Companies that implement recovery-friendly practices as part of their everyday operations and core values will be able to earn the official designation as an Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace. To qualify as an Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace, businesses have many options for the types of practices they can implement. One example is creating policies that support hiring people in recovery and working with their local Mental Health and Recovery Board to share job opportunities.

The Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace program also encourages businesses to provide support systems that help employees feel comfortable requesting help if they are dealing with addiction or mental health challenges. Some examples include:

• Training leaders to identify signs of substance use and encouraging them to help employees seek treatment
• Offering access to life-saving naloxone and training staff on how to use it in an emergency
• Providing mental health and wellness education programs for employees
• Promoting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to employees

Interested businesses can learn more about the program, its benefits, how to request the designation, and more ideas for recovery-friendly practices they can bring to their businesses by visiting: RecoveryFriendlyWorkplace.MHA.Ohio.gov.

Governor DeWine announced the new program Friday during a ceremony at the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library. The Governor was joined for the ceremony by Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus and Paula Brehm-Heeger, the Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Director of the library. Hamilton County launched their own local recovery-friendly workplace program two years ago. The library is one of dozens of local businesses participating in the program. During Friday’s event, Brehm-Heeger announced that the library is in the process of being among the first participants of the statewide program.

Businesses across the state have already expressed interest in earning the new Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace designation. Tina Thornton, Associate Vice President of Wellbeing and Safety at Columbus-based Nationwide, also spoke Friday and announced that Nationwide is the first business in the state to earn the new Ohio Recovery Friendly Workplace designation.

Also in attendance was Amanda Hall (pictured, at left), an individual in recovery who was initially hired at Cincinnati-based JBM Packaging through a “fair chance” program. JBM Packaging is also now part of the Hamilton County Recovery Friendly program. In the time since, Amanda has risen through the ranks, being promoted to the position of Talent Acquisition and Training Specialist.

September is National Preparedness Month as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Ready campaign. National Preparedness Month (NPM) encourages Ohioans to plan ahead and prepare for a disaster. Being aware, prepared, and remaining resilient are an essential part of a safer community.

This year’s topic is resilience with a focus on diverse communities such as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, intending to shed light on emergency messaging and how to better reach all Ohioans with information on preparing for and recovering from disasters.

The 2024 National Preparedness Month brings attention to the challenges different communities in Ohio face that hinder their ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, as well as focusing on building resilient communities.

Consider the many types of emergencies and disasters and the impacts they pose. What can Ohioans do to be prepared and stay safe? One way to prepare is by making an emergency plan, including preparing an emergency kit in advance. When making a plan, consider the following:

• How will you receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What is your household’s shelter plan?
• What is your evacuation route?
• What is your family/household communication plan?
• Do you need to update your emergency preparedness kit?
• Document and Insure Your Property.

You can find information and materials in languages other than English by clicking HERE. 

For more preparedness tips, follow along on Ohio EMA’s social media at Ohio EMA Facebook and Ohio EMA Twitter and visit Ready.Gov..

The Office of Criminal Justice Services this week announced that nearly $5.5 million in grant funding has been awarded to support efforts to reduce the impact of opioids, stimulants, and other substances on individuals and communities and to promote substance use awareness, prevention, and recovery. 

Funding from the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) will provide resources supporting the development, expansion, or enhancement of substance use deflection and pre-arrest diversion programs in diverse Ohio communities that are disproportionately challenged by high fatal and nonfatal overdose rates.

Click HERE to read the full media announcement and see a list of grant recipients. 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a new Advisory on Preventing Substance Use Among Young Adults with Disabilities. In 2021, approximately 3.2 million or about 6.8 percent of people between the ages of 14 and 24 were living with a physical or mental disability.

People between the ages of 18 and 25 are vulnerable to behavioral health conditions because they are entering a developmental period characterized by numerous transitions and significant changes. This population may be leaving home to pursue further education or employment while continuing to develop socially, emotionally, and physically. These changes, in combination with increases in independence and self-focus, can put young adults at higher risk for initiating or increasing alcohol and other substance use, which may result in future substance misuse or the development of a substance use disorder.

This Advisory highlights the need for primary substance use prevention efforts for young adults ages 18 to 25 with disabilities, describes factors that may affect the delivery of prevention services, and provides guidance on designing and tailoring programs to meet the needs of this population.

The Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion invites those working in vaping prevention to participate in the Youth Vaping Prevention ECHO, which is scheduled to launch Sept. 11. Hear from experts in the field and learn how other Ohio communities are working to reduce youth vaping. Sessions are interactive and are a great place to share your successes or “workshop” your ideas with subject matter experts and colleagues. Continuing Education credits for Prevention, Social Work, Health Education, Nursing and Psychology will be available. 

The Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) will host Creating a Culture of Violence Prevention in K-12 Schools on Sept. 16 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. Panelists will discuss how school safety experts work to cultivate positive, safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments, strategies to implement and enhance bystander reporting programs, and available resources for K-12 education communities. 

In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month, SAMHSA is hosting an Answering the Call: Empowering Communities to Prevent Suicide Among Black Youth fireside chat on Sept. 25 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. The webinar will feature speakers from SAMHSA, young adults with lived experience, and experts in suicide prevention among Black youth.

Research shows that from 2018 to 2021, Black individuals aged 10 to 24 experienced a 37 percent increase in suicides, the largest increase among racial groups. This webinar will highlight the efforts of SAMHSA's Black Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative and focus on actions to support youth in their communities.

Purple Star USA will sponsor the third annual national convening of Purple Star schools and communities on Oct. 25 from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Questions? Email jennifern.davis@myhhcs.org or steve.cambron@ky.gov. 

The Purple Star Award recognizes schools that show a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Schools that earn the award will receive a special Purple Star recognition to display on site.

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities will host its 2024 Recovery Celebration on Oct. 30 from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at the Dwell Community Church in Columbus. This free event is designed for individuals in recovery and those living with mental illness and substance use disorders. Participants will enjoy presentations from keynote speakers along with fun activities to celebrate that recovery is beautiful. The deadline to register is Oct. 18. 

Prevention Action Alliance has teamed up with CADCA to offer a nine-part, Drug-Free Communities Grant Bootcamp training series that equips coalition leaders with the essential knowledge and tools to build or sustain an effective substance use prevention coalition and qualify for the DFC Grant. This training series covers everything from prevention fundamentals and gathering essential data to crafting an effective action plan and building community engagement. A qualified CADCA Trainer leads each session. This comprehensive training series is designed to equip your coalition with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to prepare a successful application. 

The flexible format allows participants to chose the sessions that best fit their coalition’s needs and schedule. Whether you want to focus on specific components of the application or gain a comprehensive understanding, you can tailor your participation to suit your goals.

Session dates and titles:

Sept. 24 | 9:30-11:00 a.m. | Prevention Fundamentals
Sept. 24 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. | Cultural Competence
Oct. 8 | 9:30-11:00 a.m. | Community Assessment
Oct. 8 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. | Logic Models
Oct. 22 | 9:30-11:00 a.m. | Coalition Capacity Building
Oct. 22 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. | Strategic Action Planning
Nov. 5 | 9:30-11:00 a.m. | Advocacy and Policy
Nov. 5 | 12:30-2:00 p.m. | Implementation and Evaluation
Nov. 19 | In-person/TBD | Sustainability