OU Selected to Coordinate New Statewide Center of Excellence for BH Prevention and Promotion

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) on Thursday announced the selection of Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service to coordinate a new statewide center of excellence focused on building infrastructure and capacity to address Ohioans’ mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Efforts will focus on mental health promotion and early intervention to prevent substance abuse or dependency while emphasizing cultural competency and accessibility. The Voinovich School will provide leadership, best practices, research, program development, training, and technical assistance across multiple focus areas and settings in collaboration with statewide and community-based prevention services practitioners. Initial partners will include county Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health boards; faith-based organizations; prevention agencies; schools; and community service organizations. The university also will collaborate with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, a long-standing Ohio University partner with a demonstrated commitment to supporting the health and well-being of Ohio’s communities. Click HERE to read the full media announcement.

Agencies Awarded $3.2 Million in Grants to Support Mental Wellness of Children, Youth and Families

The OhioMHAS Bureau of Children, Youth, and Families this week announced nearly $3.2 million in grant awards to combat social isolation and promote mental wellness amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The funds, which represent a portion of Ohio’s Supplemental COVID-19 Block Grant, will help expand early childhood mental health consultation, strengthen maternal depression services, and increase healing and recovery supports for survivors of youth human trafficking. Grantees include: Cleveland Rape Crisis Center ($1,314,946), Collaborative to End Human Trafficking ($807,284), Foundations Behavioral Health Services ($92,568), Health Recovery Services ($523,450), Ohio Family Counseling ($354,320), and Pillars of Success ($100,000). Click HERE to read the full media announcement.

Ohio START Seeking to Expand to More Counties in 2022; Cohort 5 Application Available Now

The Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) is seeking to expand the Ohio START (Sobriety, Treatment and Reducing Trauma) program to additional counties in 2022. The Cohort 5 application, which must be submitted by an Ohio public children services agency, is now available HERE. More information about the program and important Ohio START-related documents can be found HERE. PCSAO will hold two informational webinars (Dec. 1 and Dec. 7)  to discuss the application process and review program implementation with interested applicants. Applications are due Jan. 14, 2022. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by Jan. 25, 2022. Questions? Please contact Fawn Gadel, director of OhioSTART, at 614.224.5802, or email: Fawn@pcsao.org.

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day – Nov. 20

This Saturday, Nov, 20, is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. Survivors in communities around the world will come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience. The American Suicide Prevention Foundation leads the effort to recognize that with every suicide death, family, friends, and colleagues are left behind to make sense of the loss. Click HERE to find an event near you, learn more about resources and supports for survivors of suicide, and download social media graphics to share from your own accounts.

Suicide is preventable, and the State of Ohio is committed to the goal of reducing suicide until not one life is lost. That work includes reducing stigma, promoting education, and increasing awareness of resources and programs to lessen the risk of suicide. The Suicide Prevention Plan for Ohio is a statewide effort to guide Ohio’s suicide prevention efforts, developed by a diverse group of voices across the state – most importantly those of affected families and suicide survivors – to mobilize our work to support the mental health and wellbeing of every Ohioan. Everyone has a role in suicide prevention. This includes families, schools, and communities.  Together, we can all help to prevent suicide in Ohio. Learn more at suicideprevention.ohio.gov.

If you or any one you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, there is help, there is hope, and you are not alone.

• If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1.800.273.TALK (8255) for free and confidential help, any time of day or night, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
• If you prefer texting, text “4HOPE” to 741 741.
• The Ohio CareLine also offers free, confidential support with licensed clinicians on the other line who will listen and help connect you to local resources. Call 1.800.720.9616 at any time of day or night.
• Ohio’s veterans and members of the military can call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1.800.273.8255, Option 1 to confidentially talk to a caring, qualified responder with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Visit the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, https://www.ohiospf.org/give-help/advice, for more information on how to look for warning signs and how to have a conversation with someone you think might be suicidal.
• For information on bringing more awareness to this topic at schools and college campuses, visit https://suicideprevention.ohio.gov/Schools/Middle-and-High-School.
• If you are grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide and need support, visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/help-yourself/loss-survivors.

Registration Open for Third Annual (Virtual) Human Trafficking Summit – Jan. 13

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Human Trafficking Initiative has opened registration for its third annual summit, set to take place virtually on Jan. 13, 2022. The summit will include 15 workshops presenting valuable information and resources for health-care providers, law enforcement, court personnel, advocates, survivors, and community members. The cost is $25. Continuing education credits have been applied for through the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, Ohio Nursing Board, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. Click the link above for an agenda and to register online.

SAMHSA Advisory: Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Youth and Young Adults

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a new advisory on Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Youth and Young Adults. The Advisory reviews the evidence on prescription stimulant misuse among youth and young adults, establishes prescription stimulant misuse as a public health problem, identifies associated risk and protective factors, and provides programs and action steps for stakeholders to prevent misuse.

In the News

11.19.21 | WTRF-TV New Jefferson County grant to help with both addiction recovery and worker shortage

11.18.21 | The New York Times Mental health days are important. Here’s how to make yours worthwhile.

11.18.21 | NPR For the first time, drug overdose deaths in the U.S. have topped 100,000

11.18.21 | WSYX-TV New program aims to help Delaware County inmates struggling with addiction

11.18.21 | WBNS-TV Ohio hospital reports increase in kids’ mental health symptoms during pandemic

11.18.21 | Richland Source Suicide rate doesn’t necessarily increase during the holidays

11.18.21 | WCPO-TV FCC approves text option for Suicide Prevention Lifeline

11.17.21 | The New York Times Overdose deaths reached record high as the pandemic spread

11.17.21 | NPR Why COVID poses a greater risk to people with a mental health diagnosis

11.17.21 | NewsMedical Parental depression affects children’s mental health and educational attainment

11.17.21 | The Bryan Times Local police committed to crisis intervention