TelAssurance for Assembly Members
TelAssurance Healthcare Membership Benefit
Affordable Healthcare for Everyday Needs
Get access to telehealth appointments and hundreds of prescription medications through TelAssurance, a monthly healthcare membership designed to support you and your family’s everyday healthcare needs.
Benefits include:
- Free telehealth appointments
- Access to 600+ prescription medications
- Affordable monthly membership
- Care from state-licensed providers
- Convenient prescription fulfillment options
Assembly Member Exclusive
- Discounted monthly rate
- No sign-up fee
Unlimited Telemedicine & Prescription Program
While TelAssurance is not health insurance, it can be an excellent supplement for routine healthcare needs and common prescriptions.
If you are looking for health insurance coverage, we recommend exploring:
TelAssurance can help fill gaps by providing affordable access to healthcare services and medications when you need them.
What's Included?
Unlimited Telehealth Visits
Members receive unlimited consultations with state-licensed nurse practitioners for eligible conditions.
Features:
- No appointment limits
- Convenient virtual care
- Licensed healthcare professionals
- Fast access from home or wherever you are
Conditions Treated
TelAssurance membership includes visits for a wide range of common health concerns.
Click the image below to expand.
Prescription Benefits
TelAssurance offers a comprehensive list of eligible medications available to members at $0 cost.
Medications fall into two categories:
Acute Medications
One-time prescriptions used to treat short-term conditions, such as:
- Antibiotics
- Temporary treatments for illness or infection
- Other short-term medications
How to receive them:
- Filled at participating retail pharmacies
- No cost to eligible members
Chronic Medications
Maintenance medications used on an ongoing basis for managing chronic conditions.
How to receive them:
- Filled through Plus Rx Mail Order Pharmacy
- No cost to eligible members
Assembly for the Arts Member Pricing
Assembly Membership Rates:
Single – $34.95/mo
Single+1 – $54.95/mo
Family – $84.95/mo
Rates through Assembly for the Arts will waive the $25 registration fee and save you $5 off per month, compared to individuals that signup by visiting our website.
Get Started Today
Your Assembly membership gives you access to exclusive savings on healthcare services designed to help you stay healthy and manage everyday medical needs.
(Current members can access their TelAssurance offer via their membership portal.)
The Future of Arts Funding in Cuyahoga County
The Future of Arts Funding in Cuyahoga County
New research from Assembly for the Arts, SMU DataArts, and Lord Cultural Resources examines the current state of arts funding in Cuyahoga County, analyzes peer funding models from across the country, and explores opportunities for long-term resilience.
Key Takeaways
Explore the main takeaways of the report.
Read the Report
Click on the button below to access the full data report.
Why This Report Matters
The arts and culture sector is a vital contributor to quality of life, economic activity, and community vitality. Yet arts organizations are navigating rising costs, shifting revenue streams, and increasing competition for philanthropic and public funding.
While Cuyahoga County remains a national leader in public arts support, the region’s primary public funding source—a dedicated cigarette tax—faces long-term challenges as smoking rates continue to decline. This report explores how communities across the country are funding arts and culture and what lessons may help inform future conversations about cultural investment in Greater Cleveland.
In this report, you will discover:
How five U.S. regions fund arts and culture through different public revenue models.
The tradeoffs between stability, flexibility, and equity across funding systems.
The role of government, nonprofits, and cultural institutions in administering public funds.
Key lessons and considerations for communities evaluating future cultural funding strategies.
Five Key Takeaways
Cuyahoga Is Among the Nation's Most Arts-Vibrant Communities
The county consistently ranks among the top arts ecosystems in the United States, supported by strong public and private investment.
Rising Costs Are Creating Pressure
Expenses increased 21% between 2022 and 2023 while contributed income declined.
Public Funding Creates Stability
Organizations receiving local public funding outperform non-funded peers in attendance recovery and earned revenue generation.
Strong Systems Layer Revenue Sources
Research from peer regions suggests that communities with multiple funding streams are often better positioned to weather economic and political change.
Dedicated Funding Works—But Has Limits
The cigarette tax has provided exceptional stability, but revenues have declined 34% since 2016 due to reduced cigarette consumption.
Dive Deeper into the Data
These findings are just the beginning. Explore detailed case studies, funding structures, governance models, equity approaches, and operational insights from Denver, Pittsburgh, Portland, Minneapolis, and Columbus.
Five Cities. Five Approaches to Public Arts Funding.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to arts funding. The report examines five communities that have built distinct funding systems based on their local priorities, governance structures, and economic conditions.
Denver
Regional Sales Tax
A voter-approved regional sales tax provides long-term, dedicated funding for cultural and scientific organizations across seven counties.
Pittsburgh
County Sales Tax
A permanent countywide sales tax funds cultural institutions, libraries, parks, and other regional assets through a statutory allocation system.
Portland
Arts Income Tax
A flat annual arts tax supports arts education and cultural programming, with funding priorities established through city code.
Minneapolis
General Fund Support
Arts funding is primarily allocated through the city’s annual budget process, making support directly tied to municipal fiscal conditions.
Columbus
Admissions & Tourism Taxes
Revenue from entertainment admissions and hotel stays helps fund grants, artists, festivals, and cultural organizations citywide.
What We Learned from Peer Communities
Layer Funding Sources
The most resilient systems combine multiple revenue streams.
Design for Equity
Funding outcomes are shaped by structural design, not just grant guidelines.
Think Regionally
Regional approaches can strengthen political support and financial sustainability.
Build for the Long Term
Dedicated funding mechanisms work best when designed to adapt to changing economic conditions.
Strength Today. Resilience Tomorrow.
Cuyahoga County enters this moment from a position of strength. It ranks among the nation’s most arts-vibrant communities, leads peer regions in individual giving, and benefits from one of the country’s most recognized public arts funding mechanisms.
Yet the most durable arts funding systems are those that continuously evolve alongside changing economic conditions, community needs, and funding landscapes. Through analysis of local trends and peer communities across the country, this report explores how funding structures can support both stability and adaptability over the long term.
The opportunity ahead is clear: build on a successful foundation while planning for the future.
Explore the Broader Conversation
Discover additional research, stories, and resources examining arts funding, cultural policy, community impact, and the future of Greater Cleveland’s creative sector.
Northeast Ohio’s Cultural Future: What Cities Can Teach Us About Cultural Investment
Analysis of Cultural Sectors Across 10 U.S. Cities Reveals Divergence in Financial Health Since Pandemic
Ideastream: New reports praise Cuyahoga County public arts funding, look beyond cigarette tax
Stay Connected
Interested in future research, data insights, and conversations about arts and culture in Cuyahoga County?
Acknowledgements
This research was made possible through the generous support of the funders below who recognized the importance of this work for Cuyahoga County.
This research was commissioned by Assembly for the Arts and made completed through a partnership with SMU DataArts and Lord Cultural Resources.
2025 Creative Impact Fund Grantees
Artists Making an Impact
Assembly is proud to announce the 2025 cohort of Creative Impact Fund artist grantees.
This year, 15 Early Career Artists will receive $5,000 and 14 Mid-Late Career, will receive $10,000 each in unrestricted funding to support their creative practice and elevate their impact on our region. Artists were selected through a rigorous process by the CIF25 National Panel, comprised of artists and creative professionals from across the country.
The 2025 Creative Impact Fund grantees represent a wide range of creative disciplines and neighborhoods throughout Cuyahoga County.
A huge thank you to our 12 member selection panel for their thoughtful review and expertise of each application, and to our Artist Advisory Committee for helping shape and strengthen our grant programs. We’re grateful for your leadership and collaboration!
The Creative Impact Fund is made possible by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The program provides flexible (unrestricted) funding and professional and business development opportunities. Development includes mentorship and networking opportunities, and memberships to Assembly for the Arts and the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). The purpose of the fund is to encourage the growth of artists’ creative practice and advance their impact on the region. It is open to individual Cuyahoga County-based artists of all creative disciplines.
2024 Arts and Culture Honor Roll
2024 special recognition for contributions to arts and cultural policy:
These Cleveland representatives were recognized for their contributions to arts and cultural policy including the nearly $3 million investment in transformative arts projects throughout the city.
- Mayor Justin Bibb, The City of Cleveland
- Rhonda K. Brown, Senior Strategist for Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, City of Cleveland
Honor Roll
The Public Officials Recognition Breakfast is an annual tradition for arts and culture supporters that began in 2015. The event is an important recognition of public-private partnerships throughout creative industries in Northeast Ohio. Arts leaders, corporate representatives, artists, and community members of all kinds attend to connect and build relationships with government officials. KeyBank sponsored this year’s Public Officials Recognition Breakfast.
