ODI Announces Updates to its Mental Health and SUD Benefits Toolkit

The Ohio Department of Insurance has added new resources to its online Mental Health and SUD Benefits toolkit. The latest additions include a poster to be displayed in emergency departments and facility waiting rooms providing information to patients and families about how to access their insurance benefits, and a handout with information on the appeals processes for both private insurance plans and Medicaid plans. These materials were developed in partnership with the RecoveryOhio Parity Workgroup and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS).

Survey Says Alcohol Use by College Students Fell During Pandemic

Marijuana use rose significantly among U.S. college students in 2020, while the use of alcohol, a more commonly misused substance among the age group, declined. Along with marijuana use, psychedelic drug use among college students rose to 9 percent, almost twice that of 2019. The changes came as most higher education students took classes remotely and lived off campus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have influenced their habits, according to a September report from the Monitoring the Future survey. The researchers suggested that isolation and boredom brought on by the pandemic may have contributed to an increase in drug use among young adults.

Social Media Messaging to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy in 18-24-year-olds

The Community COVID Coalition, an initiative of the CDC Foundation in partnership with the National Governors Association, ASTHO, and the Association of Immunization Managers, has released new social media assets to help states and territories address vaccine hesitancy among the 18–24-year-old population. The Coalition partnered with research firm SocialQuest, Inc., to understand the landscape of vaccine hesitant 18- to 24-year-olds in states with the lowest vaccination rates as well as their attitudes and beliefs. Find the message testing report and summary report HERE.

Marijuana and Suicide: Research and Prevention Strategies – Nov. 9

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation will host a Marijuana and Suicide: Research and Prevention Strategies webinar on Nov. 9 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Presenter Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., will lead participants through a discussion on the link between marijuana and suicide and the latest prevention strategies. The cost of the webinar is $25. Click the link for more information and to register online. Questions? Please email Austin Lucas at Austin.lucas@ohiospf.org or call 614.429.1528.

Registration Now Open! Crisis Academy on Children’s Crisis Response – Nov. 19

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA), in partnership with OhioMHAS and the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, will host a virtual Crisis Academy on Children's Crisis Response on Nov. 19 from 9:00 a.m.-noon. The presentation will focus on the changing landscape of youth residential services and care coordination, including discussions on psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs), qualified residential treatment programs (QRTPs), child and adolescent needs and strengths (CANS) assessments, family permanency teams, and special considerations for how Ohio will implement this level of care. Click the link above to register online.

In the News

10.31.21 | Dayton Daily News Housing nonprofit needs winter garments, blankets

10.31.21 | Marion Star (Column) Meyer: Depression on the rise, but help available

10.29.21 | Smithsonian Magazine The CDC adds mental health conditions to high-risk COVID-19 list

10.29.21 | Healthline People with anxiety and depression may need a COVID-19 booster shot

10.29.21 | Oxford Observer Drug overdose rates continue to climb in Oxford

10.28.21 | The Cincinnati Enquirer Domestic violence: Teaching kids skills to stay safe in relationships, prevent abuse

10.28.21 | Columbus Dispatch Delaware County joins widespread effort to prevent overdose fatalities, suicide

10.28.21 | WCPN 90.3 Rates of suicide in farmers raise alarm, Ohio State University steps in to help

10.28.21 | WSYX-TV New nursing program to help strained mental health system

10.28.21 | SpectrumNews1 Psychiatrists use gene testing to prescribe more effective medication

10.28.21 | WKSU 89.7 Portage Path Behavioral Health to use grant funding to aid underserved communities

10.28.21 | SpectrumNews1 Musical helps raise awareness around heroin addiction

10.27.21 | The Washington Post Vaccine eligibility for mood disorders underscores the elevated COVID risk

10.27.21 | SpectrumNews1 Helping youth helps build resilient communities

10.27.21 | The Washington Post HHS pledges more effort, resources toward harm reduction for drug users

10.27.21 | Cox Media CDC: Mental health disorders added to list of conditions linked to risk of severe COVID-19

10.27.21 | NPR Quinones’ book ‘The Least of Us’ sheds light on dangers of fentanyl and meth

10.27.21 | SpectrumNews1 Social worker turned podcaster invites audience to embrace ‘weird’ to improve mental health

10.27.21 | NPR Overdose deaths are so high that the Biden team is embracing ideas once considered as taboo

10.27.21 | The Post Southeast Ohio History Center to host historical tours of the Athens Asylum

10.27.21 | WHIO-TV Making a difference: shining a light on suicide

10.26.21 | Wilmington News-Journal (Opinion) Working to prevent childhood suicides