Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services

OhioMHAS NewsNow | Ohio Receives Five Awards at National Problem Gambling Conference...OhioMHAS at the State Fair....HRSA Leadership Visit...SUD COE Survey...Strong Families, Safe Communities RFA...East Palestine Update...Ross County Drug Disposal Event...Upcoming Trainings...In the News

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services sent this bulletin at 08/04/2023 01:54 PM EDT

Friday, August 4, 2023

Ohio Earns Five Awards at 2023 National Problem Gambling Conference

Amid the rapid expansion of the sports gambling and gaming industry, Ohio has established itself as a national leader in promotion of responsible gaming and the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. That reputation was further bolstered last week during the 37^th Annual National Problem Gambling Conference in Washington, D.C., where several state awareness campaigns and initiatives earned national awards of excellence.

Hosted by the National Council on Problem Gambling on July 26-29, the national conference brought together professionals from all facets of healthcare, research, government, and the gambling industry to network and learn about ways to promote responsible gambling behaviors. Ohio’s delegation included almost 40 professionals representing state agencies and provider organizations, including the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), Ohio Casino Control, Ohio Lottery and Ohio State Racing Commissions, which together oversee Ohio’s responsible gambling efforts under the umbrella of Ohio for Responsible Gambling (ORG).

Ohio earned the following national awards:

Public Awareness Campaign Award – ORG’s Make the Call awareness campaign, which promotes the free, confidential 24/7 Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-589-9966) earned recognition as the best public awareness effort nationwide.
People’s Choice Award – ORG’s Pause Before You Play sports betting print ad was selected by peers as the best responsible gambling education campaign.
Media Award – WNWO-TV Toledo was recognized for a story aired during March as Problem Gambling Awareness Month, highlighting the journey of Steve Kapela, MSW, LISW-S, LICDC-CS-GAMB, Director of Gambling Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery Support at the Zepf Center.
Best Corporate Website – TimeOutOhio, a website managed by the Ohio Lottery and Casino Control Commissions, provides education and sign-up services for Ohio’s program to allow for self-ban from gambling. The website offers visitors the ability to ban themselves from Ohio’s casinos, racinos and sports gaming for one year, five years, or a lifetime. Once validated, an individual is not permitted access to any gaming property during the length of the self-imposed ban.
Jim Wuelfing Prevention Award – awarded posthumously to Amanda Burke, Ph.D., who served as a champion for Problem Gambling Services, an Assistant Professor at Kent State University and worked as a problem gambling prevention specialist at Townhall II, a Portage County nonprofit provider.

To learn more about Ohio’s responsible gambling initiatives, visit the ORG website: https://ohio.gov/responsible-gambling and https://www.beforeyoubet.org/. If you, or a loved one, need help for a gambling issue, please call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline
at 1-800-589-9966.

Dirs. Criss, Shadwick and French at the Fair

OhioMHAS at the 2023 Ohio State Fair

OhioMHAS was proud to have a presence at the 2023 Ohio State Fair. In addition to joining with RecoveryOhio and the Ohio Department of Insurance to host the Second Annual Mental Health Day on Friday, July 28, department staff greeted visitors and distributed resources at the agency's completely-redesigned information booth in the Marketplace. Department staff answered questions, highlighted programming initiatives, and distributed a variety of resources, including wellness tips, and information about 988 and naloxone.ohio.gov. The Fair is open through Sunday, Aug. 6. Click HERE for a daily schedule of events.

Pictured above (l-r): RecoveryOhio Director Aimee Shadwick, OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss and Ohio Department of Insurance Director Judi French have some fun at the Ohio Department of Commerce booth during a tour of agency booths on Mental Health Day.

View More Fair Photos

Regional HRSA Leadership Visits Ohio

This week, OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss and other members of the OhioMHAS Executive Leadership Team met with representatives from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Region 5 office. HRSA Regional Administrator Sharly Trail, PsyD, and Deputy Regional Administrator Amanda Waldrup, MS, CHES, joined the OhioMHAS leadership team for a discussion on OhioMHAS priorities, HRSA supports, and the behavioral healthcare workforce. To learn more about HRSA visit https://www.hrsa.gov/.

