruth Anne Wolfe, spoke with us about how Community Happens Here started, the power of conversation, and why she’s adamant about saying, “Hello.”

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Celebrating 50 Years of Cincinnati Pride

Cincinnati Pride began in April 1973 as a small gathering of celebration, support, and visibility. Over the years, it has changed and transformed and is now a staple of the Cincinnati summer. More than 100,000 people gathered downtown, and we joined the festivities on Saturday, June 24, to speak to just a few in the eager crowd waiting for the parade to begin. With increasing rollbacks on protections for the LGBTQ+ and queer communities, we knew it was necessary to highlight why Pride is as important now as it was 50 years ago.

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Celebrating Mother’s Day 2023

In every interview, we ask, “Who is an influential woman in your life?” Perhaps predictably, many choose their mothers. In fact, a common addition to that answer is, “I know everyone says their mother,” or, “It’s an obvious answer…” And while “my mom” is an often-heard response, it is one that is still wholly unique to each person. Every story of mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, friends, mentors, caretakers is unique – just as every person has their own shape in our lives. 

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Soumya Jaiswal on the Story of Us and the Lessons of Reproductive Justice 

Soumya Jaiswal drives the fight for reproductive health care and abortion access on and off UC’s campus. Throughout our conversation, Soumya mentioned the tenets of the reproductive justice movement – centralizing the inherent right of bodily autonomy, addressing other issues that quell an individual’s rights, uplifting intersectionality, giving the power to govern back to the people, and emphasizing the strength of collective movement. 

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In the Kitchen with Dora Cheng of Yee Mama

Findlay Kitchen on Elm St. is alive with energy and smells. At its core, Findlay Kitchen is a co-working space for those whose business is really good food. In the early hours of the morning, sounds of timers beeping and phones answered with a “Yes, chef?” echo through the halls lined with kitchens – offices for food making. Assistants cart bread through the halls, and cookies bake in an oven nearby as I talked with Dora Cheng. 

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OTRCH’s Amy Silver on the Need for Affordable Housing

It’s a gloomy day in Over-the-Rhine, but as soon as I step through the doors of the OTR Community Housing (OTRCH) office, I am greeted with nothing but warmth. With big windows, bright colors, and a smile from the folks at the front desk, I instantly feel welcome. There are people coming in and out with a kind of familiarity one might have with their favorite coffee shop. Everyone knows each other by name, and as its own namesake suggests, the only thing that comes to mind is the word “community.” 

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Get up and Grow with the Civic Garden Center

On a ridiculously windy February afternoon, I met Executive Director Karen Kahle at the Civic Garden Center (C.G.C.). Tucked away at the corner of William Howard Taft and Reading Road, the C.G.C., located inside the Hauck Botanic Gardens, is a plant lover's dream. Despite the cold, the property is full of life and activity as Karen and I sit down to chat about history, native plants, building community, ecology, and how we can all be better stewards of this place we call home.

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Goddess of the Blues: Cheryl Renée

Cincinnati native, world-traveled musician and “Goddess of the Blues,” Cheryl Renee is the kind of gal you’d want to have in your band. Not only is she an incredible pianist and singer, but she’s humble, spunky and self-sufficient. Cheryl has toured the world and continues to keep herself busy in Cincinnati’s music scene. But she doesn’t need the applause – she can often be seen shooing away the enthusiastic clapping and cheers after every set. No, there isn’t a need to remind her how good she is – she already knows. (But we’ll continue to be fan girls in the audience anyway).

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Giving Flowers to Cincinnati’s Black Women 

We celebrate Black stories all year. Women of Cincy’s staff gathered just a few snippets from interviews over the years that celebrate the unique perspectives, culture, mindsets, familial and community connections, and influences that arise from the Black experience. Celebrating Black stories is not just one action but instead is made up of many individual stories that coincide together. You can celebrate more Black stories with us here

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Dr. Hou-mei 后楣 Sung 宋: Educating Cincinnati on East Asian art and discovering a ‘magic mirror’

Dr. Hou-mei 后楣 Sung 宋 knows the challenge of overseeing an East Asian collection in a Western art museum. The collection, housed in a wing of the Cincinnati Art Museum, consists of paintings on scrolls, pottery, statues, plates, knives, armor – and one very special mirror – that were gifts, donations, or are on loan. Throughout our time together on a cold February afternoon, Dr. Sung emphasized the importance of art education in breaking down cultural and language barriers. 

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