November 30th, 2009
- Guest Articles
Tom Stickrath, Director
Ohio Department of Youth Services
“Promoting Successful Reentry of Youth”
Terry Collins, Director
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
“Mental Health Leads to Successful Reentry”
Sandra Stephenson, Director
Ohio Department of Mental Health
“Partnerships in Preparing for Reentry”
Angela Dawson, Director
Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services
“Providing Access to Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction Treatment and Reentry Services”
- Board Spotlight
Jody Demo-Hodgins, Executive Director
Crawford-Marion Board of ADAMH
“Reentry Coalition Eases Transition”
Posted in Newsletter |
November 30th, 2009
PAMELA HYDE CONFIRMED AS ADMINISTRATOR FOR SAMHSA
On November 20, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Senate had unanimously confirmed the appointment of Pamela Hyde as Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Ms. Hyde was previously serving as Secretary of the New Mexico Human Services Department. Additionally Ms. Hyde has a great knowledge of Ohio having served as the Director of both the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Human Services. We look forward to Ms. Hyde becoming the Administrator of SAMHSA, and wish her well.
To read this news release in its entirety, please visit: www.hhs.gov/news/ press/2009pres/11/20091120a.html.
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Posted in CEO Minutes |
November 24th, 2009
Open enrollment for Medicare Part D, Medicare’s prescription drug program, started this week (Nov. 15) and continues through December 31. During open enrollment, people with Medicare can also sign up for Medicare Advantage plans which usually include drug coverage.
For more information, please visit the Ohio Department of Insurance website: www.insurance.ohio.gov/Consumer/Pages/ConsumerTab2.aspx.
Tags: Drug, medicare, open enrollement, perscription
Posted in Up to the Minute |
November 23rd, 2009
Although the Veterans Mental Health Act was signed into law more than a year ago, a recent survey by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (National Council) has found that veterans are still facing obstacles to accessing mental health and substance use treatment. The Veterans Mental Health Act requires the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to work with community behavioral health centers to increase capacity and expand mental health services to include marriage and family counseling. The survey of National Council members, community-based mental health and addictions treatment organizations, found serious obstacles that prevent veterans from getting treatment. Nearly 66% of those surveyed reported that veterans and their families experience long delays to get initial appointments for people in crisis, and long waits between appointments. Other obstacles reported were long distances that veterans had to travel to the VA or a military base, the worry that seeking treatment would negatively impact their careers, and the lack of family involvement.
For more information regarding this survey, please visit: www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/press_releases/ survey_finds_barriers_to_veterans_and_mental_health.
Tags: mental health, nations council, survey, VA, veteran, Veterans Affairs
Posted in Up to the Minute |
November 23rd, 2009
Governor Ted Strickland has proclaimed November 22nd through the 28th family week in Ohio recognizing that strong families are at the center of strong communities, additionally this Thursday is Thanksgiving. Many of us are blessed to have many things including our recovery to be thankful for; unfortunately there are many families in Ohio that are not as fortunate. Ohio’s economy is in very rough shape with an unemployment rate of 10.5%, and with social services having received continued cuts over the past couple of years many Ohio families are suffering. So this week I ask anyone who has the ability do to so to lend a helping hand to a family in need. If you don’t know of a family in need you can still help; give to your local food bank, the Salvation Army, a local halfway house or residential facility, or call your local United Way they often know of those in need. Let’s help Ohio’s families stay strong and healthy and give what we can!
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Posted in CEO Minutes |
November 20th, 2009
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has released the results of their 2009 Depression Survey. The online survey measured the responses of the general public who don’t know anyone with depression, caregivers of adults diagnosed with depression, and adults living with depression. The survey found that 71% of the general public said that they were not familiar with depression, but 68% or more knew of specific consequences of not receiving treatment for depression. According to the survey, nearly 60% of people who are living with depression rely on their primary care physicians for treatment instead of mental health professionals. Of the caregivers that responded to the survey, almost half reported that they themselves has been diagnosed with depression, but only about 25% were engaged in treatment.