- Senator Nickie J. Antonio, Ohio State Senate
- Mayor Justin Bibb, City of Cleveland
- Mayor Annette Blackwell, City of Maple Heights
- Dan Blakemore, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Councilor at Large Patricia A. Blochowiak, M.D., East Cleveland
- State Representative Darnell Brewer, Ohio House of Representative
- Senior Strategist Rhonda K. Brown, City of Cleveland
- Armond Budish, Ohio
- Julia Carey, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Councilwoman Sara Continenza, City of South Euclid
- Council Member Kevin Conwell, City of Cleveland
- Maya Curtis, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Councilwoman At Large Chanell Elston, City of South Euclid
- Council Member Eloise Hardin, Village of Oakwood
- Council Member Candace Hill, Village of Oakwood
- Director Joyce Huang, City of Cleveland
- Board Member Meryl Johnson, State Board of Education
- Mayor Judson Kline, Orange Village
- Mayor Stan Koci, City of Bedford
- Anna Madorsky, Department of Job and Family Services
- Council President Nathaniel Martin, City of East Cleveland
- Dayvon Nichols, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture
- Jill Paulsen, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Public Art Coordinator, Tarra Petras City of Cleveland
- Council Member Jim Petras, City of Cleveland Heights
- State director John Ryan, US Senator Sherrod Brown
- Michele Scott Taylor, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Jake Sinatra, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Senator Kent Smith, Ohio State Senate
- Mayor David Smith, Village of North Randall
- Council Member Sandy Spinks, City of Bedford
- Representative Bride Rose Sweeney, Ohio House of Representatives
- Council Member Eric Synenberg, City of Beachwood
- Council Member Meredith Turner, Cuyahoga County
- Gina Vernaci, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture
- Mayor Patrick Ward, City of Lyndhurst
- Chief of Construction Johnnie Warren, Oakwood Village
- Clerk of Council Liz Westbrooks, Fairview Park
Photos by Emanuel Wallace
Made possible by:
2024 Creative Impact Fund Awardees
Seventeen (17) artists received a 2024 Creative Impact Fund. Assembly’s panel of national jurors, comprised of artists and creative professionals based in cities outside of Cleveland, reviewed and selected this year’s awardees.
The artists each will receive $10,000 in unrestricted funding to grow their artistic practice plus professional and business development opportunities through programs with Assembly partners. The Creative Impact Fund is currently one of the largest unrestricted grant funds available to Cuyahoga County artists.
The Creative Impact Fund is made possible by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. The program provides flexible (unrestricted) funding and professional and business development opportunities. Development includes mentorship and networking opportunities, and memberships to Assembly for the Arts and the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). The purpose of the fund is to encourage the growth of artists’ creative practice and advance their impact on the region. It is open to individual Cuyahoga County-based artists of all creative disciplines.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture resolves to place cigarette tax increase on November ballot
Source: ideastream, Kabir Bhatia
Date: April 29, 2024
Abstract: Cuyahoga Arts & Culture has taken its first step toward increasing the county cigarette tax from 30-cents-per-pack to 70 cents.
At a special meeting Monday, the board approved a resolution asking County Council to place an expansion of the tax on the November 2024 ballot. The new amount is estimated to generate about $160 million over the next decade.
The 70-cent figure was decided after extensive research, according to Jeff Rusnak of R Strategy Group.
“The voters really respect and admire our arts and cultural sector,” he said. “They have invested in it for nearly two decades and that has paid off. Three-and-a-half cents per cigarette is a small ask that produces really big impact.”
Meet Julia Rosa Sosa
Meet Julia Rosa Sosa
Julia Rosa Sosa is a performing artist and storyteller hailing from Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas. Currently based in Cleveland, OH, she is a proud alumna of the University of Texas at El Paso, where she studied Theatre and Sociology.
Julia’s specialty lies in theatre, music, and storytelling. Through her work, she explores the magic of being ordinary and emphasizes how every individual has impactful stories to share. Growing up in a dangerous and unstable place, Julia endeavors to bring messages of hope to her audiences, even if her shows are heartbreaking at times.
In 2020, Julia received the Julia de Burgos Cultural Art Center and Cuyahoga Arts and Culture In-house Residency, which enabled her to produce the US premiere of Valentina y la Sombra del Diablo. This children’s play teaches kids about consent and sexual abuse disclosure. Additionally, Julia participated in the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Center for Performance and Civic Practice Learning Lab in partnership with Esperanza, Inc. In this project, she worked with a group of Latin American students living in the United States, collecting and sharing their views on various topics, including lifestyle, education, family, identity, hobbies, passions, and what it’s like to live during a pandemic. This podcast also serves as a time capsule, reflecting the present and preserving it for future generations.
Julia has contributed her skills as a songwriter and vocalist to the development of two albums for the Lunatic music project. Furthermore, she has performed across the border and bi-nationally during the Maelstrom Collective Arts window activation in 2022.
