NewsNow - 12.17.2021

COVID-19 Update: Ohio National Guard Mobilized, Hospital Staff Needed

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today provided the following updates on Ohio’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

OHIO NATIONAL GUARD MOBILIZED

Governor DeWine mobilized 1,050 members of the Ohio National Guard to help relieve the hospital staffing strain caused by the rising number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is causing. Of the total mobilized guard members, approximately 150 are highly-trained medical professionals and will deploy to help meet critical needs at hospitals and testing locations. The remaining 900 guard members will help with patient transport, housekeeping, and food services. Guard members will be brought on duty beginning on Monday.

STAFFING AGREEMENT

The Ohio Department of Health is working with an Ohio health care staffing company to help meet hospital staffing needs. This agreement will allow for Ohio hospitals to bring in qualified nurses and other providers from out-of-state to fill needed positions to help ease some of the current added pressure on hospitals and staff.

HOSPITALIZATION DATA

More than 4,700 people are currently hospitalized in Ohio fighting COVID-19, that equates to one in every 5 hospital patients. This is the highest number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 this year, and the number of hospitalized patients is rapidly approaching an all-time high.

Due to the increase in COVID-19 hospital admissions many hospitals have been forced to postpone elective surgeries, transfer patients to other hospitals, impose visitation standards, and/or implement what they call “crisis standards of care,” in which they have no choice but to take extraordinary steps to care for patients in ways that aren’t typical, such as providing intensive care in emergency rooms or in post-surgical units.

In Northern Ohio (Ohio Hospital Zone 1) most hospitals have suspended elective surgeries. In Central and Southeast Ohio (Ohio Hospital Zone 2), the same thing is beginning to happen. In Southeast Ohio, (Ohio Hospital Zone 3), hospital leaders are preparing to take similar action.

The best way to relieve the strain on our health care providers is to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations to prevent serious illness and hospitalizations. To find a vaccination provider near you, visit http://gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

CASE DATA/VACCINE INFORMATION

In-depth COVID-19 data for Ohio: coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Ohio's central scheduling system: gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

All vaccine providers: vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

More vaccine information: coronavirus.ohio.gov/vaccine

Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's YouTube page.

For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.

At Least 70% of Ohio’s K-12 Schools Offer Prevention-Focused Programs, Supports During School Day

The Ohio Department of Education, in partnership with the Governor’s Children’s Initiative and Recovery Ohio, on Thursday released their Prevention Services Survey Data Report indicating that at least 70 percent of all of Ohio’s K-12 schools offer prevention-focused programs and supports during the school day. Prevention programs offer activities and promote skills that reduce the potential of risky behaviors, including substance abuse, suicide, bullying and other harmful actions. The report summarizes the results from the first annual prevention services survey. In the 2020-2021 biennium budget, under the leadership of Governor DeWine, the Ohio Departments of Education and Mental Health and Addiction Services distributed $18 million to support prevention education in K-12 schools and allocated an additional $2 million to support prevention education professional development. This funding was in addition to the Student Wellness and Success Fund the governor created to support mental health counseling and other wrap-around services to encourage student wellness.

Other takeaways include:

Teachers and counselors are the personnel most frequently providing curricula, programs, and supports during and outside of the school day while school also leverage community-based providers for programs and supports outside of the classroom and school day.
Of the prevention programs and supports provided during the school day, outside of the classroom and outside of the school day, mental wellness and youth development (for example, counseling and social emotional learning) were the most commonly used categories of prevention programs and supports.
Schools reported that community-based partnerships were present in 40% of schools to provide prevention-focused curricula or programs and supports on site. Family engagement was the most common prevention programming offered through school and community partnerships including Parent University, Social Worker Family Coaching Sessions, Family Night Resource Fair, and support for families with gifted students.

Click HERE to read the full media announcement.

