SFY 2022-23 Budget Overview Webinar

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is expected to unveil his SFY 2022-23 Executive Budget proposal on Monday, Feb. 1. Make plans to join Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Director Lori Criss Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. for a webinar to highlight the Governor’s budget, including an overview of proposals that specifically impact Ohio’s mental health and addiction services system. Click HERE to register for the webinar. You will receive a confirmation email. The presentation will be recorded and posted to the budget section of the OhioMHAS website for later viewing.

Telehealth Provider Survey – Responses Requested by Feb. 12

OhioMHAS-licensed and/or certified providers are invited to participate in a telehealth survey. The Department seeks to gain an understanding of provider experiences with telehealth implementation with a special focus on technology/community needs to broaden access to telehealth, available community resources, and enhancing workforce capacity and/or competence. Please submit one survey response per organization. If your organization has more than one site and responses vary, please complete one survey per site. The deadline to participate in the survey is Feb. 12.

SOR 2.0 Funding Opportunities

As part of Ohio’s State Opioid Response (SOR) 2.0 initiative, OhioMHAS is has issued the following RFAs today:

RFA: Use of Community Organizations for Integrated Behavioral Health System of Care

MHA-FY21-SOR2.0-UseCommunity-30 seeks to solicit a comprehensive proposal from community organizations to provide services and supports to individuals in their communities with opioid use disorder (OUD), stimulant and other co-occurring substance use disorders. The services and supports must be aimed at supporting a community system of care (prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery support) that provides linkages between physical health, emergency health care, behavioral health care, criminal justice and child welfare. The services and supports may include prevention services, family supports, primary care, recovery supports, treatment, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), faith-based and community-based interventions, and increasing access and continuity of care and supports and/or harm reduction. Attention to services and supports which address improving the social determinants of health are important areas of focus for community partners. All questions must be submitted to SORTreatment@mha.ohio.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 22. Responses to frequently asked questions will be posted to the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities web page. The deadline to submit proposals is 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 26. An informational webinar is being planned and will be announced on the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities page as well. The total amount available statewide for this RFA is $7 million. Grant awards will not exceed $150,000 per applicant, per year. Awards will be announced for project implementation to begin March 15, 2021.

Budget Expenditure Form 2021

OhioMHAS Agreements and Assurances

RFA: Use of Innovation for Integrated Behavioral Health System of Care

MHA-FY21-SOR2.0-UseInnovation-40 seeks to solicit a comprehensive proposal from organizations including community-based organizations, ADAMH Boards, profit and nonprofit organizations to provide innovative approaches to integrated care for individuals with opioid or stimulant use/misuse disorder. OhioMHAS seeks applications from organizations to expand the utilization of technology to manage co-occurring SUD and mental health conditions. This will include the use of web applications, medical devices, and technology that assists with coordinating activities of state agencies and local county systems through an integrated approach to multi-system needs. Innovative technology will especially assist those with co-occurring disorders through partnerships with community behavioral health agencies and ongoing connection to telehealth and recovery support services including housing, MAT, peer recovery supports and vocational programs. Attention to services and supports which address improving the social determinants of health are important areas of focus for community partners. All questions must be submitted to SORTreatment@mha.ohio.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 22. Responses to frequently asked questions will be posted to the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities web page. The deadline to submit proposals is 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 26. An informational webinar is being planned and will be announced on the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities page as well. The total amount available statewide for this RFA is $3.6 million. Individual grant awards will not exceed $600,000 per applicant, per year. Awards will be announced for project implementation to begin March 15, 2021.

Budget Expenditure Form 2021

OhioMHAS Agreements and Assurances

Treating Suicidality Training Series

OhioMHAS is pleased to announce a free Treating Suicidality training series to prepare clinicians to provide high-quality suicide care, utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Suicide Prevention. A secondary goal of the training series is to establish a foundation in three of the seven Zero Suicide elements: Identify, Engage & Treat. Sessions will be led by Dr. Marjan Holloway an adjunct faculty member at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Philadelphia, a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and an associate professor of Medical and Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, MD. Please click the link for important information, including participant application, course descriptions, pre-training dates and workshop dates.

