Ohio's 10th Annual Trauma-Informed Care Summit kicked off this morning with a record crowd in attendance. More than 500 professionals gathered in-person to learn about Pathways to Resilience, Healing, and Recovery at the Hilton-Columbus Polaris. The two-day TIC Summit is co-sponsored by the Ohio Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), Developmental Disabilities (DoDD), and Education (ODE).

During the morning session, participants heard from OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss and DoDD Director Kimberly Hauck (pictured inset). They also heard from Amy Hawthorne, the new OhioMHAS lead for trauma-informed services. Since 2013, an interagency workgroup comprised of leaders from OhioMHAS and DoDD has been meeting to formulate plans to expand TIC across the state. Learn more about Ohio's Trauma-Informed Care initiative HERE.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) on Friday released the Suicide Demographics and Trends 2021 report indicating that after a two-year decline, the number of Ohio suicide deaths increased. Deaths increased in 2021 by 8 percent over the previous year to 1,766; however, the number of deaths remained below the 10-year high of 1,836 deaths in 2018.

The data means that five Ohioans die by suicide every day, and one youth dies every 34 hours. 

“Suicide is a human tragedy, and any increase is of course deeply concerning,” said ODH Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA. “This puts more emphasis on the importance of Governor DeWine’s efforts to prioritize the expansion of Ohio’s mental-health services. All of us, though, need to pay attention and recognize when someone is struggling and know where they can turn to for help.”

Other key findings of the 2021 report include:

• In 2021, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Ohioans 10-34 years of age and the 12th-leading cause of death in Ohio, overall.
• From 2020 to 2021, white non-Hispanic males and females had the largest increases in the rate of suicide (7%).
• In 2021, adults 25-44 years of age had the highest rate of suicide, which increased 13% from 2020, compared with 5% increases among other reported age groups.
• Among males in 2021, those 75-years and older had the highest rate of suicide.
• Among females in 2021, those 45-54-years-old had the highest number and rate of suicide.

New research funded by the National Institute of Mental Health tracked population-level rates of postpartum depression among new mothers before, during, and after pregnancy. This study’s findings support the idea that pregnancy and postpartum are risk periods for maternal mental health. 

Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) clinical experts, in collaboration with PCSS partners, have released Practice-Based Guidelines: Buprenorphine in the Age of Fentanyl.

The purpose of this free guide is to provide practical clinical practice-based guidance, based on available research combined with emerging clinical experience, on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of individuals using fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids. 

The Ohio Coaching and Mentoring (OCAM) Network will host its 2023 Conference, Cultivating a Thriving Prevention Career, on June 13-14 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Columbus. Cost is $125 and includes meals. Scholarships are available. The two-day conference will cover a variety of topics, including: healthy workplace boundaries, presentation skills, social determinants of health, burnout prevention, building diverse populations, understanding budgets, recruiting and retaining employees, inclusive leadership, implicit bias, and more. Questions? Please email Christi Valentini-Lackner at cvalentini-lackner@prevention-first.org.