>>> Governor DeWine Announces More Initiatives to Make Ohio Best Place to Have a Baby, Raise a Family

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced he is enhancing his Bold Beginning Initiative to remove barriers to health care, ease financial burdens, and support parents. “I have a vision for Ohio to be the best place in the nation to have a baby and raise a family,” said Governor DeWine. “As a father of eight and grandfather of 26, I know that each pregnancy is different, and each family is unique. With Bold Beginnings: Healthy, Supported Families, Ohio will provide even more options and supports that can be tailored to each family’s needs, while providing assistance to mothers most at-risk for poor outcomes, to help them as they begin or add to their family. The research is clear, ensuring babies and their parents are safe and supported during pregnancy and the early years helps children succeed later in life. I want to see all children have the opportunity to succeed.”

In partnership with the Governor’s Children’s Initiative, Governor DeWine’s Bold Beginning Initiative has already invested $1 billion in Ohio’s children and families and the new expansion will help even more. The expansion includes plans surrounding healthcare, stability, and Ohio as an employer taking the lead to support new families.

Some examples of Bold Beginnings programming to improve healthcare and family stability:

• More Health Coverage for Moms and Babies: Governor DeWine plans to work with the legislature to increase eligibility for Medicaid-sponsored health care to pregnant women and children in families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level. For a single, expectant mother, the income limit will be $54,930 per year. For a family of three, that’s up to $69,090 a year. This will allow more working families to access prenatal, labor, delivery, post-partum, and preventative care, as well as well-baby visits and other care for the youngest Ohioans, without the financial stress that accompanies major medical care. Earlier this year, Ohio expanded access by allowing new mothers to continue receiving coverage for up to one year after giving birth.
• Comprehensive Maternal Care Program: Medicaid launched Comprehensive Maternal Care, a partnership with OB/GYN practices to connect expectant moms with care earlier in their pregnancy, focusing on improving birth outcomes. In addition, expectant moms will receive guidance and personalized assistance to access services, supports, and health care tailored to their individual needs and circumstances.
• Supporting Mental Health and Wellness: Ohio will expand the reach of perinatal depression screening tools helping mothers connect to necessary care and improving their mental wellness. Many new mothers face post-partum depression and too often struggle to find the help they need, which leads to poorer outcomes for both the mother and the baby. Expanding the use of depression screening tools by health care practitioners combined with a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of mental and emotional health of pregnant and parenting women will improve health outcomes.
• Care Coordination for Children with Complex Needs: Ohio has launched Ohio Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence (OhioRISE), a new specialized managed care behavioral health program for young people who have the most complex health care needs., OhioRISE addresses longstanding gaps in care and coordination that often result in families having to navigate complex, often siloed systems on their own. The program features a new statewide network of care management entities that operate under the OhioRISE plan and serve as community-based experts in navigating and coordinating care. More than 10,000 families have already enrolled in OhioRISE, which aims to keep more families together by creating access to new and enhanced, evidence-based mental health services.
• Safe, Secure Housing for More Struggling and New Mothers: Programs such as Healthy Beginnings at Home, which connects housing-unstable, pregnant women and new mothers with housing and wrap-around supports, are virtually eliminating infant mortality and improving birth outcomes among the families they serve. Ohio will pursue a federal waiver to provide short-term housing and wrap-around care to pregnant women and new families who are struggling to find stable housing. Additionally, Healthy Beginnings at Home will expand to more Ohio communities.
• Expand Programs to Meaningfully Engage Fathers: The role fathers play in providing stability for their children helps contribute to their future success. Research shows that children who have meaningfully engaged fathers have reduced behavior problems, improved academic outcomes, and reduced poverty. The Ohio Fatherhood Commission will expand to help more fathers learn how to be meaningfully engaged in the lives of their child and the child’s mother. Often fathers want to provide for their children, but they lack education and skills to meet their financial obligations. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will partner with workforce development and child support enforcement agencies to help engage fathers, get them the training they need to begin careers, and help them better provide for their children. 

Click HERE to read the full press announcement.

