The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation recently made a $1.75 million gift to support students and programs at Kent State University’s College of Public Health. This gift will provide funding for the college’s community health and outreach programs, such as the Mobile Flashes program that launched in 2024 to deliver health services, screenings and education to underserved and rural communities in Northeast Ohio in collaboration with various community partners.
“The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation trustees are pleased to support the Mobile Flashes public health purposes, while at the same time aiding Northeast Ohio health organizations to meet their community members where they work and live,” said Mary Smith, Prentiss Foundation Board trustee. “Seeing multidisciplinary student teams work together and learn from each other, as well as bring their perspectives and background to the wide variety of real-world experiences, is inspiring and invaluable.”
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation is a private foundation that was founded in 1939 in Cleveland, Ohio, with a primary mission to support and advance the field of healthcare, specifically in the greater Cleveland area. The foundation aims to improve healthcare quality and access, with a particular focus on serving underserved or indigent populations. The foundation’s key objectives include promoting medical research, supporting public health initiatives and aiding hospitals within Ohio’s Cuyahoga County.
Launched when healthcare and community organizations in Northeast Ohio were struggling with post-pandemic workforce shortages and delayed screening programs, the Mobile Flashes program brings together teams of Kent State students, faculty and staff from different disciplines with local partner organizations. Thanks to its mobile wellness unit, the program helped rebuild community-based services, restart and expand food pantry programs, develop senior center initiatives and support hospital partners through outreach, health education, health promotion, disease prevention, health assessments and screenings.
“Our partnership with the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation is a perfect example of how private foundations and public universities can come together to make a tangible and notable improvement in our communities,” said Kent State President Todd Diacon. “With more than $2.1 million in total support, the foundation has been integral in imagining, creating and growing community health programs in which Kent State students are supporting the public health of multiple communities across Northeast Ohio, improving thousands of lives.”
Since February 2024, more than 50 Kent State students in the Mobile Flashes program have participated in 100-plus community events throughout Portage, Summit, Wayne, Medina, Stark and Cuyahoga counties. This outreach encompasses a wide array of underserved populations, such as older adults, children and low-income families. Since its inception, the program has contributed more than 1,500 hours of service, reaching nearly 10,000 community members.
This gift will have a significant impact on programming by:
- Expanding the geographic reach and community partnerships to double the number of clients served and events attended.
- Expanding the Mobile Flashes program to Northeast Ohio school systems to create a pathway into health careers by aligning community service projects.
- Continuing the Community Health Worker Training Program in collaboration with community-based organizations in Northeast Ohio.
- Creating the Health Department Safety Net, providing faculty and staff service to Northeast Ohio local health departments to support them with training, continuing education, research and more.
The Mobile Flashes program is not just about funding programs; it’s about building a sustainable public health safety net for Northeast Ohio. Our goal is to empower students to learn through service, giving our communities the tools to stay healthy and resilient,” said Sonia Alemagno, Ph.D., dean of Kent State’s College of Public Health. “We’re extremely grateful to the Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation for its continued support and commitment to advancing community health.
The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation has been supporting Kent State’s College of Public Health since 2021. Thanks to the foundation’s generosity, the college has developed and implemented an Interprofessional Education Program as a core educational framework for health sciences majors at Kent State, training students, faculty and staff in interprofessional competencies. The project has since been integrated into the Mobile Flashes program.
“While participating in the Mobile Flashes program, I learned how to effectively communicate health information to people from diverse backgrounds and with varying health literacy levels,” said Rami Elshalabi, Ph.D. candidate and graduate assistant from Kent State’s College of Nursing. “I also gained hands-on experience conducting blood pressure checks, glucose testing and health assessments. More importantly, I learned how to build trust and rapport quickly, which is an essential skill in any health profession. Mobile Flashes helped bridge the gap between theory and practice, strengthened my clinical skills, boosted my confidence in community settings and exposed me to interprofessional teamwork.”
Kent State’s College of Public Health is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. In 2009, the college was established as the first school of public health in Ohio to offer a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, addressing the shortage of professionals throughout the state and across the nation. The college now offers more than 10 specialized degrees, certificates and programs that meet the needs of students and the surrounding community. During the past 15 years, it has trained nearly 3,000 leaders, scientists and practitioners in conducting impactful research and engaging in practice to solve public health challenges. The college has collaborated with more than 300 organizations locally, nationally and internationally to train epidemiologists, environmental health specialists, health program managers, clinical trials coordinators, academic faculty members and many other highly skilled public health professionals.
Community organizations interested in the Mobile Flashes program can visit www.kent.edu/publichealth/mobile-flashes or email mobileflashes@kent.edu.