FUNDING OHIO’S LOCAL
ALCOHOL, DRUG ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMS

 If you have ever wondered how Ohio’s local alcohol, drug addiction and mental health systems of care are funded, let me tell you that it is a collection of funding sources, federal (Medicaid, federal block grants, and some discretionary funds), state General Revenue and Special Revenue Funds and local  levy funds.  Local levies fund by far the largest portion of non-Medicaid eligible services, and the treatment for individuals with no form of insurance (Medicaid, Private, employer provided etc.) or ability to pay. In Ohio, local communities provided over $360 million dollars in local funding to provide prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery support services to Ohioans in need of alcohol, drug addiction and/or mental health services. For the most part ($358 million) these local funds are generated by way of local levies. 45 of Ohio’s 53 Boards receive funding through local levies, representing 74 of Ohio’s 88 Counties.

 This coming November Ohio has 11 behavioral health levies on the ballot. Of these 11 levies, 3 are new levies in counties that do not presently have levies, 7 are renewals, meaning there is no change in the amount or taxes a home owner will need to pay, and one is a replacement levy, which means it will be collected at the most recent rate of valuation. Over the next 5 weeks prior to the November 8^th general election, I will be highlighting the counties and levies on the ballot. Voting for behavioral health levies makes good sense as we know that:

Treatment Works – People Recover,

Recovering People Work;

And working people pay taxes.

Have a great week!

Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer

September 19 -25, 2011

As a part of National Recovery Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has declared September 17-23, 2011 the first ever National Wellness Week. We know that people with mental and substance use disorders die decades earlier than the general population, and that through the integration of physical and behavioral healthcare this disparity can be reduced. Recovery from addiction and mental illness is no longer just being clean and sober, and/or controlling the mental impact of mental illness. It is about overall wellness, contentment and enjoyment in all of life’s activities.  Please join SAMHSA’s National Wellness Week and encourage individuals in recovery from addiction and/or mental illness to find ways to improve their overall wellness.

To learn more about National Wellness Week and the Eight Dimensions of Wellness go to   Eight Dimensions of Wellness.

Also don’t forget about Ohio’s Rally for Recovery this Sunday, September 25^th from     1:00 PM – 5:00 PM at University Hospital East –Talbot Hall in Columbus.

Have a great week!

Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer

Lately, a lot of focus has been on the integration of physical and behavioral health. Several provisions within the federal health care reform act encourage integration within medical homes, health homes for individuals with chronic conditions, bi-directional colocation of care and other integrated models.  In Ohio, the Departments of Health, Mental Health, and Job and Family Services are also in the process of developing integrated care models. The latest report on integration came out last week from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with a focus on integrating mental health prevention and promotion efforts within public health programs. The “Public Health Action Plan to Integrate Mental Health Promotion and Mental Illness Prevention and Chronic Disease, 2011-2015″ highlights the importance of mental health promotion and mental illness prevention in a public health context. To read this report, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/

This is an exciting time for the behavioral health field as we continue to recognize the impact of behavioral health conditions on overall health and wellness and work to develop programs that focus on whole person care.

Have a great week!

Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer