Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Director Lori Criss visited Lorain today, where she joined state and local representatives to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new $18.5 million Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center.

The project is a partnership of the Mental Health, Addiction & Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County, The Nord Center, and The LCADA Way. The 29,070-square-foot, 32-bed facility will be the first-of-its-kind in Lorain County — a "no wrong door" refuge of hope and healing for those experiencing a mental health or addiction crisis.

The first-floor emergency operations will provide stabilization services and serve approximately 8,970 annually, while the second floor of the center will provide detox services to an anticipated 1,000 clients annually. It will be staffed by mental health, addiction clinicians and peer supports specialists. The facility will also house the county's mobile crisis services operations and regional 988 call center. OhioMHAS contributed $6.4 million in capital funds to help support the project, which Lorain MHARS Board Executive Director Michael Doud said, "will change the way crisis care is accessed in this community."  Doud added, "Today is a testament to the work and the vision of all our community partners who helped to make this center a reality."

Other speakers at today's ceremony included: Don Schiffbauer from The Nord Center (which hosted the event); Dan Haight from The LCADA Way; Cynthia Andrews from The Community Foundation of Lorain County; Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville); Rep. Joe Miller (D-Lorain); Thom Craig from Peg's Foundation; Matt Lundy, Elyria Safety-Services Director; and Ann Longsworth Orr from the office of U.S. Sen. Sherood Brown. 

The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy this week announced that beginning Oct. 31, 2023, nalmefene (OPVEE®) will be added as an overdose reversal drug (ORD) per OAC 4729-8-01. By classifying nalmefene as an ORD, it can be distributed in the same manner as naloxone. To assist Ohioans in understanding laws governing the distribution of overdose reversal drugs, the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy developed a comprehensive guide, which can be accessed here: www.pharmacy.ohio.gov/ORD.  

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released two new video resources to help promote awareness and use of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Both videos have been added to SAMHSA's 988 partner toolkit. Click the links below to watch the videos.

You Matter PSA
Impact of the 988 Lifeline

Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) has released a new Data Snapshot that highlights the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Ohio, displays differences in exposure to ACEs for groups of Ohioans and shows how ACEs connect to poor health outcomes. In 2021, nearly two thirds of Ohio adults reported having been exposed to ACEs, and nearly half of all adults reported being exposed to two or more ACEs. ACEs exposure contributes to poor health and well-being throughout life, including disrupted neurodevelopment, social and emotional challenges, disease, disability and premature death.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released its 2021 Mental Health Client-Level Data report. The report describes the total number of clients receiving mental health treatment services in 2021 by demographics, National Outcome Measures (NOMs) and the top five mental health diagnoses for children (ages 0 - 17) and adults (18 and older) by geographical distribution. The NOMs presented in this report include stability in housing/residential status, adult employment, and access to services/capacity.

In October 2023, the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO) partnered with the Ohio Professionals Health Program (OhioPHP) to develop a new Confidential Monitoring Program (CMP) for all licensees and applicants. This program is a confidential path for individuals to seek help for burnout, mental health, substance use disorders, or other medical conditions. The confidential monitoring program is a therapeutic alternative to regulatory awareness. The SMBO has partnered with OhioPHP to administer this program. OhioPHP is hosting a series of trainings through December to learn more about this program. Click HERE to view upcoming training dates and to register.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is hosting a Facebook Live event on childhood irritability on Nov. 7 at 1:00 p.m. featuring NIMH expert Melissa Brotman, Ph.D., chief of the Neuroscience and Novel Therapeutics Unit in the Intramural Research Program. 

During the event, Dr. Brotman will discuss symptoms of irritability, why it's important to study irritability, NIMH-supported research in this area, and new treatments for severe irritability in youth. No registration is required for this free event. Watch the live event on NIMH’s Facebook page.