For more information about this survey, please visit: www.nami.org/ Template.cfm?Section=press_room&template=/ContentManagement/ ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=89008.
Tags: Depression, diagnosed, NAMI, responses, survey
Posted in Up to the Minute |
November 19th, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee has yet to unveil how they propose to fill the $851 million hole in the current state biennial budget. After a series of delayed start times yesterday and today, the Finance Committee has abandoned the practice of posting a new time and simply said that it will reconvene “at the will of the Chair.” A great deal of activity has brought us to this point. Late last week, additional cuts to behavioral health and other programs were feared when word circulated around the Statehouse that the Senate may propose cuts instead of agreeing to a delay in personal income tax cuts as proposed by the Governor and passed by the House in HB 318. It appears that intensive lobbying by advocacy groups and press releases from business interests such as the Ohio Business Roundtable encouraging adoption of the delay in income tax cuts may have had an impact on the direction of Senate deliberations. Today, media outlets reported that Senate Republicans were trying to get support from Senate Democrats for a proposal that would partially delay the personal income tax cuts, incorporate casino licensing fees, add revenues by providing for oil and gas drilling in a state park, and take money from the Housing Trust Fund. However, Senator Dale Miller (D-Cleveland), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said no deal. Therefore, the Senate’s proposal to fill the budget hole remains unknown at this point.
Tags: democrats, finance committee, Ohio, politics, Senate
Posted in Up to the Minute |
November 16th, 2009
We have learned that Senate Republicans will be putting together their response to HB 318 over the next few days. As you know, Senate President Harris has stated he is not in favor of rolling back the Income Tax cut, so Senate Republicans are looking at where they can cut to get the money to fill the budget hole left with the loss of funding from racetrack casinos.
It is also our understanding that Senate Republicans have taken several things off the table for cuts i.e. Education, Medicaid, DRC, Higher Ed, ETC. We have also been told that they have not taken cuts to ODMH or ODADAS off the table.
We need to gear up our advocacy ASAP and contact the Senate Republicans and in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS MAKE IT CLEAR THAT NEITHER ODADAS NOR ODMH CAN INCURE ANY ADDITIONAL CUTS. Ohioans deserve access to life saving behavioral health services!
To make things a little easier I have listed all of the Republican Senators and their email address and phone numbers.
Have a great week!
REPUBLICAN SENATORS
Cheri
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Tags: advocacy
Posted in CEO Minutes |
November 13th, 2009
 SAMHSA, part of the Department of Health and Human Services The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), along with representatives of nationally recognized prevention, health professional and child advocacy organizations are launching Maximizing Your Role as a Teen Influencer: What You Can Do to Help Prevent Teen Prescription Drug Abuse. SAMHSA’s 2002 through 2008 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health have shown that the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use among youth has declined, but during this time many teens have begun misusing prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are misused more by teens than any other illicit drug except marijuana. Experts find that teens are using prescription drugs not just for recreational use, but to help lower stress and anxiety, boost their mood, stay up all night studying, or to enhance academic or athletic performance. According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health more than 1 in 10 teens have abused prescription drugs in their lifetime, and every day 2,700 teens abuse a prescription drug for the first time. The campaign is an online resource offering information about teen prescription drug abuse and strategies to help prevent it.
For more information, please visit: www.talkaboutrx.org.
Tags: Drug, Misuse, NCPIE, prevention, Rx, SAMSHA, teen
Posted in Up to the Minute |
November 12th, 2009
 Last Friday, President Obama signed a bill into law extending unemployment benefits from up to 79 weeks to up to 99 weeks. The bill was signed the same day that the national unemployment rate was announced as 10.2%, the highest in 26 years. This bill will extend unemployment benefits to people that would run out of benefits by the end of this year, according to Senate estimates, nearly two million people.
To read this article in its entirety, please visit: money.cnn.com/2009/11/05/news/economy/Extending_unemployment_benefits/ index.htm?postversion=2009110612.
Tags: benfits, bill, Obama, sign, unemployment
Posted in Up to the Minute |
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