NewsNow - 01.14.2022

Attorney General Announces Seed Money for New 'John Schools'

At his third annual Human Trafficking Summit on Thursday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced his office’s creation of a guide for courts and communities seeking to establish “john schools” and grants to help fund 10 such programs throughout the state. The newly announced guide and grants are rooted in House Bill 431, a state law that Yost and his Human Trafficking Initiative (HTI) team pushed the General Assembly to pass. The law, which took effect last spring, created legal sanctions aimed specifically at sex buyers, including stiffer fines and a requirement that offenders attend john school, more formally known as sex buyer education classes. The educational mandate means that Ohio needs more john schools. To that end, Yost told summit participants that the Attorney General’s Office will provide $10,000 each to 10 qualifying communities that want to create a sex-buyer education program. The summit, which unites those working to eradicate human trafficking in a statewide celebration of their successes and an examination of the challenges that remain, is presented by Yost’s HTI team, which works to build awareness of the problem, empower Ohioans to take action in their communities, help survivors, and ensure that traffickers and johns are brought to justice.

19th Annual Ohio Problem Gambling Virtual Pre-Conference – Jan. 25 and Jan. 27

Ohio’s 19th Annual Problem Gambling Conference kicks off with a virtual Zoom pre-conference on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27. The pre-conference theme is "Gambling and..." with a variety of presentations focusing on the intersection of gambling and other behavioral health concerns including opioid use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, and the legal system. Recordings of all pre-conference webinars will be available on the Conference Portal for all registrants. The in-person portion of the conference will be held on Feb. 24, at Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Lewis Center, Ohio. The complete timed agenda for both the pre-conference and main conference is available at PGNOhio.org/Agenda. Registration for the virtual pre-conference is $50. Registration information for both the pre-conference and the main conference can be found at PGNOhio.org/Conference. Questions? Please contact Cory Brown by email at CBrown@PGNOhio.org or by phone at 614.750.9899 ext. 104.

Save the Date! 2022 Ohio Prevention Conference – May 20

This year’s Ohio Prevention Conference will take place on May 20, at the Ohio Union on The Ohio State University main campus. This year’s theme, “The Continuum of Care: Promotion, Prevention, and Early Intervention,” will focus on how health promotion and early intervention fits within the continuum of prevention efforts. More details will be released soon.

SAMHSA N-MHSS Annual Report and Telemedicine Spotlight

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released its 2020 National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS). This report contains information on the different services and treatment modalities provided by mental health treatment facilities in the United States and its territories. Click the link to access the full report and public use files. SAMHSA also released a Telemedicine Spotlight. Telemedicine services in facilities providing substance use or mental health treatment have increased in recent years. Between 2019 and 2020, there was a sharp increase in facilities providing telemedicine, as more facilities incorporated technology in their services. Click the link for detailed data.

Register for NIDA's National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week – March 21-27

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) invites you to join in during National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW), March 21–27, 2022. NDAFW is a week-long national health observance highlighting the science-based facts about drugs, alcohol, and addiction. During NDAFW, use NIDA’s resources to help support teens, increasing protective factors to help reduce negative outcomes.

Here’s how to get involved: