NewsNow - 06.27.2022

>>> Hughes Appointed Chief Executive Officer at Northwest Ohio Psychiatric Hospital

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Charlie Hughes as Chief Executive Officer of Northwest Psychiatric Hospital (NOPH). Hughes replaces former CEO Brett Johnson who left to pursue a different career opportunity. As CEO, Hughes will oversee more than 250 hospital employees and be responsible for the well-being, care, and treatment of 116 patients at the Toledo hospital. In addition to overseeing day-to-day hospital operations, Hughes will also manage the relations with the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Boards in the 23-county northwest Ohio catchment area served by the hospital.

Hughes has worked for OhioMHAS since March 2019. She previously served as NOPH’s Clinical Services Director, overseeing implementation of active treatment programs, social services, substance abuse/dual diagnosis treatment, recreation therapy, work programming, volunteer services, and other patient services. She is a licensed independent social worker with Supervision Designation and a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor with Clinical Supervision Designation.

Previously, Ms. Hughes worked as a program director for a community-based correctional facility for more than 16 years. In that role, Hughes administered evidence-based practices to address criminogenic needs and lower the risk of re-offending behavior. Ms. Hughes also worked as a contract trainer with the University of Cincinnati’s Correction Institute, providing intensive on-site technical assistance, training, and coaching for agencies implementing evidence-based approaches. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Bowling Green State University and her M.S. in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University.

NOPH is one of six Regional Psychiatric Hospitals maintained by OhioMHAS. The hospital serves residents from Allen, Auglaize, Darke, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Mercer, Miami, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Van Wert, Williams, Wood, and Wyandot counties. For more information, visit https://mha.ohio.gov/supporting-providers/regional-psychiatric-hospitals/regional-psychiatric-hospitals.

>>> Latest Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network Report Available

The Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network has announced the release of its January 2022 Drug Trend Report: Surveillance of Drug Abuse Trends in the State of Ohio: July – December 2021. Should you have trouble downloading the document or have any comments/questions, please contact OSAM Principal Investigator Tom Sherba, Ph.D., via email at r.sherba@mha.ohio.gov or call 614.466.9020.

>>> Governor DeWine to Deliver Opening Remarks at Children’s Mental Health and Resiliency Conference

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will deliver opening remarks at the Stronger Together: Children’s Mental Health and Resiliency Virtual Conference, scheduled for June 28-29. The conference 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. OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss will be addressing the conference attendees on Wednesday, June 29. Attendees will gain information about accessing funding, utilizing data in decision-making, engaging parents and caregivers, and leveraging partnerships to support children. Click the link for more information and to register.

>>> Officials Tour New Women’s Recovery Housing Project in Seneca County

This week, City of Tiffin officials joined members of the Mental Health and Recovery Services (MHRS) Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wyandot Counties, HOPE (Heroin. Opioid. Prevention. Education) in Fostoria and staff from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) for a tour of Lotus Recovery House in Tiffin. Lotus House is a Level II recovery residence that provides long-term housing and support services for seven adult women in recovery. It is owned by the MHRS Board and operated by HOPE in Fostoria. OhioMHAS contributed $120,000 in capital funds to Lotus House. The group also toured another property the board recently purchased for a second women’s recovery house in Tiffin.

>>> Relink.org to Host “Concerns on the Horizon in the Opiate Epidemic” Webinar – June 30

Relink.org will host its final Ask the Doctor webinar “Concerns on the Horizon in the Opiate Epidemic” on June 30 at 2:00 p.m. Dr. Bryan Borland from Basecamp Recovery will lead the discussion on topics related to the latest overdose trends, newly-discovered designer analogs, barriers to treatment, and harm reduction. Click HERE to register. For more information, please email Barbara Campbell at bcampbell@relink.org or call 216.762.0595.

>>> NIAAA College and Underage Drinking Prevention Resources for Parents

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offers a variety of publications that address underage and college drinking and interventions parents and others can make. Check out the following resources:

Make a Difference. Guide geared to parents and guardians of young people ages 10 to 14 with suggestions on how to prevent adolescent alcohol use. Also available in Spanish.
Parenting to Prevent Childhood Alcohol Use. Factsheet that provides information about adolescent drinking and ways parents can talk with their children about alcohol. Also available in Spanish.
Underage Drinking. Factsheet that outlines the consequences of underage drinking and suggests interventions. Also available in Spanish.
College Drinking. Factsheet that provides an overview of college drinking, its consequences, and ways to address it. Also available in Spanish.