In addition to performing, Julia has also worked as a freelance theatre director, having directed and assistant directed shows in Oregon, Colorado, Arkansas, Cleveland, New York City, and Ohio. Her play, El Toro y la Nina, premiered as a radio play at the ReUnion rEvolucion | a Latinx new works Fest in 2020.
Overall, Julia Rosa Sosa’s work as a performer and storyteller seeks to share impactful stories that leave a lasting impression on her audience. Whether it’s through theatre, music, or podcasting, she is dedicated to exploring the beauty of the ordinary and the resilience of the human spirit.
Creative Impact Fund Project: El Romantico
El Romantico is Julia Rosa’s first musical. Intended to be a bilingual piece in Spanish and English, delving into the disconnect between fathers and daughters during their teenage years and how many times the ones holding their relationship together are mothers.
The story is about a father and daughter’s relationship through music. The dad is a hardworking worker who plays his guitar at social gatherings and work. The daughter is in a new school, in a new city, in a new country. Little by little, their relationship becomes more distant. She starts to develop new interests, one of which is boys. Dad is not someone she can ask for advice about boys. Mom is the one to talk to about boys; she gives good advice. What happens to the good hobbies daughter used to have with her dad, like playing the guitar and singing?
Well, they are not enjoyable anymore because Dad only talks about how the music these days sucks (but daughter likes that kind of music, does that mean Dad hates the songs she has been making and uploading to YouTube?) Mom knows they need a relationship, so she sneaks a notebook into her daughter’s backpack. In this notebook, the daughter recognizes Dad’s handwriting. In the old crunchy notebook, there are the most beautiful songs about everything she relates to.
Julia’s father passed in 2021, and her creativity shut down. She wanted to create this piece with her father, but unfortunately, it did not happen. He was a songwriter who taught her so much about music. Stay tuned for performance dates.
Meet Linda Zolten Wood
Meet Linda Zolten Wood
Linda Zolten Wood brings arts and sustainability together to create solutions to environmental issues and raise awareness to practical solutions to our changing climate, while creating beauty in our communities. Rain barrels help keep pollution out of Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, and give us free rain water for gardens, yard care and even car washes.
Cleveland Institute of Art graduate, LZW was inspired to make these ugly big plastic chunks more beautiful by applying her mural painting skills to improve their overall acceptance and wider use. She created The Collinwood Painted Rain Barrel Project in 2012. Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Neighborhood Connections, Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Grantee, Zolten Wood wanted Cleveland’s efforts of water conservation to be celebrated, as approximately 400 free barrels have been provided by Mayor Jackson for all of Cleveland neighborhoods for the last ten years, proving to be a popular program, but these barrels are eyesores. Her project will beautify them and encourage long-term usefulness for families who need gardens most.
Zolten Wood’s Upcycled Arts Workshops are influenced by travels in India, which practices a national ethic of ‘no waste’, where practically everything is repaired or reused in some way: Conservation as a daily practice and long-term culture. We benefit fro mending and recreating objects into new useful objects or artworks to beautify our spaces. Our landfills need to slow in growth, and we need to review our consumption habits. Upcycling is a useful tool for communities to tidy up and share with each other.
These project have been brought into schools, libraries, garden clubs and farmers markets for educational programs to help communities beautify their gardens and homes with painted barrels and repurposed artwork. Stormwater and Landfill reduction benefit our fresh waterways, wildlife and drinking water resources and art improves our quality of life. Her philosophy “Art For All” offers creativity to anyone who wants to try, regardless of economics or education: She has experienced the healing of the Arts in all areas of her life.
Creative Impact Fund Project: Sustainable Arts with Zolten Wood Design & Collinwood Painted Rain Barrel Project
Three projects/locations at Senior Centers and a Community Garden who are committed to improving the quality of life for their residents. The audience ranges from senior citizens attending social day classes and helping to nurture their bonds of community, to the Community Garden including families of all ages, encouraging hands on creative expression with Upcycled materials and beautifying their rain barrels so they are encouraged in more consistent use, which helps keep the Lake and River cleaner, and supplies them free water for their garden and yard use.
One Wall Mural for Rose Senior Center in East Cleveland, A series of Skylight Banners to enliven and brighten the space of an old building for a Collinwood Senior Center, and a rain barrel painting and upcycled arts series of workshops at a community garden in Old Brooklyn.
Through her collaboration in these impactful projects, Linda Zolten Wood actively contributes to the well-being and enrichment of senior centers and community gardens. Her dedication to nurturing community bonds, fostering creativity, and promoting sustainable practices demonstrates her unwavering commitment to improving the quality of life for all involved.
