Across Ohio, people of all ages and their families are seeking care in record numbers for substance use disorder and mental health concerns. A quality crisis services system provides needed assistance to Ohioans and their families before an emergency occurs, rapidly responds to and stabilizes the person while they are in crisis, and makes strong connections to community-based treatment services and needed supports after a crisis occurs. It is a critical part of our overall continuum of care. 

At the center of this work are the Ohioans we serve. It is important to keep their faces and voices in front of us as we walk down this path. The Ohio way means listening to their needs, acting with urgency to provide a continuum of care that delivers healing and hope, and centering our focus on the dignity and worth of each person.  

There are four principles of building Ohio’s crisis services system.  

Connect: We are working to make help and connections to care visible and accessible in local communities for all who need it.  

Respond: When a call isn’t enough to help, we are building out Ohio’s mobile response to provide families with supports during and after a crisis to avoid emergency department (ED) use and criminal justice involvement.  

Stabilize: We want to ensure there are places to go in communities that are specifically designed to respond to mental health and addiction crises in a culturally competent way.  

Thrive: Our goal is to build community capacity to ensure any Ohioan who experiences a mental health or addiction crisis is connected to the services they need to get well and stay well for their lifetime.