>>> Ohio Receives $97M in State Opioid and Stimulant Response Funding to Address the Opioid Crisis

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce receipt of $97,370,121 in federal State Opioid and Stimulant Response (SOS 3.0, formerly SOR) grant funding. This grant will support funding for Ohio’s high-quality prevention, harm reduction, early intervention, treatment, and recovery supports that strengthen the state and local efforts to connect Ohioans with life-saving services. SOS 3.0 will support continued funding to the state’s 50 ADAMH boards, as well as direct-funded community projects. For information regarding the application process, please click here. OhioMHAS will monitor the utilization of all grant funds distributed and will evaluate the opportunity to release a Request for Application (RFA) for new providers with SOS 3.0 funding. Any future funding announcements will be posted on the OhioMHAS funding opportunity webpage and included in the Department’s weekly NewsNow e-newsletter. Ohio continues to work collaboratively with state and community agencies to pursue the goals outlined by Governor DeWine’s RecoveryOhio initiative to respond to Ohioans needing treatment and recovery support for opioid, stimulant, and co-occurring substance use disorders. For more information on this grant funding and opportunities, contact the OhioMHAS Grants Team at SOR3@mha.ohio.gov. Media inquiries can be directed to Eric.Wandersleben@mha.ohio.gov. Today’s press release can be read HERE.

>>> Recovery is Beautiful Fall Family Fun Festival – Oct. 11

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, with support from OhioMHAS, will host the Recovery Is Beautiful Family Fall Fun Festival on Oct. 11 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at Van Buren Acres, a family owned and operated farm in Hebron, OH. Attendees will be able to participate in a variety of activities including a corn maze, hayrides, soybean maze, pumpkin picking, and more. Join us in celebrating, connecting, and strengthening recovery with outdoor activities, food, and fall festivities throughout the afternoon and evening. The event is free to attend and families are welcome. Learn more and register HERE. 

>>> Suicide Prevention Mural Unveiled in Lorain

The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County, in partnership with the Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition, MAD* Factory Theatre Co., Cleveland Mural Co. and 231 Go! United Way Collaborative, created a piece of public art in the City of Lorain aimed at raising awareness, reducing stigma, and educating the public about suicide prevention in Lorain County. The project was revealed on Sept. 24 during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month at the MAD* Factory Theatre Company’s Lorain Campus at 2655 Broadway Ave. in Lorain.

The event included 35 resource tables from local providers, interactive ways to engage with suicide prevention efforts, and mental health support for all ages. Rebecca Jones, director of Youth Services at the MHARS Board and chair of the Lorain County Suicide Prevention Coalition, welcomed attendees to create Messages of Hope -- positive messages that adorned a tree at the event, as well as color-coded Honor Beads to show how each attendee had been affected by suicide. The MAD* Factory created t-shirts with the mural’s message, had a make-your-own button station with the mural’s crisis hotline info, and performed “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music, the theatre company’s summer show.

Speakers at the event included Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley, Councilwoman JoAnne Moon, MHARS Executive Director Michael Doud and the organizer of the event and mural, Youth Program Officer of the MHARS Board, Lauren Cieslak.

>>> Ohio AANHPI Mental Health Summit – Oct. 29

The Ohio Asian American Health Coalition, in partnership with OhioMHAS, will host its 2022 Mental Health Conference on Oct. 29 from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Blackwell Inn in Columbus. Join a coalition of community members, health professionals, and mental health advocates to discuss the mental health of Ohio’s Asian-American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. Experts from across the country who specialize in AANHPI mental health issues will discuss stigma, barriers and facilitators to mental health care, treatments, public policy, and advocacy across the age spectrum. The conference will include a keynote address from Dr. Anjuli Amin, president of the Asian American Psychological Association, a panel discussion and breakout sessions with expert clinicians and community leaders and an art show for Ohio's AANHPI artists. Lunch will be provided. There is no cost and all are welcome to attend. Click the link above for more information and to register. 

>>> Adult Advocacy Centers ADEPT Training Series

Adult Advocacy Centers is excited to roll out its next level of protocols: Advocacy and Disability-Focused Education for Professionals and Teams, or ADEPT. These trainings are uniquely specialized to specific areas of crime, disabilities, or augmented or alternative communication. The ongoing ADEPT series provides training in the disability field around forensic interviewing, investigations, education, and victim advocacy. Disability is not a topic where one training can create an expert. Training must be an ongoing educational process within the disability community. Forensic interviewing, criminal justice systems, and victim service agencies need to be as informed as possible to provide trauma-responsive care and conduct comprehensive investigations, including accessible and accommodating forensic interviews. Click the link for more information and to register.

>>> New NIAAA Resource Helps Healthcare Professionals Provide Better Alcohol-Related Care

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has released The Healthcare Professional’s Core Resource on Alcohol (HPCR) to help healthcare professionals provide evidence-based care for people who drink alcohol. Created with busy clinicians in mind, the HPCR provides concise, thorough information designed to help them integrate alcohol care into their practice.

In the News

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