Ohio Department of Mental Health Projects
Kathy Paxton, Director
Behavioral Health & Education Initiatives
Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Children and Youth
For more than eight years, the Center for Learning Excellence has supported the Ohio Department of Mental Health’s efforts to improve and expand school-based mental health services throughout Ohio. In 2000, the Center helped ODMH establish and lead the Ohio Mental Health Network for School Success, which works through its member agencies to enhance regional efforts to improve and expand mental health services. In addition, the Center has partnered with ODMH, the Ohio Department of Education, and the Ohio Resource Network at the University of Cincinnati in a project to foster better school/community partnerships to address the mental health needs of children and youth. Since July of 2005, the Center has worked with ODMH to support Ohio’s Access to Better Care (ABC) Initiative. The Center has also helped county Mental Health and Drug and Alcohol Boards develop system transformation plans to improve access to mental health services within their counties. The Center is also working with ODMH and the Ohio Department of Health to determine the impact of early childhood mental health assessments used in the Help Me Grow Program, and to establish data links between multiple cross-agency projects.
In 2006, the Center was awarded a contract to assist ODMH in developing a strategic mental health-specific prevention plan to be implemented at both the state and local levels in coordination with Ohio’s Transformation State Incentive Grant. The collective work of the mental health initiatives has resulted in better services for children and youth in their schools and communities. The findings of the prevention planning process have been incorporated into a guidance document which will be released upon agency approval.
ODMH provided additional funding to the Center in 2007 to evaluate the progress of the ODMH funded Alternative Education Mental Health Services from 2001-2006 and to provide individualized technical assistance and professional training for those grantees. This project facilitated improved policiy and programming guidance for best practices for children’s mental health and wellness for students identified to be at-risk resulting in providers implementing and consumers participating in evidence based practices technical Assistance and training.
Currently (2008), ODMH and the Center are partnering to improve Ohio’s Mental Health Care System by increasing the accountability, efficiency and sustainability of local programming by:
- Increasing the knowledge of providers and partners by disseminating program tools and providing trainings that support best practices in mental health programs and services to Alternative Education Challenge Grant Programs.
- Developing a formal evaluation process to facilitate improved policy and programming guidance for best practices for children’s mental health and wellness for students identified to be at-risk
Downloadable Support Documents
Sponsor: Ohio Department of Mental Health
