Ohio Center of Excellence for BH Prevention & Promotion

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) today announced that the Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service has been awarded a $4.5 million competitive grant to coordinate a new statewide Ohio Center of Excellence (COE) for Behavioral Health Prevention & Promotion. This COE will focus on mental, emotional, and behavioral health prevention, promotion and early intervention by building statewide capacity and infrastructure across the lifespan with an emphasis on cultural competency and equity. Working hand-in-hand with statewide and community-based prevention services practitioners, Ohio University will provide leadership, best practices, research, program development, training and technical assistance across multiple focus areas and settings. The new COE will lead the diffusion of prevention science into communities in partnership with county Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health boards, prevention agencies, schools and community service organizations using developmental evaluation, community of practice and study group approaches. This collaborative center will provide an opportunity for the capacity building needs of the prevention workforce to be coordinated into a centralized, consistent, culturally relevant approach that can be sustained and accessible to all Ohio communities.  

Ohio Coalition Institute

OhioMHAS today announced $2 million has been awarded to develop, coordinate and implement the Ohio Coalition Institute. The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, in partnership with Prevention Action Alliance and the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention & Promotion, will establish the Coalition Institute targeting all Ohio’s coalitions working to prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral health problems and community-level trauma, including the social determinants of health. This professional development process offers a pathway for all types of prevention coalitions to be grounded in science for the most effective behavioral changes to occur. The Ohio Coalition Institute will follow a community of practice approach that will provide an environment in which coalition leaders are able to come together and share best practices to create new knowledge to advance the science of prevention. Communities of practice can drive strategy, generate new ideas, solve problems, promote the development and utilization of best practices, develop people’s professional skills, and help coalitions achieve community level outcomes.

Ohio Recovery Housing Releases 2021 Environmental Scan 

Ohio Recovery Housing (ORH), in coordination with OhioMHAS and C4 Innovations has produced Recovery Housing in Ohio: Environmental Scan 2021, a comprehensive report on the current landscape in Ohio for housing for people recovering from addiction. The report addresses recent successes, current challenges, and recommendations for the field moving forward. The 2021 scan highlights the success of Ohio’s historic investment in recovery housing, which has led to a notable increase in access to quality recovery homes since the initial scan was performed in 2013.  The scan also reveals that recovery housing is now embedded within the treatment and recovery continuum and is viewed as a robust and essential resource.

According to the report’s findings, Ohio is a national leader in several key areas, including:

• Tracking and documenting resident outcomes to ensure program success.
• Increasing the acceptance of and support for residents who use medication-assisted treatment.
• Building sustainable recovery housing infrastructure that has assisted residents through the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.

In addition, the scan makes recommendations for Ohio to continue to address service gaps and barriers to recovery housing. Recommendations include steps to ensure access for underserved and rural Ohioans, provide additional clarity to operators and residents regarding quality standards and requirements, and advance racial equity among recovery support services. 

Appalachian Children’s Behavioral Health Symposium – Oct. 15

The Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions and the Appalachian Children Coalition will host the Appalachian Children’s Behavioral Health Symposium on Oct. 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Ohio University Inn and Conference Center in Athens. There is no cost to attend and a box lunch will be provided. Former Governors Bob Taft and Ted Strickland and OhioMHAS Deputy Director for Prevention Services Bobbie Boyer are among the scheduled speakers. Questions? Please email lynchm@ohio.edu. 

Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center's Annual Conference – Dec. 9

Registration is now open for Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center's Annual Conference Transforming the Fragments of Complex Trauma: Addressing the Needs of Survivors on Dec. 9.  Participants will learn more about the impact of complex trauma and enhance their knowledge of working with survivors of trauma. This event features keynote speaker Amber Stiles-Bodnar, MSEd., LPCC-S, LCDC III, who specializes in PTSD related to abuse and trauma; addiction; issues specific to military, law enforcement, first responders and their families; and LGBTQ, women’s, and children’s issues. Unique break-out sessions are also offered and facilitated by professionals working with survivors of trauma. 6 CEs are available for counselors, social workers and MFTs. Click the link for more information.

In the News

10.5.21 | WTOL-TV NAMI Greater Toledo provides awareness, support of mental illness during Mental Illness Awareness Week

10.5.21 | Canton Repository Self-Care Fairs coming to Stark County colleges, universities

10.5.21 | WEWS-TV Mental health experts push for more funding and resources, urges treatment start with children to break the cycle

10.5.21 | Columbus Dispatch Franklin County commissioners approve $3.4M contract for new crisis center

10.4.21 | Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier Portage mental health court docket receives $70K grant from state

10.4.21 | WTOL-TV Ottawa County joins multi-county Mental Health and Recovery Services Board

10.4.21 | The New York Times The devastating ways depression and anxiety impact the body