NewsNow - 04.29.2022

>>> State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy, RecoveryOhio Install NaloxBoxes in State Office Buildings

The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy and RecoveryOhio on Wednesday announced the installation of NaloxBoxes in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts and Rhodes State Office Tower. The Board and RecoveryOhio, in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, installed 9 NaloxBoxes in publicly accessible areas in each building. These boxes equip Ohioans with the tools needed to effectively respond to an overdose using naloxone, a lifesaving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Installing NaloxBoxes in strategic locations and making naloxone more accessible to Ohioans is an important step in combatting the opioid crisis and decreasing the overdose deaths in Ohio. This announcement builds on efforts made by the state to expand access to naloxone. Last spring, OhioMHAS and RecoveryOhio deployed nearly $2.5M in funding to the 23 counties in Ohio who were experiencing the highest rates of unintentional opioid overdoses to use for additional supplies of naloxone and the installation of NaloxBoxes. Click HERE for a guidance document about installing NaloxBoxes in Ohio.

Pictured: RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick and State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy Executive Director Steven Schierholt pose with one of the newly-installed naloxboxes.

>>> $89M Awarded for Summer Learning, Afterschool Programs that Address Academic Needs, Well-Being

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) announced it has awarded $89 million in Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities Grants to 161 community-based partners. The Department received more than 700 applications from across the state. Awardees will use these funds to create or expand out-of-school time services that address the academic needs and overall well-being of students most in need of services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These federally supported COVID-19 relief grants focus on providing direct services for Ohio students who experienced greater disruptions to learning and did not engage consistently in school during the pandemic. Organizations that are receiving funds include community centers, colleges and universities, faith-based organizations, arts centers, neighborhood outreach centers and youth activity centers. Strategies awardees will use to create or expand comprehensive before- and after-school and evidence-based summer learning and enrichment opportunities include reading and math tutoring, mentoring, wellness activities, career counseling support and more. More information about the grant is available on ODE’s Summer Learning and Afterschool Opportunities Grant webpage.

>>> RFP: Integrated Care Model for Ohio Consultancy Services

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to provide consultancy services to support state efforts to consider best options for Ohio’s delivery of integrated care for adults with complex behavioral health conditions and deliver recommendations on potential integrated coordinated care models including regulatory, practice, implementation, and financing considerations. OhioMHAS seeks a vendor who has robust research and consultation experience, as well as knowledge of integrated care models. The consultant will work directly with OhioMHAS staff, stakeholders, and leadership to formulate recommendations. The contract period is from June 1, 2022-March 14, 2023. OhioMHAS seeks one vendor with an award up to $250,000. The inquiry period ends on May 8 at 2 p.m. Send inquiries to: integratedcare@mha.ohio.gov. The RFP can be found on OhioBuys solicitation #3877 at https://ohiobuys.ohio.gov/page.aspx/en/bpm/process_manage_extranet/5796 Proposals must be received by 2 p.m. on May 10. Note that you must be registered in OhioBuys to submit an application.

>>> CANS IT System Goes Live on May 2

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is pleased to announce that on May 2, the Ohio Children’s Initiative Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Information Technology (IT) System will launch for use across Ohio’s child-serving systems. ODM encourages you to act now to prepare to access the CANS IT system and to provide CANS assessment services to Ohio’s children and youth. The new OhioRISE program will go live on July 1 and will use the Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS tool to establish eligibility. The CANS was developed with leadership from Governor DeWine’s Children’s Initiatives and Ohio’s child-serving state agencies and is used by a wide variety of providers to inform care planning and decision-making for children and adolescents with behavioral health needs. Certified Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS assessors are expected to use the CANS to gather all information about the child/youth and family story to describe their strengths and needs.

The new CANS IT System will:

Document CANS assessments and reassessments/updates with a youth/caregiver. Certified Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS assessors will register and use the system to document these assessments in a single location.
Support ODM’s cross-system goal of “one child, one CANS” and ensure that youth/caregivers do not need to retell their stories.
Improve care continuity and collaboration. Outputs/results are accessible to assessors and care team members, promoting cross-system coordination in real time.
Produce and review immediate Decision Support Model outputs and recommendations.
Record information about the child/youth and their caregiver(s) within one shared system.
Track trends and outcomes to identify gaps and inform access and capacity improvement efforts.

To prepare to access the CANS IT System on May 2, ODM recommends that you take the following steps:

Obtain your Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS certification
Enroll as a Medicaid provider in order to bill for CANS assessments
Learn how to use the CANS IT System through training launched by ODM this week

To find the resources to guide you through these steps, visit the CANS Resources page of the OhioRISE webpage. If you have questions about the OhioRISE program, please send a message to ohiorise@medicaid.ohio.gov.

>>> OACBHA to Host Ohio’s 2022 Recovery Celebration: Growing Stronger Together! – June 28

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA), in partnership with the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Addiction Services, Alcohol, Drug Addiction, county Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Boards from throughout Ohio, and Peg's Foundation, will hosting Ohio’s 2022 Recovery Celebration: Growing Stronger Together on June 28 from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at KEMBA Live!, an outdoor concert venue in downtown Columbus. The event is free to people ages 18 and older. Pre-registration is required. The event will feature speakers, activities, food, and entertainment throughout the day. Ohio PRO, Ohio Citizen Advocates for Addiction Recovery, NAMI Ohio, and the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation will also be participating in the event, providing resources for individuals and family members in attendance.

>>> SAMHSA Shares New Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefit Resources

In partnership with the Department of Labor, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed new resources to help inform Americans of their insurance benefits under law and to help state insurance regulators and behavioral health staff better understand parity laws. The following resources have been posted on SAMHSA’s website:

Know Your Rights: Parity for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Benefits, an updated trifold pamphlet explaining mental health parity, detailing what it means to the consumer, and listing the protections the parity law provides.
Understanding Parity: A Guide to Resources for Families and Caregivers, which provides an overview of parity geared toward parents, family members or caregivers with information and tools to help them obtain behavioral health services for children or family members in their care.
The Essential Aspects of Parity: A Training Tool for Policymakers, which provides state regulators and behavioral health staff an overview of mental health and substance use disorder parity and how to implement and comply with the federal parity law regarding employee-sponsored health plans and group and individual health insurance.

>>> Video: NIDA Director Nora Volkow Discusses New Opioid Strategies

In a new video, Nora Volkow, M.D., director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health, discusses recent updates on the opioid epidemic, and highlights how NIDA is working to shift their focus to actively address the changing landscape of the epidemic.

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