This week, Governor Mike DeWine announced that Ohio will receive more than $200 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen health care across Ohio's rural communities. 

According to the Ohio Department of Health's (ODH) Ohio Chronic Disease Atlas 2025, Ohioans living in rural parts of the state experience higher rates of chronic disease, lower access to specialty care, and worse health outcomes. Frequently, Ohioans living in rural communities live far from care, making preventative and early intervention services difficult to access.

Ohio's Rural Health Transformation Program proposal focuses on addressing these barriers by building on existing state investments to expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.

With this funding, Ohio will invest in more school-based health centers in rural communities, expand the OhioSEE child vision care program to more students in rural school districts, and build upon Ohio's success in reducing infant mortality rates by expanding evidence-based home visiting models to more rural communities across the state.

To strengthen the foundation and ensure consistency of substance use disorder counseling education, changes will be made in 2026 to what will be accepted to apply for initial Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA) Preliminary and CDCA certifications.

Effective March 1, 2026, the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board (CDP) Board will no longer be accepting single CEUs or CEU packages for initial applications and will only be accepting college courses OR a CDP Board-approved continuing education CDCA Bundle.

These changes will also improve efficiency of CDCA application reviews. If you have questions about these changes, or are an educational provider interested in submitting a CDCA Bundle, please email Esha Thakar at esha@ocdp.ohio.gov. 

The Problem Gambling Network of Ohio (PGNO) will host the 2026 Ohio Problem Gambling Conference on Feb. 11-12 at the Ohioan Hotel and Event Center in Lewis Center. The conference unites more than 300 national experts, state leaders, and local innovators in problem gambling prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, research, administration, and safer-play. Presentations are designed for professionals who work in problem gambling prevention and treatment, as well as health care providers interested in how behaviors like gambling, substance use, and mental health issues are interconnected. Click HERE to view the agenda, HERE to learn more about sponsorship and exhibiting, HERE for hotel information, and HERE for recovery scholarship information. Click HERE to watch a video recording of PGNO's What to Expect webinar. Questions? Email Events@PGNOhio.org.

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) has announced a schedule of upcoming virtual training opportunities. Click the links below for more information and to register. Questions? Email jason.hughes@ohiospf.org. 

Feb. 11 | Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Conversations
Feb. 18 | Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training

Save the date! Ohio Recovery Housing (ORH) will host the 2026 Ohio Recovery Housing Annual Conference on April 14-15 at the Hilton Columbus – Polaris. Registration opens this month. Recovery housing operators, individuals in recovery, treatment providers, and policymakers are invited to gather to learn best practices, network, and gain information about innovative programs and services that can benefit residents of recovery housing. Conference planners are currently seeking sponsors. Click HERE to learn more about sponsorship opportunities.