Director Cornyn highlighted agency priorities including continued support of suicide prevention and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and the expansion of crisis services to meet the needs of Ohioans. OhioMHAS works with OSPF to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and mobilize community efforts.

Together we have:

• Provided suicide prevention programming free of charge to nearly 169,000 school-age students across more than 390 schools through Sources of Strength.
• Launched the Black Youth and Young Adult Suicide Prevention Initiative, which has expanded to include more than 24 organizations and served thousands of youths and adults.
• Convened Community Conversations in Butler and Mahoning counties – areas with high rates of suicide -- to identify gaps, make recommendations and inform localized suicide prevention plans.
• Grown the number Suicide Prevention Coalitions across the state – today there are 71 coalitions representing nearly all Ohio counties.

(INSET PHOTO): OSPF Executive Director Tony Coder shares brief remarks before facilitating a panel discussion featuring Sen. Susan Winchester (R-Waynesfield), Sen. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson), and Rep. Jodi Salvo (R-Bolivar).  

Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare (NBH) CEO Dave Colletti retired on Feb. 28 after 36 years of service. Royall Chambers will serve as Interim CEO until a new CEO is named. Colletti has served as CEO at NBH since 2019 where he oversees a staff of approximately 480 employees and is responsible for the well-being, care, and treatment of 258 patients at the hospital. He began his career as a caseworker at the Summit County Children Services Board in 1984 and became Director of Social Work Services at Fallsview Psychiatric Hospital in 1993. In 1996, Dave was hired at NBH as Director of Social Work Services and Patient Care Coordinator. He advanced to Cleveland Campus Administrator in 2001 and was first appointed as NBH CEO in 2009. Dave has also served as CEO at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare and worked in Central Office as the Assistant Director of Hospital Services.

As March Madness season approaches, Ohio for Responsible Gambling (ORG) has launched the "More Than a Bet" campaign to raise awareness about preventing student athletes from experiencing gambling-related harassment. Did you know that 1-in-3 high-profile athletes receive threatening messages from individuals with a betting interest? As the tournament draws attention, it's important to educate yourself and others about the risks involved. Click HERE to learn how to protect student athletes and spot the signs of gambling-related harassment.

Help spread the word: ORG offers free social media assets and posts for your organization to share. Download a free toolkit HERE. 

“Shifting Gears” is an educational program developed by AAA Northeast that is aimed at high school students and other young drivers. The program uses science-based information to explain the physical and cognitive processes that are affected by cannabis and how those effects can impact the ability to drive safely. By equipping professionals and community leaders with effective education tools, we can prevent marijuana-impaired driving and empower young drivers to make safe choices for a lifetime.

The Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO) aims to expand this educational program by reimbursing public agencies and certain non-profits for presenting the program to students. Who should get trained: School resource officers, law enforcement, safe communities coalitions, and educators. Training sessions are conducted in a classroom setting and take approximately 2.5 hours. Presenters may be reimbursed $200 per class/presentation. Presenters must complete a mandatory training session before they can disseminate this program to high school students. Click HERE to view the current training schedule. More sessions will be added soon.

Mental Health America has released its Mental Health Month 2025 Planning Guide. Designed for community organizations, workplaces, educators, and advocacy groups, MHA's guide equips you with the tools to make a meaningful impact on mental wellness, including:

• Innovative outreach ideas to spark engagement
• Ready-to-use communication templates to save time
• Activity examples to inspire your planning
• Partnership opportunities to amplify your reach

The American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health will present Beyond the Likes: Social Media, Mental Health, and You on March 1 and 8. This two-day interactive event is for teens and young adults (ages 14 to 24) only to discuss the impact of social media on mental health.

Sessions will include:

• Virtual Tour of Smithsonian Exhibit - Cellphone: Unseen Connections
• Learn from the platforms: How to curate your social media feeds
• How to advocate for healthy social media in your world
• How to safely engage with AI

Click HERE for more information. For general inquiries, please email: socialmedia@aap.org.

Ohio Adult Allies, in partnership with the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion, will launch a new OAA Ready to Enhance ECHO on March 4. The session will begin with a subject matter presentation, followed by participants presenting real cases for discussion and recommendations. Dr. John Ackerman and Amberle Pater will share their work from the Nationwide Children's Hospital where they provide training for youth-serving organizations on trauma-informed care. The session will discuss being trauma-informed from both a systems perspective and an individual provider level with examples from the field. Subsequent sessions will be held from 11:00 a.m.-noon on the first Tuesday of each month. 

The Family & Children First Council of Franklin County will host a Building Better Lives: Brain-Based, Trauma Informed Approach training on March 13 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. This training will provide a foundational introduction and overview of brain-based trauma-informed care concepts. Topics covered include ACEs, resilience, brain development, stress response, and toxic stress/developmental trauma. Participants will also apply the core concepts from the foundations session to specific resilience-building skills for clients (parents, children, students, etc.) and workplace relationships and building self-resilience. Questions? Email Jessica Hren at jessica.hren@escco.org.

Star Behavioral Health Providers has announced two, free upcoming Tier 1: Introduction to Military Culture trainings. Each training offers seven CEUs. Click the links below for more information and to register. Questions? Email Nicole Laurenzi, Community Outreach Manager of the Ohio Brain Injury Program at Nicole.Laurenzi@osumc.edu.

March 11 | Chillicothe | View Flyer | Register
April 24 | Marion | View Flyer | Register

The Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network (OYLPN) Youth Council, with support from OhioMHAS, will host the 2025 We Are Change Rally on May 2 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Columbus Commons. The rally empowers youth to raise their voices and highlights the inspiring, impactful work happening in communities around Ohio. More than 1,000 young people from throughout Ohio are expected to attend. This year's theme is "Empowering Growth — Youth on the Move." A limited number of travel stipends are available. 

The Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (MCADAMHS) Board and The PROTECT Initiative will host the Cultivating Resilience Summit 3.0 on June 25-26 at Sinclair Community College. Summit organizers recently issued an RFP seeking speakers for the event. The Summit is expected to draw around 200 attendees, including prevention and behavioral professionals, medical professionals, educators, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and community members. Summit subjects and topics to be covered will align with MCADMAHS Prevention and Early Intervention Services priority areas which are culturally relevant, evidenced-based strategies, designed to reduce the likelihood of or delay the onset of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. health professionals, medical professionals, educators, elected officials, nonprofit organizations, and community members. The deadline to submit a proposal is 5:00 p.m. on March 21. Questions? Email Danielle Zeisloft at dzeisloft@mcadamhs.org.