SUD COE Community Survey

This Spring, the State of Ohio announced the formation of the Substance Use Disorders Center of Excellence (SUD COE), awarding the project to the Center for Evidence Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University. The SUD COE is tasked with cultivating free professional learning opportunities that will address a range of best practices in the treatment of substance use disorders as offered by organizations throughout Ohio.

In an effort to be responsive to the needs of Ohio's treatment provider community, the SUD COE has released a community survey to seek valuable input that will guide its work. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. Please submit responses no later than Aug. 18.

Complete Survey

SFY24 RFA: Strong Families Safe Communities

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), in partnership with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, has released a Request for Applications for Strong Families Safe Communities funding. Selected applicants will provide community-based services and supports that enhance their system of care programming to better serve youth and their families. Applications must come from multi-county collaboratives looking to provide services and supports focused on children and youth with intensive needs relating to behavioral health needs and/or intellectual/developmental disabilities. The project period is July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025, and funding is up to $325,000 per grant recipient, per state fiscal year. Applications must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on Aug. 25 to BCYFGRANTS@mha.ohio.gov. All questions must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on Aug. 18 to BCYFGRANTS@mha.ohio.gov. Responses to frequently asked questions will be posted on the OhioMHAS Funding Opportunities webpage.

East Palestine Update

This week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office provided an update on Ohio's ongoing efforts to support the East Palestine community following the train derailment earlier this year. Thursday's media release includes updates on ongoing wellness and resilience efforts for residents and the creation of a permanent Community Resiliency Center.

Ongoing Wellness and Resilience Efforts The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (Ohio MHAS) has applied for an $879,509 Intermediate SAMHSA Emergency Response Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support ongoing community wellness and resilience efforts. If awarded, this additional grant would bring the total SERG funding award for East Palestine and surrounding communities to $1,088,911. In March, SAMHSA awarded $209,402 to help with immediate behavioral health care needs following the derailment.

The new funding will:

Support the ongoing behavioral health needs of the community related to the initial incident and subsequent traumatic experiences.
Minimize the long-term impacts and foster resilience in the community.
Expand and enhance the capacity of the local crisis response system to ensure adequate and effective intervention in situations of crisis.
Support training, equipment, and activities that will take place at Camp Braveheart -- a retreat for local first responders that will offer adventure therapy and camping alongside traditional counseling/resiliency therapies to help area first responders heal from trauma.
Support a certified peer supporter for the East Palestine Police Department.
Further expand a community garden run by Threshold Residential Services for individuals with disabilities and open it to the entire East Palestine Community.

Services will be offered to all East Palestine residents. The Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board will also coordinate targeted outreach for older adults, youth, veterans, racial/ethnic minority groups, and community members with serious mental illness diagnoses and/or substance use disorders. Local officials anticipate the intermediate grant would serve between 3,000 and 4,200 residents over the 12-month grant period.

Permanent East Palestine Community Resiliency Center Norfolk Southern provided funding to the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board to purchase a former doctor’s office located at 50410 State Route 14 in Unity Township that will be transformed into a permanent Community Resiliency Center. The facility, which is currently undergoing a series of improvements -- including a new roof and interior renovations -- will provide an array of outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services supported by the federal grant funding. The center will offer residents traditional counseling, support groups and 12-Step meetings, and non-traditional programming, such as trauma-focused yoga classes, creative arts, and animal therapy. While the Resiliency center is under renovation, services will be provided in other locations in the community. The addition of this center will help make behavioral health services more accessible and closer to home for residents in need of mental health or substance use disorder care. Local officials hope to complete renovations and open the facility to residents in November.

Read Full Media Release

Ohio Attorney General’s Drug Dropoff Day Safely Disposes of 262 Pounds of Unused Medications in Ross County

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Drug Dropoff Day, held this past Saturday at two sites in Ross County, was a resounding success, resulting in the collection and proper disposal of 262 pounds of unused or expired prescription medications.

