The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently announced winners of its prestigious 2025 Anvil Awards, which recognize excellence in public relations and communications and acknowledge strategic public relations campaigns that meet the highest standards of performance based on research, planning, execution, and measurable results.

Ohio's 988 awareness campaign earned a Silver Anvil Award, which was presented during a May 15 ceremony at New York City's Edison Ballroom. Ohio 988 Administrator Doug Jackson (pictured above) was honored to accept this award. He was accompanied at the event by representatives from Fahlgren Mortine, the marketing firm OhioMHAS is partnering with to help increase public awareness of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The success of 988 awareness in Ohio has been accomplished through statewide collaboration with stakeholders at all levels. OhioMHAS thanks our partners for the local awareness efforts that have made 988 visible in communities throughout Ohio. Together, we are reaching our goal for all Ohioans to know and trust 988 for support in a mental health crisis. To continue our efforts of raising awareness, please visit the 988 Ohio Toolkit.

OhioMHAS Chief of Hospital Services and Forensic Operations Merissa McKinstry will be leaving the agency on May 29 to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. Under Merissa’s leadership, the state’s regional psychiatric system has seen many successes including, all six hospitals maintaining The Joint Commission accreditation, the expansion of the electronic health records system, the introduction of the DAISY and ROSE awards to recognize the compassionate care of front-line staff, and management of the project to replace the Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare building with a new, state-of-the-art facility, Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare. 

Dr. John Kennedy, OhioMHAS Chief Medical Officer, will oversee the department’s hospital and forensic operations in the interim.

Staff from Northwest Ohio Behavioral Healthcare (NOBH) recently volunteered at a community event in Toledo to raise awareness of mental illness and help erase the stigma associated with it.

NOBH staff volunteered at the 12th Annual Celebrity Wait Night at Zia's at The Docks, which is hosted by Toledo nonprofit organization Heart & Soul: Caring for our Community.

Proceeds of the event enhance recovery-based programming at NOBH and allow programs and services for members of the Thomas M. Wernert Center, a community center for those living with mental illness in Lucas County, to continue.

Pictured (l-r): Dr. Charles Russell, Amy Timmons, and NOBH Chief Executive Officer Charlie Hughes at the event.

Returning Home: Prison, Homeless, or Housing? The Choice That Changes Everything, a new documentary from CSH and Invisible People, is a call to action for smarter justice, safer communities, and a more compassionate approach to reentry. The film takes viewers inside two innovative reentry programs in Ohio that are breaking this cycle with one simple but revolutionary idea: supportive housing. Through deeply candid, personal stories of individuals — some of whom spent decades behind bars or were once on death row — the film reveals how affordable housing, paired with community-based services, creates real opportunities for stability, healing, and reintegration.

The documentary highlights both Returning Home Ohio (RHO), which is permanent supportive housing funded by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as well as OhioMHAS' Community Transition Program (CTP). CTP housing focuses on permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, as well as recovery housing for individuals transitioning back to the community with a substance use disorder. OhioMHAS Criminal Justice Bureau Chief Jennifer Roach is among those interviewed for the film. She briefly touched on the department's collaboration with CSH and the positive results that supports such as housing can produce, such as lower recidivism. 

The film made its online premiere this week. Click HERE to watch a trailer and HERE to learn more about CSH's housing and justice work. 

The National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health (NTTAC) recently announced recipients of its third annual System of Care Awards. Among its honorees, NTTAC presented its 2025 Star Organization Award to the Family Resource Center of Northwest Ohio, Hancock County's primary community behavioral health provider. 

The award honors an organization modeling excellence in engaging youth and families, providing mental health services, implementing youth and family-friendly policies, and partnering with other organizations. According to NTTAC, Star Organization honorees "demonstrate innovative approaches to service delivery, address specific mental health needs, authentically represent those they serve, maintain community respect, and show measurable positive impact on mental health outcomes."

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the release of the 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment (NDTA), DEA’s comprehensive review of the threats posed to the U.S. by illicit drugs and violent domestic and international drug trafficking organizations responsible for producing and trafficking the drugs poisoning our communities.

For more than a decade, DEA’s NDTA has been an integral resource for informing drug policies and laws. It remains a trusted resource for law enforcement agencies, policy makers, community leaders, and prevention and treatment specialists, while also serving as a critical tool to inform and educate the public. 

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, Miami University has unveiled a special episode of its student-centered Major Insight podcast. Mental Health in College: Normalizing the Conversation features a roundtable discussion with a student host and two Social Work majors, who engage in a heartfelt, insightful conversation on a variety of topics including: social media, doom-scrolling, and its effect on anxiety and depression; burnout; tackling the pressure to perform in academic and social life; how college students are normalizing therapy, vulnerability, and finding support; practical ways students are finding support and taking control of their well-being; and firsthand insights into campus mental health culture from students who live it.

Listen on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts

Ohio Citizen Advocates for Addiction Recovery (OCAAR) has announced a Zoom-based, Peer Support Booster Program. This seven module series, presented over two days in late May, will equip and empower peers to take their peer support to the next level. Cost is $5 per day. Click the links below for more information and to register.

May 28 | Day One - 9:00 a.m.-Noon | Register
May 29 | Day Two - 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Register

The Ohio Coaching and Mentoring Network (OCAM) is hosting its annual conference, "Realign, Refresh, and Refine your Professional Skills" on June 5 at the Marriott Columbus – Northwest in Dublin. This year's conference is focused on enhancing and building professional development skills in Ohio's prevention professionals across all levels. Workshop topics will focus on leadership enhancement; communication strategies; conflict management; effective delegation; setting professional development plans and goals; time management; and more.

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA), in partnership with OhioMHAS, will host Ohio’s 2025 Mental Health and Addiction Conference: Advancing Care in Communities on June 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus. Questions? Email Shelby Embrey at sembrey@oacbha.org.

The Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion invites Ohio's experienced behavioral health prevention professionals to join its upcoming Advanced Prevention Practice ECHO session, Sustaining Impact: Best Practices for Budgeting, on June 20. This session provides resources and best practices on budgeting for health promotion and prevention programs, including strategies to optimize funding for maximum impact. Additionally, speakers will discuss current funding resources available for prevention programs, providing practical guidance to help you build and maintain a successful prevention budget. Sessions are interactive and are a great place to share your successes or “workshop” your ideas with subject matter experts and colleagues. CEs for Prevention, Social Work, Health Education, and Nursing will be available.

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF), Life Is Better with You Here (LIBWYH), and OhioMHAS will host the Third Annual Suicide Prevention in the Black Community Summit on June 27 from 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Quest Conference Center in Westerville. The event addresses the urgent crisis of rising suicide rates among Black youth and aims to empower youth and young adults while driving change in suicide prevention and mental health. Attendees will include youth, parents, educators, community advocates, and mental health professionals, all working together to equip themselves with essential tools for prevention and support. The Summit will feature inspiring keynote speakers, engaging discussions, and hands-on workshops focused on the Ohio Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), which outlines sustainable suicide prevention strategies.

Youth to Youth International will host its 2025 Summer Conference on July 9-12 on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University. This year's conference will be packed full of creative new ways for youth and adults to work together in their communities and feature expert speakers, interactive workshops, and valuable networking opportunities focused on prevention strategies for youth. Questions? Email Julia Hall at jhall@compdrug.org.