NewsNow - 05.03.2022

>>> OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss Visits Lake County

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Director Lori Criss and several senior leaders from the OhioMHAS team spent Monday in Lake County with the ADAMH board and several local providers. Director Criss spoke at the ribbon cutting for Signature Health’s new facility in Painesville, a 30,000 square foot building renovation that greatly expands their Community Mental Health/Federally Qualified Health Center. Services include opioid addiction treatment, mental health counseling, primary care, psychiatry, and dental care all in one state of the art location. The OhioMHAS team also visited Lake-Geauga Recovery Center’s Recovery Campus and Health/Wellness Pavilion campus which provides residential treatment to men, women and parents of children under age 3. The day ended with a visit with the teachers, staff, and students at Lake Elementary in Mentor to learn more about the Trauma Sensitive Schools curriculum and Signs of Suicide program provided in the schools by Crossroads Health. Staff were also able to visit with Ohio’s newest National Suicide Lifeline Provider, Ravenwood Health in Chardon.

Pictured (l-r): State Rep. Dan Troy (D-Willowick, Signature Health CEO Johnathan Lee, OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss, Lake County Commissioner John Plecnik, U.S. Rep Dave Joyce (R-OH 14). Click HERE to view more photos from the Director’s visit.

>>> Governor Signs Executive Order Expanding Capacity at Youth Treatment Facilities

Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Executive Order 2022-08D to provide $4.5 million to increase staff and reopen beds in licensed youth residential treatment facilities. “When treatment facilities have a hard time filling positions, they in turn serve fewer children,” said Governor DeWine. “This one-time funding will allow facilities to increase capacity and allow more young Ohioans with complex needs receive the treatment and support they need.” This executive order authorizes an emergency administrative rule to allow the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) to quickly and efficiently distribute relief funds to OhioMHAS-licensed residential treatment providers to maintain capacity. “We are grateful to the Governor, the Controlling Board, ODM Director Maureen Corcoran, OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss, and Department of Job and Family Services Director Matt Damschroder for taking this action to impact our placement crisis for youth with complex behavioral health needs,” said Angela Sausser, Executive Director, Public Children Services Association of Ohio. “We are hopeful that this relief will increase capacity at children’s residential facilities so the acute behavioral health needs of youth can get appropriately addressed, and county agencies can receive some relief from this placement crisis.”

>>> OSPF Announces Launch of “Life Side Ohio” Gun Safety Program

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) has announced the launch of its new campaign, Life Side Ohio, to work with gun owners on the importance of safety to help prevent suicides by firearms. After months of careful research on other gun safety projects, OSPF has created the first statewide campaign to help encourage hunters, collectors, competitive shooters, enthusiasts, and firearms instructors to be united on saving lives. OSPF will be working alongside firearms retailers, veterans, and law enforcement to build awareness in local Ohio communities with educational practices and resources proven to reduce suicides.

>>> National Children’s Mental Health Day 2022: Peer Support for Youth and Families – May 5

In honor of Children’s Mental Health Day 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host Peer Support for Youth and Families, a virtual event commemorating child and youth mental health and honoring youth and family peer support, on May 5 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Featured speakers include: Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use; Hugh Davis, Executive Director of Wisconsin Family Ties; and Johanna Bergen, Executive Director of Youth MOVE National. The event will also include remarks from Dr. Anita Everett, Director of the Center for Mental Health Services and Melinda J. Baldwin, Ph.D., Director, Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress, and Special Programs. Click the link above to register.

>>> Social Marketing 101 and Prevention – May 9

In recognition of National Prevention Week (May 8-14), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host a Social Marketing 101 and Prevention webinar on May 9 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. Looking for evidence-based, audience-focused strategies to advance your prevention work? Social marketing can help you be more strategic in educating people in your community about the importance of prevention, engaging new partners, and calling your audience to action in building a healthier community. The session will feature insights, examples, and practical advice from seasoned social marketing experts and SAMHSA prevention specialists. Participants will walk away with resources to help you get started and move forward. Click the link above for registration information.

>>> Virtual Student Mental Health Conference – June 28-29

Save the Date! The Governor’s Children’s Initiative, Ohio Department of Education and OhioMHAS are planning the Stronger Together - Children's Mental Health and Resiliency Virtual Conference from 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on June 28-29. Sessions will provide opportunities for teachers, administrators and community partners to learn about best practices and resources for the implementation of mental health and resiliency supports for children, directly from those implementing programming in Ohio’s schools. Attendees will gain information about accessing funding, utilizing data in decision-making, engaging parents and caregivers, and leveraging partnerships to provide tiered interventions and supports for all children. More information can be found HERE. Questions? Please email odeevents@esacertified.com.

>>> Peer e-Licensing/Certification Technical Assistance Hubs

Five peer organizations have partnered with OhioPRO and OhioMHAS to create technical assistance call centers for peers. These centers will be staffed by certified peer recovery supporters who will be available to answer any questions regarding the new e-Licensing platform. They have received training so that they may provide information and answer any questions related to peer recovery supporter certification or recertification. If you have any questions regarding e-Licensing, certification, or recertification, please contact any of the individuals below.

Emily Werner, Sandusky Artisans | 419.901.6558 or ehubsupport@artisansrecovery.org

Ashley Smithson, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley | 937.528.6399 or certificationassistancehub@gesmv.org

Andrea McCrate, The Recovery Center of Hamilton County | 513.579.5416 or prscertification@recoverycenterhc.org

Richard Otto, The Gathering Place | 740.592.2690 or gatheringplace45701@gmail.com

Gary Kratheler, The PEER Center | 614.453.4841 or gkrafthefer@thepeercenter.org

Each of the individuals above will be available to respond to questions from Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. If you have any questions about contacting these individuals/organizations, please contact Michael J. Krause, Executive Director of OhioPRO, at mkrause@ohio-pro.com

>>> Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Program in Schizophrenia Launches New Website

The Accelerating Medicines Partnership® program - Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ) is introducing a new website to provide a centralized space for people to learn about the program and find the latest AMP SCZ news. The AMP SCZ program is a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, and multiple public and private organizations. The program, managed through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, aims to clarify the disease pathways and long-term outcomes of people who are at risk for schizophrenia and to identify new and better targets for early treatment. To achieve these aims, the program will establish an international research network focused on recruiting nearly 2,500 young people who have shown signs of early risk for schizophrenia from 42 study sites around the globe.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is currently supporting three research projects as part of the AMP SCZ program. As part of this innovative collaborative partnership, all AMP SCZ data and analyses will be available to the broad biomedical community through the NIMH Data Archive. The new AMP SCZ website provides helpful information for young people, family members, and clinicians who would like to learn about participating in an AMP SCZ study. The website also includes detailed information for scientists who want to know more about study design, data sharing, and more.

In the News

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