NewsNow - 05.11.2022

>>> Ohio Expands Peer Support Certifications, Modernizes Application Process

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), in partnership with Governor Mike DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative, yesterday announced recent rule changes have created two new types of certified peer supporters – Certified Youth Peer Supporters who specialize in youth and young adults and Certified Family Peer Supporters who specialize in helping families navigate Ohio’s treatment and recovery support services systems, to help provide guidance to those recovering from mental illness and substance use disorders. A third category, Adult Certified Peer Recovery Supporter, already exists.

Under the DeWine Administration, the use of peer supporters in recovery settings has grown significantly in Ohio. In fact, supporting and expanding the role of peer support specialists was a key recommendation in the RecoveryOhio Advisory Council’s Initial Report published in March 2019. OhioMHAS has committed significant resources to help recruit and train peer support staff to work alongside counselors and other behavioral healthcare professionals to help increase the odds of success for Ohioans seeking help for mental illness or addiction. Since 2016, more than 3,000 Ohioans have successfully completed training to become peer supporters. In addition, OhioMHAS has hosted nearly 150 trainings since SFY 2019.

Peer support encompasses a range of non-clinical activities and interactions between people who share similar experiences of being diagnosed or caring for loved ones with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or both. Peer supporters work in a variety of settings, such as treatment centers, hospitals, jails, veteran’s homes, recovery housing, and as part of crisis response teams where they work alongside first responders and behavioral health professionals. The new Youth and Family classifications are the result of a change in Ohio Administrative Code rules governing peer support staff. OhioMHAS also announced that Ohio has streamlined the certification process by moving the application process to a digital e-Licensure platform. Not only will this expedite the process for applicants, but it will also allow state officials to better manage, analyze and track Ohio’s peer workforce.

Click HERE to read the full media release, HERE for a fact sheet about peer services in Ohio and HERE to read testimonials from current peer supporters. Learn more about peer support services on the OhioMHAS website.

>>> The Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS IT System is Live

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) is pleased to announce that as of May 2, the Ohio Children’s Initiative Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Information Technology (IT) System is available for all certified Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS assessors to begin conducting CANS assessments with children/youth. The new OhioRISE program will go live on July 1 and will use the Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS tool to establish eligibility and 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 IT System to gather all information about the child/youth and family story to describe their strengths and needs.

There are actions that you must take in order to use the CANS IT System to conduct CANS assessments with children/youth and to bill Medicaid for CANS assessments beginning July 1, 2022.

Click here to view the CANS Resources page of the OhioRISE webpage, where you will find guidance for obtaining Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS certification, billing for CANS assessments, and accessing the CANS IT System.
If you plan to bill Medicaid, the OhioRISE plan, or Medicaid managed care organizations for CANS assessments, you must be an enrolled Medicaid provider and add the “ORC – CANS Assessor” specialty to your enrollment. Click here to view the OhioRISE Provider Specialties Guide for guidance.

Additional resources related to the CANS are available to you on the CANS Resources page of the OhioRISE webpage. If you have any questions about Medicaid provider enrollment, please contact the Ohio Medicaid Provider Hotline at 1.800.686.1516. If you have any questions about the OhioRISE program, please contact the OhioRISE mailbox and visit the OhioRISE webpage for more information. If you have questions regarding the Ohio Children’s Initiative CANS IT System, please contact the ODM ITS mailbox and include “OhioRISE-CANS” in the subject line for faster routing.

>>> HRSA Launches Maternal Mental Health Hotline

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced the launch of the Maternal Mental Health Hotline, a new, confidential, toll-free hotline for expecting and new moms experiencing mental health challenges. With an initial $3 million investment, the hotline launched on Mother’s Day (May 8) with counselors available to provide mental health support. Those who contact the hotline can receive a range of support, including brief interventions from trained counselors who are culturally and trauma-informed, as well as referrals to both community-based and telehealth providers as needed. Callers also will receive evidence-based information and referrals to support groups and other community resources. Moms can call or text 1.833.9.HELP4MOMS (1.833.943.5746) in English and Spanish to connect with a counselor at no charge. TTY Users can use a preferred relay service or dial 711 and then 1.833.943.5746.

>>> PTSD Screening Day – June 27

June 27 is PTSD Screening Day. To help raise awareness, the National Center for PTSD is spreading the word about the importance of self-screening. Self-screening is an important first step for those who may be experiencing PTSD to receive the treatment they need. The self-screen takes only a few minutes to complete and can help you find out if your feelings and behaviors may be related to PTSD. Responses are private and secure, they are not collected or shared. This tool is a terrific way to help get people on the path to treating PTSD. If you are concerned that someone you care about might be experiencing PTSD, please share this screen with them and encourage them to take it. Become an advocate of PTSD awareness by knowing the signs and sharing what you’ve learned with others.

>>> SPCA Annual Meeting – June 14

The Statewide Prevention Coalition Association (SPCA) will host its annual meeting on June 14 from 10:00 a.m.-noon. This meeting is an opportunity to hear from Prevention Action Alliance, SPCA leadership, and OhioMHAS, as well as guest speaker Dr. Amy Acton, who will present, “The Leader We Wish We All Had IS YOU.” Dr. Acton’s presentation will focus on the leadership and lessons learned while serving as Director of the Ohio Department of Health, and as a cabinet member and advisory to Governor Mike DeWine. Including a behind the scenes look at what it was like to lead the COVID-19 emergency response, this presentation will also discuss the challenges of prevention and how we have endured a contagion of fear and collective trauma. This event is free and will provide 2.0 hours of Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board approved prevention education. Click HERE to register. Questions? Please email James Syphax at jsyphax@preventionactionalliance.org.

>>> ‘No Menthol Sunday’ – June 15

A new CDC feature article highlights menthol cigarette use in African American communities and the dangers of menthol. This year, on May 15, national organizations and faith communities are marking the day as No Menthol Sunday to educate people who smoke menthol cigarettes about their harmful effects and encourage them to quit. No Menthol Sunday, an annual observance led by the Center for Black Health & Equity, is an opportunity to engage faith leaders and their communities in a discussion about how to improve health and reduce health disparities for African American people. One way to improve health is to encourage people who smoke tobacco products to quit. Tobacco product use remains a major contributor to the three leading causes of death among African American people - heart disease, cancer, and stroke. On No Menthol Sunday, faith leaders encourage their congregations and communities to support one another in escaping tobacco addiction. They also highlight the role flavored tobacco products, including menthol, play in initiating tobacco use among people who do not smoke, making it easier for some people to become addicted.

>>> Star Behavioral Health Providers Tier I Training – June 23

Star Behavioral Health Providers (SBHP) will host a Tier I: Introduction to Military Culture and Deployment Training on June 23 at The Ohio State University at Lima. This free, continuing education opportunity will help participants build cultural competence with the military population and develop skills for helping to take care of the behavioral health needs of service members, veterans and their families. Click HERE for more course information regarding the Star Behavioral Health Providers.

>>> ORH House Manager Training Series Application Now Open

Ohio Recovery Housing is partnering with RecoveryPeople and OhioMHAS to bring the RecoveryPeople House Manager Learning Collaborative to Ohio. This collaborative is designed for recovery housing house managers. A house manager may have different job titles, depending on the organization they work with. They may be called “resident leaders,” “resident managers,” “program managers,” or other titles. For the purposes of this training, we are talking about people who regularly work with residents of recovery housing and are at least partially responsible for maintaining the recovery environment and the recovery programming within a recovery home. This is an intensive training series. Participants will be required to spend approximately two hours per week completing on-line self-paced courses. Participants will also spend two hours per week in a scheduled, live training session. This training series will use Ohio Recovery Housing's new Learning Management online platform. All participants will receive a FREE unique account in the online learning system and will use this account to complete the course content. This training is limited to 100 participants. Click HERE to apply. Preference will be given to people who are currently working as house managers in an ORH certified recovery home, those who are comfortable with online learning, and those who are able to make the commitment to complete the entire series. Please email questions to info@ohiorecoveryhousing.org.

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