OhioMHAS Honored by National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has awarded its Life Safety Initiatives Program Seal of Excellence Award to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) in recognition of the department’s efforts to address trauma and stress among first responders. In a letter shared with OhioMHAS First Responder Liaison Steven Click, Foundation Executive Director Chief Ronald Jon Siarnicki wrote, “Your hard work and dedication to ensuring all first responders are provided with the tools to do their job safely, including maintaining their own physical and mental well-being, makes them better prepared to serve the citizens they have been sworn to protect. In addition, doing what you can to help protect their families further promotes resilient firefighters.” Click HERE to learn more about Ohio’s efforts to meet the mental health needs of the first responder community.

Community Capital Project Funding Ceiling Increased to $750K

The OhioMHAS Bureau of Capital Planning and Management is pleased to announce an increase to the maximum state share for Community Projects. While state capital funds for Community Capital Projects have historically been limited to $500,000 per project or 50 percent of total project costs, whichever is less, OhioMHAS is increasing the per project

maximum to $750,000 or 50 percent of total project costs, whichever is less. Beginning July 1, 2021, all Community Capital Projects, (including Youth Resiliency) with a total project cost of $1,000,000 or greater that have not been processed through Controlling Board will have the opportunity to increase the OhioMHAS overall project share dollar amount to reflect this change. This opportunity will be available for each qualifying applicant should they choose to accept the increase. This is a substantial increase that comes at a time when construction costs have escalated significantly, and we hope that this decision will enable more projects to move forward. It reflects the Department’s desire to provide the most effective and efficient support to the Ohio mental health and addiction system. Click HERE to read the full memo from OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss to all ADAMH Board executives notifying them of the increase. Please email questions to Curtis Smith, Chief of the Bureau of Capital Planning and Management at Curtis.Smith@mha.ohio.gov.

Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Dinner -- July 16

Fresh A.I.R. Gallery Announces Upcoming Exhibits

Fresh A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Recovery) will present Coping Mechanisms, a co-curated, multi-artist exhibition addressing the intersection of racism and mental health. The exhibit features the artwork of Michael Coppage (Cincinnati), Asa Featherstone IV (Cincinnati), Taylor Davis (Bellevue, KY), Dr. Tia Sherèe Gaynor (Edison, NJ), Benjamin Pierce (St. Louis, MO), Gaye Reissland (Columbus), Vitus Shell (Monroe, LA), Laurie VanBalen (Pataskala), and Asha White (Cincinnati). While the Fresh A.I.R. Gallery exhibit space remains closed due to the pandemic, Coping Mechanisms will be on display at the Bridge Gallery from July 9 to Aug. 16, with a public opening on July 9 from 6-10 p.m. and a concluding program on Aug. 14. The Bridge Gallery – an art gallery/event space dedicated to uniting neighborhoods through art, community, and education – is located inside the building at 400 W. Rich St., a creative arts space in the Franklinton Arts District of downtown Columbus. A virtual version of the exhibit will also be available on the Fresh A.I.R. Gallery website.

 

Fresh A.I.R. will simultaneously host crossings, a group exhibition showcasing artwork by Mark Benavides, Jacs Fishburne, David Marteney, Marianne Philip, and Aimee Wissman. Many of the pieces on display originated during the pandemic and reflect how the artists navigated the past year: through visual journeys beyond the boundaries of quarantine, to bucolic landscapes and new cities; through creative experimentation; through brutally honest self-reflection; through the pursuit of justice. Across different subjects and mediums, the works remain connected by threads of survival and renewal. The exhibition, which opens July 9 and closes Aug. 6, will also be on display at The Bridge Gallery. To schedule a tour of Coping Mechanisms and/or crossings, contact Fresh A.I.R. Gallery at freshairgallery@gmail.com or call 614.744.8110. Fresh A.I.R. Gallery is a project of Southeast Healthcare.

Workshop Proposals Sought for Annual Conference

The Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center is seeking workshop proposals for its annual conference Transforming the Fragments of Complex Trauma: Addressing the Needs of Survivors to be held on Dec. 9 via Zoom. Planners are specifically seeking proposals that focus on the impacts of complex trauma in working with survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, as well as best practices for working with survivors in a variety of professional settings. Please email Ashley Kline at AshleyK@hope-healing.org to request the formal Call for Workshop Proposals. Proposals should be submitted by July 31.

Save the Date: Ohio Teen Institute Leadership Weekend – Dec. 10-12

Mark your calendars and help spread the word: Ohio Teen Institute is planning a leadership weekend Dec. 10-12 at Recreation Unlimited in Ashley, Ohio. Cost is $125 per student. More information, including registration will be forthcoming. Visit ohioti.com for more information. Questions? Please email ohioti@gmail.com.

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6.27.21 | The New York Times Helping drug users survive, not abstain: ‘Harm reduction’ gains federal support

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6.26.21 | WKEF-TV Mahajan Therapeutics, Harm Reduction Ohio, work to combat drug OD’s by handing out Narcan

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6.25.21 | Cleveland.com (column) Ohio must address adversity, trauma to allow all children to reach full health potential

6.24.21 | WKYC-TV MetroHealth teaming up with local non-profit to install ‘NaloxBoxes’ to reduce fatal overdoses

6.24.21 | Columbus Dispatch Racism slows fight to halt rise in overdose deaths among Black Ohioans

6.24.21 | WKRC-TV Some teachers spend summer learning to recognize mental health concerns among students

6.24.21 | Columbus Dispatch Columbus murderer first in Ohio and U.S. taken off death row under law covering mentally ill

6.23.21 | Columbus Dispatch Franklin County Coroner’s Office creating first-of-its-kind suicide investigator position

6.23.21 | NPR Kids in mental health crisis can languish for days inside ERs

6.23.21 | Cleveland.com Ohio legislature passes ban on over-the-counter cough syrup sales to children

6.22.21 | Cleveland.com Biden administration supports bill to eliminate cocaine sentencing discrepancies backed by Ohio’s Portman, Joyce

6.22.21 | The New York Times Suicides among post-9/11 veterans are four times as high as combat deaths, a new study finds

6.22.21 | WCPN 90.3 Mental health groups intervene as suicides rise among young Black people

6.22.21 | EurekAlert! NIH: Cannabis use may be associated with suicidality in young adults

6.22.21 | WFMJ-TV How to get help for a family member suffering with mental health issues

6.21.21 | WKRC-TV Local addiction rehabilitation center using peer coaches to help those in recovery