As part of the state’s ongoing efforts to increase the number of Ohioans working in the behavioral health field, OhioMHAS announced this week that eligible graduates of the Great Minds Fellowship program are now able to apply for recruitment and retention bonuses totaling $10,000.

Under this initiative, eligible Great Minds Fellowship program graduates will receive:

• A $5,000 sign-on bonus upon accepting a position at a OhioMHAS-licensed community behavioral health center (CBHC)
• An additional $5,000 bonus after completing one year of employment at a CBHC

OhioMHAS is partnering with Health Impact Ohio (HIO) to administer the recruitment and retention bonus initiative. Applications for the recruitment and retention bonuses went live: Nov. 1. Great Minds Fellowship program graduates working at CBHCs are encouraged to apply.

The recruitment and retention bonuses represent the third phase of the Great Minds Fellowship program. Created by Governor DeWine with the support of the Ohio General Assembly, the aim of the Great Minds initiative is to incentivize college students to pursue careers in behavioral health fields like social work, therapy, counseling, and psychiatric and mental health nursing. Funding for this latest phase comes from the $85 million in one-time American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources dollars set aside at the initial launch of the Great Minds initiative.

For more information on the program and how to apply, visit https://www.healthimpactohio.org/great-minds-fellows or email greatmindsfellows@healthimpactohio.org.

On Monday, several OhioMHAS staff members joined local and county officials for a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of Ravenwood Health's Transitional Living Center (TLC) in Chardon. TLC is the only Class 1 residential facility providing crisis stabilization services in Geauga County and is a critical resource in the county's continuum of care. The facility serves adults with serious mental illness. Services offered include counseling, medication management, case management, peer support, and linkage to community supports.

The $2.8 million renovation and expansion project will increase TLC's capacity from nine beds to 16 and more than double the square footage. OhioMHAS contributed more than $1.1 million in capital funding toward the project. Additional funding support was provided by the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services.  

Pictured (l-r): Alicia Cody, Northcoast Regional Liaison, OhioMHAS; Kelli Glover, Project Manager, OhioMHAS Bureau of Capital Planning and Management; Christine Lakomiak, Executive Director, Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services; Curtis Smith, Chief, OhioMHAS Bureau of Capital Planning and Management; and Jonathan Baker, Chief Business Officer, OhioMHAS (also pictured speaking, inset). 

Ohio voters approved all 12 Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services board levies on Tuesday's ballot. Results are below:

Allen/Auglaize/Hardin | 10-year, 0.5 mill renewal | 63% Yes
Butler | 5-year, 0.5 mill additional | 55% Yes
Erie | 5-year, 0.5 mill renewal | 68% Yes
Fairfield | 10-year, 0.75 mill renewal | 58% Yes
Guernsey | 10-year, 1 mill renewal | 63% Yes
Jefferson | 10-year, 0.5 mill replacement | 56% Yes
Lake | 10-year, 0.9 mill renewal | 58% Yes
Lorain | 10-year, 1.2 mill renewal | 64% Yes
Ottawa | 5-year, 0.5 mill renewal | 67% Yes
Putnam | 5-year, 0.7 mill renewal | 64% Yes
Trumbull | 10-year, 1 mill renewal | 66% Yes
Wood | 10-year, 1.6 mill renewal | 64% Yes

Last week, members of the OhioMHAS 988 leadership team attended the Clear Pathways – 988/911 Crisis Response Pilot Convening presentation in Columbus. The gathering served as a forum to report on the findings of a pilot study involving interoperability of select 988 call centers and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP’s) throughout Ohio conducted by Clear Pathways. Ohio 988 Administrator Doug Jackson participated in a panel discussion along with 911 Program Administrator Patrick Brandt. The pilot program focused on the issues of governance, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), technology, training, and communications. 

Pictured top (l-r): Doug Jackson, Ohio’s 988 Administrator, Cal Jenkins, Manager of Research and Evaluation for the Clear Pathways Initiative, and Patrick Brandt, Ohio’s 911 Administrator, celebrate a productive day of gathering Ohio stakeholders to discuss 911/988 interoperability. 

Pictured inset: OhioMHAS staff, representatives from Peg’s Foundation, and Ohio 988 Contact Center leaders participate in a tabletop exercise to discuss challenges and opportunities in facilitating local 911/988 interoperability. 

The Ohio School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention and Early Intervention has released Season 2 of its School Wellness Podcast. Host Amanda Hampton, an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist, explores innovative strategies and initiatives to create nurturing environments in K-12 classrooms. Listen to the following episodes via Spotify, Apple Podcast, or your preferred podcast player.

July 31 | Season 2 Trailer
Aug. 7 | Holly Raffle — Exploring Ohio's COE for Behavioral Health Prevention
Aug. 7 | Cricket Meehan — Learning About the Ohio SBCOE 
Sept. 4 | Ali Masters — Impact of Collective Care on School Wellness
Oct. 2 | Karen Eads — Empowering Students Through Trauma-Informed Practices
Nov. 6 | Katie Ostendorf — Strategies to Create a Trauma-Informed Classroom

The Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion has announced a mini-grant opportunity to localize SAMHSA’s Talk. They Hear You. campaign across Ohio. This national campaign empowers parents, caregivers, and trusted adults to foster open, honest conversations with youth about substance use, reinforcing the powerful influence adults have on young people’s choices.

The Center will award up to 29 mini-grants of $10,000 each to help local organizations across Ohio implement and tailor the Talk. They Hear You. campaign to meet community needs. This initiative has been made possible with support from OhioMHAS and is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The deadline to submit an application is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 24.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has published a new resource on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). With daylight saving time ending Sunday, many people may feel a shift in their mood. It's common to experience feelings of sadness or the "winter blues" as days get shorter. For some, these mood changes can be more serious and may indicate seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms typically begin in late fall or winter and improve in spring. If you notice significant changes in your mood during this time, it’s important to learn more about SAD—its signs, diagnosis, causes, and treatment options. 

The Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion invites those working in youth vaping prevention to participate in its upcoming ECHO session, Nicotine, Cannabis, Vape: A Complex Relationship, on Nov. 13. This session will delve into the interconnected use of nicotine and cannabis, particularly among youth, and examine the rising trend of cannabis being used in vape devices. Participants will gain insights into the unique effects of each substance and the heightened risks when these substances are used together, posing new challenges to prevention efforts.

ECHO Sessions are interactive and are a great place to share successes or “workshop”  ideas with subject matter experts and colleagues. CEs for Prevention, Social Work, Health Education, Nursing and Psychology will be available.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Early Serious Mental Illness (ESMI TTA Center) is hosting an Overview of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis webinar on Nov. 19 from noon-1:00 p.m. The webinar will provide an overview of clinical high risk for psychosis, address key considerations and challenges in program implementation, and discuss available technical assistance resources to support clinical high risk for psychosis programs.

Relink.org will host a Building Recovery-Friendly Communities webinar on Nov. 20 at 2:00 p.m. The session will be led by Stephanie Robinson, Founding Executive Director of Hope Recovery Community (HRC). Located in Medina, HRC is a recovery community organization (RCO). An RCO is an independent, non-profit organization led and governed by the recovery community. These organizations organize recovery-focused policy advocacy activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and/or provide peer-based recovery support services. Questions? Email info@relink.org. 

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio is hosting a Promoting ACEs Protective Factors and Supporting Ohio Families webinar on Dec. 10 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. The webinar will highlight how protective factors help children and families build resilience and examine how financial security influences the health and well-being of children and families. Speakers from the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce will describe programs and policies at their agencies that encourage protective factors among Ohio children and families.