About Us
Welcome to CelebrateOne
We are a dedicated initiative committed to addressing and reducing infant mortality in our community. With a vision of creating a healthier and more resilient future, CelebrateOne collaborates with local organizations, healthcare providers and community members to tackle the complex issues contributing to infant mortality.
The Challenge
Infant mortality remains a significant concern and addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach. CelebrateOne recognizes that factors such as social determinants of health, access to healthcare and community resources play crucial roles in the well-being of both mothers and infants. By understanding and addressing these factors, CelebrateOne aims to build a community where every child has the opportunity to thrive from the very beginning of life.
A Healthier Columbus
CelebrateOne is more than an initiative; it's a community-driven movement dedicated to creating a brighter future for the families of Columbus. By addressing the root causes of infant mortality and fostering collaboration, CelebrateOne is making strides toward a healthier, more resilient community where every child has the opportunity to thrive and celebrate his or her first birthday. Join us in this important journey towards a healthier Columbus!
CelebrateOne’s mission is clear: to ensure that every baby in Columbus celebrates their first birthday and beyond. To achieve this, we focus on four key goals:
- Reducing Preterm Births: CelebrateOne works closely with healthcare providers to implement evidence-based practices that reduce preterm births, a leading cause of infant mortality.
- Improving Prenatal and Postpartum Care: Access to quality healthcare during pregnancy and the postpartum period is crucial. CelebrateOne advocates for and facilitates improved access to care for mothers, ensuring that they receive the support and resources they need for a healthy pregnancy and early childhood.
- Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Recognizing the impact of social and economic factors on health outcomes, CelebrateOne collaborates with community partners to address issues such as housing, education, and employment to create a supportive environment for families.
- Promoting Safe Sleep Practices: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a preventable cause of infant mortality. CelebrateOne educates parents and caregivers on safe sleep practices, providing resources to create a safe sleeping environment for infants.
Vision: Every baby deserves to celebrate his or her first birthday, regardless of race, address or family name.
Outcomes/Goals: To lower the Black infant mortality rate (IMR) to 5.0* by 2030 with the intermediary goal of bringing the Black IMR to 7.6. And to bring the overall Franklin County IMR to 5.0 by 2030 with the intermediary goal of 5.7.
* 5 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Our Values
CelebrateONE-Value-Statement-Posters-16x20-v4.pdf(PDF, 9MB)
Equity
We demand, design and create ways to ensure equity for our families.
Equity involves trying to understand and give people what they need to enjoy full, healthy lives. Equality, in contrast, aims to ensure that everyone gets the same things in order to enjoy full, healthy lives. Like equity, equality aims to promote fairness and justice, but it can only work if everyone starts from the same place and needs the same things. (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
Empower
We strive to empower our families to build the lives they want and deserve.
Quality
We expect high quality care for women and families of ourselves and our partners.
Collaborative
We strive to build collaborative relationships with and amongst our families and our partners.
Passionate
We believe passion drives the positive outcomes our families deserve.
Effective
We strive to not only be efficient but effective in how we serve our communities with and amongst partners and continue to build partnership with those to support our families.
Innovate
As an innovator and trendsetter in the maternal child health space we develop effective strategies to improve family outcomes and believe innovation is necessary to achieve racial equity.
Board
Stephanie Hightower
Chair
President and CEO, Columbus Urban League
Christina Brown
Vice Chair
Regional Director of Community Philanthropy and Engagement, Huntington National Bank
Rebecca Howard
Secretary
Parent
Teddy Ceasar
Treasurer
Pastor, Destiny Church International
Dan Crane
Vice President, Crane Group
Timothy C. Robinson
CEO, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Dr. Mysheika Roberts
Health Commissioner, Columbus Public Health
Andrew J. Ginther
Mayor
Staff & How To Reach Us
Columbus, OH 43205
Office: (614) 570-3592
Hours: M - F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Email:celebrateone@columbus.gov
Danielle P. Tong
Executive Director
DPTong@columbus.gov
Melinda Cunningham
Deputy Director
MJCunningham@columbus.gov
Nickie Helton
Senior Executive Administrator
NLHelton@columbus.gov
Mimi Asefa
Care Coordination Assistant
MAAsefa@columbus.gov
Asha Basha
Senior Project Manager
ASBasha@columbus.gov
Alexis Benisek
Senior Manager, OEI Health Equity
ARBenisek@columbus.gov
Agata Brenneman
Director of Communications and Community Engagement
AIBrenneman@columbus.gov
Haja Dabo
Care Coordination Assistant
FHDabo@columbus.gov
Lynn Desamours
Director of Data Management
LYDesamour@columbus.gov
Whitney Gordon
Senior Project Manager, Birth Equity
WRGordon@columbus.gov
Tiffany Groce
Infant Safety and Vitality Manager
TMGroce@columbus.gov
Donna Haney
Care Coordination Assistant
DMHaney@columbus.gov
Frances Russ
Communications & Public Relations Manager
FMRuss@columbus.gov
Megan Sayre
Community Partnerships and Logistics Manager
MGSayre@columbus.gov
Taylor Small
Care Coordinator Assistant
TARSmall@columbus.gov
Sonja Tevis
Care Coordinator Assistant
SFTevis@columbus.gov
Shana Thomas
Care Coordinator Assistant
STThomas@columbus.gov
Kadijah Torian
Senior Manager of Prenatal and Perinatal Supports
KVTorian@columbus.gov
Takia Waller
Housing Manager
TJWaller@columbus.gov
Brianna Young
Office Manager
BMYoung@columbus.gov
Amanda Zabala
Director of Policy and Practice
AMZabalaMYoung@columbus.gov