The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Blahnik as the new Chief Executive Officer of Central Ohio Behavioral Healthcare (COBH). 

Blahnik, who began his new role this week, brings decades of experience in behavioral healthcare operations, capital planning, and regulatory compliance. He has been with DBH for more than 15 years and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for COBH. In this role, he demonstrated a strong commitment to patient-centered care, safety, and operational excellence.

Throughout his career, Blahnik has been recognized as a collaborative and strategic leader. He has successfully led complex capital construction and facility planning initiatives, ensured continuous readiness for accreditation and regulatory inspections, and advanced performance improvement efforts across large, multifaceted healthcare environments. His background also includes extensive experience in budgeting, contract management, and resource stewardship.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Blahnik is deeply committed to fostering a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

"His leadership style reflects a strong focus on teamwork, workforce development, and engagement with clinical, operational, and community partners," said DBH Director Tia Marcel Moretti. "I am confident that his experience and leadership will further enhance the important work being done at COBH and across our system."

The Ohio Youth Led Collective, with support from DBH, is conducting a statewide survey to better understand Ohio youth-led prevention programs. Your perspective is essential to helping us identify opportunities and grow youth-led efforts across the state.

By completing this short, seven‑minute survey, your responses will help build a clearer picture of the resources available to young people and pinpoint areas where additional support, training, or connection may be needed. Your insight will directly shape future initiatives that empower youth and strengthen prevention programming in Ohio. 

The deadline to complete the survey is April 24. Questions? Email Sarah Sawmiller at ssawmiller@prevention-first.org. 

April is Alcohol Awareness Month — a time to raise awareness and understanding of alcohol use and misuse. It offers communities a chance to gain more understanding about how individuals struggle with alcohol use and offers resources and support. 

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism (NIAA) Rethinking Drinking website has facts on drinking and resources for those seeking help for themselves or others. Click HERE to access NIAAA's booklet, Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol & Your Health. Click HERE to access the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Alcohol Awareness Month social media toolkit.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will host the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 25 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Take Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Click HERE to find collection sites near you and HERE for additional DEA resources.  

The National Council recently released a white paper exploring how trained peer support workers can help close critical gaps in schizophrenia care, with real-world insights from Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics that are already making it work. The white paper offers practical recommendations for health care leaders, policymakers, peer support programs, and individuals and families, and covers workforce development, program infrastructure, outreach, outcome measurement, and policy reform.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released two new resources. Click the links below to view and download.

Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) in Children, Youth, and Young Adults — provides an overview of SED, including the role of functional impairment in identifying youth with SED and the important developmental considerations. 

Dually Enrolled Medicaid and Medicare Beneficiaries — this report from the Center for Financing Reform and Innovation provides a guide to publicly accessible data sources to support research and improve data-driven decision-making for individuals dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare.

Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC), Inc., has released a schedule of upcoming training opportunities. Click the links below for more information and to register. Questions? Email jmoorehead@maccinc.net. 

April 28 | FASD 101
April 29 | From Pain to Portrait: Transforming Lived Experience Through Art
May 12 | Before the Crisis: Prevention that Actually Works
May 19 | How to Navigate Cultural Awareness/Competency Work
June 16 | Adult Mental Health First Aid, Part 1
June 23 | Adult Mental Health First Aid, Part 2
June 30 | Beyond Sobriety: Empowering Lives Through Trauma-Informed Recovery

The Problem Gambling Network of Ohio (PGNO) is hosting Prevention and Treatment Ethics Trainings virtually via Zoom on May 1. The trainings, which include 3.0 CEUs, are free for PGNO members and $20 for non-members. Click HERE to register for the prevention training (9:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.) and HERE to register for the treatment training (1:00-4:15 p.m.)  

The International Community Justice Association (ICJA) is sponsoring a three-part Centering Lived-Experience in Reentry webinar series. The series brings together leaders with lived experience to explore financial stability, mental health, peer-led reentry support, and grassroots policy change. Grounded in personal insight and practical strategy, each session offers actionable tools for practitioners, supervisors, and community partners seeking to build more responsive, equitable, and effective reentry systems. 

May 6 | Post-Incarceration Syndrome, Mental Health, and Moving Forward
June 10 | Grassroots to Systemic Policy Change
July 21 | Peer-Led Support, Mutual Aid, and Community Empowerment 

The Ohio Community Corrections Association (OCCA) will host its 2026 Annual Conference: Building a New Era of Community Corrections — Reimagining Reintegration and Recovery on May 14-15 at The Ohioan Hotel and Event Center in Lewis Center. The conference will feature keynote presentations from national award winning journalist and author Sam Quinones and Dr. Patrice Palmer, restored citizen and tireless advocate for reentry opportunities for justice-involved individuals. The luncheon roundtable will address second chance employment, and the conference breakout sessions will focus on mental health, substance use disorders, and evidence-based practices that support successful reentry and recovery.

The Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Coalition of Southwest Ohio is hosting a Problem Gambling CE Day on May 29. Participants may attend in-person in Cincinnati or virtually via Zoom and earn three free CEUs. Sessions will be led by presenter Nan Franks, MA, PLC, LICDC. Click HERE to view the agenda. Questions? Email Dr. Gregory Stewart at stewargy@ucmail.uc.edu. 

Save the date! The County of Summit ADM Board will host the 13th Annual Recovery Challenge on June 6 at 9:00 a.m. at the IBH Addiction Recovery Center in Akron. In addition to a 5K obstacle course and one-mile family fun walk, the event will also feature community resource tables. Organizers are currently seeking volunteers. For more information, contact Max Warner at warnerm@admboard.org.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center will host the 2026 Addiction Studies Institute on Aug. 5-7 at the Nationwide and Ohio State Farm Bureau 4H Center in Columbus. The conference will deliver the latest trends and evidence‑based practices in substance use disorders, featuring knowledgeable and dynamic speakers and opportunities to earn CEU credits. Participants may attend virtually or in-person on Aug. 5-6, and virtual-only on Aug. 7. Click HERE to view the agenda and HERE for speaker bios. 

Save the date! Hope Town AI will host Ohio's AI Leadership Summit for Behavioral Health, Recovery, and Workforce Systems on Sept. 10 from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) campus in Rootstown. The summit will bring together decision-makers, policymakers, legislative leaders, executive directors, and system partners from across the state for a critical and timely conversation about Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) is seeking partners to host QPR, CALM Conversations, and Clinical CALM trainings for their adult staff members. Trainings can be held virtually or in person and are no cost for participants or host sites. In addition, these trainings count toward annual staff suicide prevention training requirements under HB123/the SAVE Students Act, and Clinical CALM participants can earn 3.5 Continuing Education credits for Ohio prevention, social work, and counseling. For more information, check out this document or email Evi.Roberts@OhioSPF.org. Individuals can also sign up for virtual QPR and CALM Conversations trainings on the OSPF website.