The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is pleased to announce the availability of Great Minds Internship Site Support Funding (MHA-FY24-Workforce-Great Minds Internship Support-37) to create and support effective strategies to recruit and retain behavioral health professionals.

The current funding opportunity is open for eligible Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) to provide internship site support for hosting Great Minds Fellows. CBHCs regulated by OhioMHAS and providing Medicaid-covered behavioral health home and community-based services (Provider types 84 & 95) are eligible to participate in this initiative. CBHCs are eligible to apply for either $2500 or $3000 (if site is in an Ohio Health Improvement Zone or HRSA shortage area) for each intern. Funds can be used for operational and administrative support for eligible CBHCs to provide training, support, and supervision to students to prepare for workforce entry while completing an internship.

For a step-by-step guide on how to apply for this funding please refer to the GFMS Internship Site Support Guidebook for CBHCs 2.0. Eligible CBHCs who would like to participate but have not completed the internship capacity survey should complete it HERE.

The OhioMHAS Workforce team is here to assist you and provide any support you may need. Please reach out to Workforce@mha.ohio.gov if you have any questions or would like to set up a virtual meeting with one of our team members for assistance.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced details of a new program to help victim service agencies meet the needs of survivors of human trafficking. The new Direct Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Grant Program was created by Governor DeWine and the Ohio General Assembly as part of Ohio's new operating budget. A total of $4 million in funding is now available for nonprofit organizations to help them adequately serve the growing number of sex and labor trafficking victims in need of support.  

The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) opened the application period for the grant program today. Direct services that are eligible for funding include but are not limited to mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, education and employment support, and residential placement. Awards are expected to be announced in January 2024.

Nonprofit organizations that provide direct support to victims of trafficking and/or those considered at high risk of trafficking will be eligible for grant funding. Priority consideration will be awarded to applicants who demonstrate evidence-based and survivor-informed programming. Applicants must submit proposals online through the Online Grants Management System by 5 p.m. on Nov. 8. 

A bidders training webinar for potential applicants will be held on Tuesday, October 3, at 9:30 a.m. The training is not mandatory but will provide helpful information on both the application preparation and review process. Nonprofit organizations with questions should contact the State Anti-Trafficking Coordinator at SAHTC@info.dps.ohio.gov.  

To mark its 75th Anniversary, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is hosting a new podcast series that explores the stories behind influencers and innovators in mental health research and takes you into the lives of people with mental illnesses. In the first podcast episode, “Understanding and Preventing Youth Suicide,” NIMH Director Dr. Joshua A. Gordon talks with Dr. Arielle Sheftall, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Listen as they discuss who is at increased risk for suicide, how it’s impacting the nation’s youth, and most importantly, what NIMH is doing about this tragic and preventable issue.

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation is sponsoring a Life Side Ohio Southeast Ohio Gathering on Oct. 10 at the Athens Community Center. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. for dinner and an enriching and possibly life-saving discussion about lethal means safety, mental health, and suicide prevention for firearms owners. Life Side Ohio is the only statewide campaign largely by firearms owners for firearms owners dedicated to outreach in three communities: veterans, firearms retailers, and public safety (police, fire, and first responders).

As part of its Marijuana and Pregnancy Educational Project webinar series, the Drug Free America Foundation will host "The Biological Component of Behavioral Health and Marijuana Use" on Oct. 23 at 1:00 p.m. The series highlights the role of neuroscience and epigenetics as they relate to behavioral health and the potential implications of self-medicating with marijuana pre/during/post pregnancy with Dr. Evelyn Higgins. This webinar will explore the genetic and neuroscience biochemical pathways that can influence individuals to self-medicate through marijuana use and highlight the importance for advocates, practitioners, and individuals to have access to the biomarkers of behavioral health in order to prevent self-medication pre, post, and during pregnancy.