Youth and Adults Mental Health and Wellness Outreach Resources

OhioMHAS and the Ohio Department of Education have partnered to develop a list of resources and tools needed to support mental health awareness campaigns in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each initiative has a built-in education and stigma-reduction component, aimed at changing attitudes and strengthening supports for those in need. The toolkits found in the guide include downloadable educational resources, including videos, for parents and educators.

OSU Extension Caregiver Support Network Caregiver Workshops to Focus on Respite – Feb. 17

The Ohio State University Extension Caregiver Support Network is hosting two, virtual caregiver workshops on Feb. 17 to highlight respite planning, experiences and resources. The free webinars are recommended for: family members caring for an adult or senior with chronic illness or disability; adult children concerned about aging parents; parents caring for adult children with disabilities; assisted living facility, adult family home or home care agency staff; and adult day service or mental health professionals who work with family caregivers. The first webinar, Respite and Caregiver Needs: Creating Your Respite Plan, is scheduled for 10 a.m. The second webinar, Sharing Respite Experience and Resources: Where Do I Start? Begins at 2 p.m. Click HERE for more information and to register online. You may register for one or both workshops. For more information, please call Laura Akgerman at 614.292.0622 or email akgerman.4@osu.edu.

Nominations Sought: 2021 Ohio Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Awards

In preparation for the 2021 Ohio CIT Advanced Training Conference on April 16, the Northeast Ohio Medical University’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence (CJ CCoE) and NAMI Ohio are seeking nominations for the Ohio 2021 CIT Awards. Nomination categories include: CIT Officer of the Year; CIT Corrections Professional of the Year; Mental Health Practitioner of the Year; Michael S. Woody CIT Coordinator of the Year; and others. Click HERE to access the online nomination form. Nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 26. Questions? Please contact NAMI Ohio Deputy Director Luke Russell at luke@namiohio.org.

Veterans Sought to Participate in Ohio Veterans NOW TMS Pilot Program

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is seeking participants for Ohio Veterans NOW -- a free pilot program using data-driven Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to improve mental health and problem substance use among veterans. Veterans who are struggling with chronic stress and sleep, mood or focus problems and/or substance use are encouraged to participate. No prior formal diagnosis is necessary. The program, which is supported by OhioMHAS and the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, is open to all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard or Reserves, who are current residents of Ohio. This pilot program focuses on veterans helping veterans and may include up to 45 visits over 12 months. Click the Ohio Veterans NOW link above for more information.

In the News

1.29.21 | Cleveland.com The pandemic sent her anxiety into overdrive, but therapy helped her adjust: coping through COVID
1.28.21 | WCMH-TV Lori Criss, Director of OhioMHAS, discusses student mental health in Ohio
1.28.21 | Hamilton Journal-News Middletown opioid overdose deaths cut in half in 2020, but meth continues sharp rise
1.28.21 | WFMZ-TV Workit Health expands virtual addiction care program to Ohio
1.28.21 | Norwalk Reflector No more death penalty for those with severe mental illness in Ohio
1.28.21 | WDTN-TV Dealing with depression, mental health issues during pandemic
1.28.21 | WTOP-TV Erasing stigma associated with mental health in Latino community
1.28.21 | Medical News Today Asian American mental health stigma: why does it exist?
1.28.21 | WTRF-TV Tragedy sheds light on need for mental health resources
1.28.21 | Hillsboro Times-Gazette Drug disposal options eyed
1.28.21 | Van Wert Times-Bulletin Van Wert County drug court receives state certification
1.28.21 | Hamilton Journal News Miami’s new $6M program to give mental health aid to schools for struggling students
1.27.21 | Dayton Daily News OneFifteen approved for new Ohio process for getting innovative ideas funded
1.27.21 | Morrow County Sentinel Common Pleas Court honors Drug Court graduates