SAMHSA Announces Harm Reduction Grant Program, Plans Overview Webinar for Dec. 20

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is now accepting applications for the first-ever SAMHSA Harm Reduction Grant Program and expects to issue $30 million in grant awards. This funding, authorized by the American Rescue Plan, will help increase access to a range of community harm reduction services and support harm reduction service providers as they work to help prevent overdose deaths and reduce health risks often associated with drug use. Funding will also be used to support distribution of opioid overdose reversal medication to individuals at risk of overdose, among other activities. SAMHSA plans to issue 25 awards of up to $400,000 per year for up to 3 years. Applications are due Feb. 7, 2022. Join SAMHSA on Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. for a webinar to review the requirements of this funding opportunity and to answer frequently asked questions from prospective applicants.

Tips for Families: Navigating Addiction Recovery and Mental Illness During the Holidays

The holiday season is both wonderful and stressful, especially for those touched by addiction and for those who live with severe and persistent mental illness. But, it is possible to support your loved ones, while continuing to enjoy your holiday traditions. The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) has released several resources to help families cope during the holidays. Click HERE for a catalog of OACBHA’s holiday publications.

School-based Suicide Prevention: Promising Approaches and Opportunities for Research – Jan. 14

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will host a School-based Suicide Prevention: Promising Approaches and Opportunities for Research webinar on Jan. 14 at 2:00 p.m. The webinar will provide an opportunity for diverse stakeholders, including school administrators, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders, to learn about new and innovative practices in school-based suicide prevention. There will be a particular focus on identifying and supporting high-risk youth, as well as opportunities for evaluating these efforts. Click the link above for more information and to register.

Peer Supporter Supplemental Education Survey – Responses Needed by Jan. 18, 2022

OhioMHAS will be developing online learning resources for Peer Recovery Supporters to complete after the 40-hour Peer Recovery Supporter Training. These resources will provide supplemental education to provide peer support to special populations. Please take a few minutes to provide the OhioMHAS Recovery Supports team with feedback via this survey tool so we can develop tools that will help you provide services. The deadline to complete this survey is Jan. 18, 2022.

Ohio Children’s Alliance: Supervision in Clinical Settings Training – Feb. 4, 2022

The Ohio Children’s Alliance will sponsor a three-hour clinical supervision training on Feb. 4, 2022. The training will review the types of supervision, the stages of supervision and some of the pitfalls that can occur when someone is becoming a supervisor. The transition from worker to supervisor will also be covered as well as supervision theories. Ways to improve the administrative, educative, and supportive roles will be discussed and demonstrated. Strengths that a social worker should possess if doing supervision will also be reviewed. The session will be led by Jennifer Haywood, LISW-S, LICDC-CS. Click HERE for more information and registration, and to view other upcoming virtual training opportunities.

Proposals Sought for National Higher Education Conference on Alcohol/Drug Prevention, Recovery

The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery has issued a Call for Proposals for its annual National Meeting, a national conference focused on supporting professionals working to address collegiate substance misuse across the continuum. This year’s conference, titled “(Re)Establishing a Solid Foundation: Building a Toolkit for Success” is slated for Aug. 1-4, 2022, at the Ohio Union on The Ohio State University’s campus. A virtual conference, with pre-recorded and live content, will also take place during that period. Click the link above to learn more about the conference and submit your proposals.

In the News

12.17.21 | NPR They didn’t plan to be a family of 17. Then, the opioid crisis hit their community.

12.16.21 | USA Today Drug and alcohol use among teens saw record decline in 2021, survey finds

12.16.21 | The New York Times Therapists can’t keep up with emerging mental health crisis

12.16.21 | Mahoning Matters ‘Brighten their day up’: Seniors in assisted living take virtual vacations

12.16.21 | WFMJ-TV Boardman, Liberty schools sue consultant over opioid epidemic

12.16.21 | YouTube Mental health explained by Dr. Jen Ashton

12.16.21 | Hamilton Journal-News Local woman’s book offers hope to those with schizophrenia and their families

12.15.21 | WTVG-TV Local organizations struggle to keep up as NW Ohio sees record number of overdose deaths

12.15.21 | WTOV-TV Husted says confronting drug crisis in Ohio is one of his top priorities

12.15.21 | WKEF-TV ADAMHS works with police in hopes of preventing critical incidents

12.15.21 | The New York Times A mental health crisis among the young