Secretary Kennedy Takes ‘Take Back Your Health’ Tour to Ohio, Driving Prevention-First Strategy to Make America Healthy Again

CLEVELAND—MAY 11, 2026—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. visited Ohio this week as part of his “Take Back Your Health” tour. He met with the CEOs of the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth—three of the nation’s leading health systems—following a tour of the Cleveland Clinic. He also visited a Head Start program, a regenerative farm, and an addiction recovery facility, spoke at the City Club of Cleveland, and spent an afternoon at Summa Health. The tour highlighted the Secretary’s commitment to a prevention-first approach to healthcare as the pathway to Make America Healthy Again.

“Across Ohio, I saw communities move beyond symptom management and confront the root causes of disease head-on,” said Secretary Kennedy. “From visiting local programs to meeting with the CEOs of the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, MetroHealth, and Summa Health, we are aligning leaders at every level around a prevention-first approach to reverse the chronic disease epidemic and deliver on President Trump’s mandate to Make America Healthy Again.”

On Wednesday, May 6, Secretary Kennedy began his Ohio visit in Toledo where he joined HHS Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children & Families Alex Adams at Clever Bee Academy, a Head Start provider serving working families and young children. The pair toured classrooms and met with educators and parents focused on school readiness, developmental support, and healthy eating habits. At a roundtable with parents and local Head Start leadership, Secretary Kennedy announced a $30,000 grant for Clever Bee to improve nutrition at the early learning center.

“Wednesday’s visit with Secretary Kennedy and Assistant Secretary Alex Adams was an incredible experience for our children, families, and staff,” said Toledo Head Start Executive Director Katherine Maccagnone. “Their genuine care for children was evident as they spent meaningful time reading with students and visiting with children during lunch. We are also incredibly grateful for the Nutrition Grant. The visit left our entire team feeling inspired, valued, and deeply proud of the work we do alongside families every day.”

The Secretary then traveled to The Chef’s Garden in Huron, where he met with growers and food system leaders advancing nutrient-dense regenerative agriculture. The farm, known for its partnerships with chefs and health institutions nationwide, demonstrated how soil-first practices and fresh, high-quality produce can play a direct role in improving public health.

“The Chef’s Garden family was honored and privileged to welcome Secretary Kennedy to the farm for a meaningful discussion on regenerative agricultural practices and their important connection to human health,” said Chef’s Garden CEO Bob Jones. “As stewards of the land, we remain deeply committed to growing nutrient-dense foods with integrity, sustainability, and the well-being of consumers in mind.”

On Thursday, in Medina, Ohio, Secretary Kennedy visited Hope Recovery Center, where he met with individuals rebuilding their lives from addiction and the teams supporting them. Providers highlighted the importance of peer support, long-term engagement, and the center’s unique program empowering clients as contributing members of the center’s on-site farm.

“We are grateful for Secretary Kennedy’s visit to Hope Recovery Community and for the opportunity to highlight the power and impact of community-based recovery support,” said Stefanie Robinson, Founding Executive Director of Hope Recovery Community. “Our conversations reinforced that recovery is real, sustainable, and transformational when people are met with dignity, connection, purpose, and opportunity.”

Secretary Kennedy journeyed to Cleveland Clinic, where he toured its Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute and received briefings on advances in cardiovascular prevention and treatment. He also visited Cleveland Clinic’s IBM Quantum System One, part of its Discovery Accelerator partnership, which is exploring new frontiers in biomedical research with high-performance computing, including faster drug discovery and more precise disease modeling.

Following the tour, Secretary Kennedy convened a roundtable with regional health care executives including Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, University Hospitals CEO Dr. Cliff Megerian, and MetroHealth CEO Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager. The group discussed the drivers of chronic disease and how greater focus on nutrition, metabolic health, and physical activity can lead to better long-term health outcomes.

“At Cleveland Clinic, our mission is to care for life, research for health and educate those who serve,” said Tom Mihaljevic, M.D., Cleveland Clinic CEO and President, and holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. “We appreciated the opportunity to engage in thoughtful dialogue with Secretary Kennedy and share perspective on how our work each day impacts patients and the future of healthcare.”

That evening, Secretary Kennedy headlined a fireside chat at the City Club of Cleveland with former Congressman Brad Wenstrup. They outlined the actions HHS is taking to end the chronic disease epidemic and shift the system from sick care to true healthcare. They also discussed strategies to combat addiction and advance President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative, highlighted HHS agreements with more than 50 medical schools to expand required nutrition education from two to 40 hours, and detailed ongoing efforts to lower drug prices and the cost of medical procedures.

The Secretary concluded his trip in Akron at Summa Health, where he met with clinicians and executives working to expand access to coordinated, community-based care. Discussions included nutrition, behavioral health, and how strategic use of AI can improve preventive services across patient populations.

“We welcomed the Secretary’s visit and the opportunity to share with him the work Summa Health has undertaken to create a proactive, accessible, and affordable system of community-based, lifelong healthcare together with General Catalyst and HATCo,” said Daryl Tol, acting president and CEO, Summa Health, and CEO, HATCo, a General Catalyst company. “Through innovation, AI-enabled care delivery, and partnerships that span industries, populations and administrations, Summa Health is committed to improving outcomes for all Americans.”