“Too often, drug addiction starts when someone gets their hands on a bottle of prescription drugs in the medicine cabinet.” AG Yost said. “Through events like Drug Dropoff Day, we are taking important steps to ensure that these drugs can do no harm to Ohioans or our natural environment.”

The combined efforts of the attorney general’s five Drug Dropoff Days have resulted in the safe disposal of more than 1,850 pounds of drugs since the program began in July 2021. The Ross County event was made possible through partnerships with the Ross County Sheriff's Office, Kroger and Ohio Sea Grant, a Great Lakes research program based at Ohio State University.

Ross County was selected in part based on research done by Yost’s Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE): The county’s opioid overdose death rate of 19.22 per 100,000 in 2020 was the fifth highest among Ohio’s counties.

AG Yost's collaboration with Ohio Sea Grant serves to draw attention to the potential threat of discarded drugs entering groundwater and lakes, rivers and streams. Traces of pharmaceuticals have been detected in drinking water, and continuous exposure to low levels of these contaminants can have detrimental effects on aquatic life.

For those who missed the event, it is still possible to dispose of unwanted prescriptions by contacting local law enforcement. In the meantime, Ohioans are encouraged to follow safe storage guidelines to help maintain the safety and well-being of our communities.

Promoting Safety In Your Workspaces Workshop — Aug. 9

Just because you say your space is safe...doesn't mean it is. Join subject matter expert on trauma-informed care, Katie Kurtz, MSW LISW-S for a free workshop on Aug. 9 at noon on understanding the importance of safety within client relationships and the simple shifts you can make to promote safety in all your spaces. In this workshop we will explore the nuances of felt safety and how we can harness trauma-informed practices to enhance our client experiences and outcomes. This workshop is for anyone who desires to integrate trauma-informed care into an embodied practice to enhance the safety and well-being of the spaces you hold for yourself and others. Questions? Contact: hello@katie-kurtz.com.

Register

Free ASAM eLearning Modules

OhioMHAS will be hosting eLearning modules for the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) through September free of charge for 1,500 participants. These self-directed modules are delivered through a virtual course that can be completed any time prior to Sept. 28, 2023.

Multidimensional Assessment eLearning Module (ASAM I)
This eLearning module helps practitioners understand, assess, and implement the six dimensions of the American Society of Addiction Medicine's The ASAM Criteria. Each section is devoted to a certain component of The ASAM Criteria, and information is reinforced through knowledge checks and a final exam that learners must pass in order to receive credit. Skills that reinforce the module's learning objectives are practiced and applied through interactive case studies and followed up with review from Chief Editor of The ASAM Criteria, Dr. David Mee-Lee.

From Assessment to Service Planning & Level of Care eLearning Module (ASAM II)
This course helps practitioners understand how to work with a participant's assessment and service planning to identify the best level of care in which to provide his or her services. Skills that reinforce the module's learning objectives are practiced and applied through interactive case studies and Dr. Mee-Lee provides real-world application and description via brief video clips throughout the module.

To sign up, create an account HERE. Please note that 5 CMEs for each of the eLearning modules will only be made available through Sept. 28, 2023. For assistance, please contact Train for Change Inc. at support@trainforchange.net.

Save the Date! Seventh Annual FASD Forum — Sept. 15

In observance of September as FASD Awareness and Prevention Month, Ohio’s statewide Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Steering Committee will host the Seventh Annual FASD Forum on Sept. 15 at the Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris. This year’s theme is FASD is a Family and Community Matter. Registration will open soon. Watch NewsNow for more information.

Star Behavioral Health Providers Tier One Training — Sept. 26

In partnership with the Mental Health Recovery Board of Clark, Greene, & Madison Counties, the Star Behavioral Health Providers will host its next Tier 1: Introduction to Military Culture and Deployment training on Sept. 26 from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in Springfield. Star Behavioral Health Providers is a training program that helps participants better understand and serve veterans, service members, and their families. Participants who complete the training are eligible to be listed in an online provider registry that helps connect service members with trained clinicians. This training offers CEs for many professionals at no cost. Questions? Please call 614.293.7789.

Register