The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is seeking feedback from stakeholders as part of the development of a statewide public awareness and outreach campaign for the Ohio 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. By understanding your needs, as well as the needs of the communities you serve, we can develop communications that will be most beneficial to everyone. 

This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The deadline to complete the survey has been extended to Friday, Nov. 3. Please share with your contacts and network. If you have any questions, please contact our survey vendor point of contact: kate.merkley@forchange.agency.

A new study, co-authored by OhioMHAS researcher Dr. Surendra Bir Adhikari, examines the role of social support on the mental health of Bhutanese refugees who resettled in Ohio. This study, which builds off a 2015 report authored by Dr. Adhikari, used data collected by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services on 200 Bhutanese adults in Columbus. Social support was measured using a 12-item perceived social support scale. The 25-item Hopkins Symptoms Checklist was used to quantify depression and anxiety experienced in the past month. One-in-three participants reported mental health problems. Compared to participants with high social support, those with medium (OR 5.28, 95% CI 2.09–13.37) and low social support (OR 10.94, 95% CI 2.53–47.33) had more than 5- and 10-fold increased odds of mental health problems respectively. Future studies could further explore the role of social support on mental health during relocation, resettlement, and acculturation processes.

The research was published in the October 2023 Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. Photo courtesy of WOSU Public Media.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with several project partners, is conducting a statewide evaluation and developing infrastructure to expand and sustain PAX Good Behavior Game and PAX Tools efforts in Ohio. The project aims to support the development of a statewide recommendation to enhance capacity for PAX efforts.

Through September 2024, this initiative will offer a series of evaluation and infrastructure activities that will be available to schools and youth serving community organizations. Nationwide Children’s Hospital collaborators include: Miami University Discovery Center, Miami University School-Based Center of Excellence, Ohio University Center for Intervention Research in Schools, Ohio Mental Health Network for School Success, PAXIS Institute and Prevention Action Alliance. The project is funded by the Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services with a grant from SAMSHA.

If you would like to meet with a member of the team to discuss how to support infrastructure activities in your local communities, please drop in at the following office hours:

Nov. 20 | 3:00-4:00 p.m.: https://zoom.us/j/8517765505
Dec. 4 | 1:00-2:00 p.m.: https://zoom.us/j/8517765505
Dec 18 | 3:00-4:00 p.m.: https://zoom.us/j/8517765505
Jan. 5 | Noon-1:00 p.m.: https://zoom.us/j/8517765505
Jan. 17 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.: https://zoom.us/j/8517765505

To reach a member of the team, email paxgoodbehaviorgame@nationwidechildrens.org.

The Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) this week awarded over $4 million in federal emergency shelter and supportive services grants for domestic violence victims and their dependents. The 67 projects in 46 counties will help community-based, non-profit organizations to provide emergency shelter and/or supportive services for victims of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence and their dependents.

Funding will support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of programs and projects that:

• prevent incidents of family violence, domestic violence, and dating violence.
• provide immediate shelter, supportive services, and access to community-based programs for victims of family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence and their dependents.
• provide specialized services for children exposed to family violence, domestic violence, or dating violence, underserved populations, and victims who are members of racial and ethnic minority populations.

OCJS administered the grants through the FY 2023 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Formula Grant to States and Territories. All awards will support 12 months of program funding, operating from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.

Ohio Recovery Housing (ORH) has announced a new Recovery Housing Innovation Challenge aimed at fostering creative solutions and breakthrough innovations in the field of recovery housing. This challenge invites individuals, teams, organizations, and entrepreneurs to contribute their ideas and expertise to address the critical gaps and opportunities in recovery housing.

The Challenge is free and open to all ORH certified recovery housing operators. The winner will be announced March 20, 2024, at the Recovery Housing Celebration Dinner. All finalists will receive a cash prize to invest in their innovation. The deadline to enter is Jan. 9, 2024. Finalists will be announced Feb. 1, 2024, while a Recovery Housing Innovation Symposium has been planned for March 19, 2024.

 For more than 20 years, October has been recognized as Health Literacy Month. Health Literacy Month was founded in 1999 by Helen Osborne and is now sponsored by the Institute for Healthcare Advancement (IHA). By collectively working to improve health literacy, the Institute seeks to create a more equitable world where everyone can access high-quality care and achieve positive health outcomes. The IHA offers these communication tools to help you take action during Health Literacy Month. Use these resources on your digital and social media channels to build health literacy awareness and encourage others to take action and use the hashtag #healthliteracymonth.