Other Behavioral Health Projects

Kathy Paxton, Director
Behavioral Health & Education Initiatives

Unlike many states that focus on work solely within service silos, the Center for Learning Excellence and its committed state partners promote a sustainable approach that focuses on collective voice, system integration, and the utilization of existing resources. Behavioral Health Initiatives include any projects related to substance abuse and mental health prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services.

Interagency Prevention Partnership

In 2003, Ohio established a State Steering Committee convening representatives from the Governor’s Office of Family and Children First and the Cabinet Departments of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Education, Health, Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Youth Services as well as the Department of Public Safety, the Office of the Attorney General and the Drug Enforcement Agency. In May 2004, the steering committee became the Interagency Prevention Partnership (IPP) to reflect the commitment of the member agencies to continue the work of building infrastructure and capacity in Ohio’s prevention system. The partnership was charged to provide recommendations to the Governor for a “Shared State Prevention Framework” that would establish constants for prevention that would provide for greater consistency and coordination of state resources in meeting community prevention and early intervention needs. The Committee used existing prevention systems as a foundation to work towards a more cohesive and collaborative system that coordinates and maximizes resources.

The Interagency Prevention Partnership speaks with one voice through many voices to support the efficient and effective delivery of evidence-based prevention policies, practices, strategies and programs throughout Ohio. The Center for Learning Excellence serves as support staff for the state agencies and Ohio’s Family and Children First representatives and as a liason between the IPP and Ohio’s Expert Prevention Panel

Downloadable Support Documents

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

Expert Prevention Panel

Ohio’s Expert Prevention Panel (EPP) is made up of experts and epidemiologists from seven Ohio universities and the Ohio Department of Health and staff from the Central Center for Application of Prevention Technologies (CCAPT). The Expert Prevention Panel serves as Ohio’s State Epidemiological Outcome Workgroup (SEOW) and guides the development of state and county-level epidemiological profiles. The EPP provides technical oversight and expertise regarding assessment, research and evaluation. These seven universities (University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, University of Cincinnati, Miami University, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, and Wright State University) serve a diverse population of students from every race and ethnicity represented in Ohio’s population.

The Center for Learning Excellence provided consultation to the EPP in exploring the feasibility of administering a Multi-Agency Supported Youth Survey by preparing literature reviews, multi-state data protocols, costs analysis of collecting web based data and continues to provide direct consultation to counties engaged in the pilot survey process

Downloadable Support Documents

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

Prevention Workforce Development

The Center for Learning Excellence provided technical assistance and facilitation for the Ohio Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Workforce Development Taskforce. The team consisting of a cross section of prevention professionals engaged in a formal planning process between January and December, 2006. The purpose of this planning process was to create a meaningful, evolving plan to serve as a guide to Ohio’s alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention workforce over the next three to five years.Members of the Taskforce reviewed a variety of data and applied their considerable expertise to identify key issues and develop formal recommendations designed to enhance the capacity of the prevention workforce in Ohio. A final recommendation report was completed by Center staff and used for statewide planning.

Downloadable Support Documents

  • Enhancing the the Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction Prevention Workforce in Ohio

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

Treatment Workforce Development

The Center for Learning Excellence assisted in the facilitation and development of recommendations to support workforce development related to the provision of treatment services for alcohol and other drug users in Ohio. The treatment workforce development plan included an assessment of the current status of the treatment workforce in Ohio and the development of a vision statement for the future development of that workforce. In addition, the treatment workforce development plan included recommendations for achieving the stated vision over a three to five year time-frame and short term outcomes that might be achieved over a 12-18 month time-frame. Center staff hosted and facilitated all meetings and used tools and procedures associated with the Partnerships for Success planning process.

Downloadable Support Documents

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

Statewide Adolescent Coordination Project

The purpose of State Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Coordination grant, a SAMHSA Infrastructure Award, is to build capacity in states to provide effective, accessible, and affordable substance abuse treatment for youth and their families. Grants provided funding to support a staff position at the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of adolescent substance abuse treatment state-wide and for implementing a state process to assess, facilitate, and coordinate ongoing, self-sustaining cross-system planning for effective adolescent substance abuse treatment.

The Center for Learning Excellence provided technical assistance to the Statewide Adolescent Coordination (SAC) Project by identifying key stakeholders to participate in the planning process, hosting meetings and summits, and facilitating a planning process and outcome-based work plan to encourage results.

Sponsor: Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services

Red Flags

The Center for Learning Excellence provided assistance to the Mental Health Association of Summit County in identifying key stakeholders, providing logistical considerations and facilitating a strategic planning process for the Red Flags Project.

Red Flags, developed by the Mental Health America of Summit County (MHASC), Ohio, was created in response to the wave of school violence and shootings that had taken place across the country. The Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) asked that a program be developed that focused on adolescent depression, an often-unrecognized crisis facing many young people. Suicide, resulting from untreated depression, is the leading cause of death among young people ages 15-24. An education subcommittee of the Mental Health Association of Summit County went to work to develop a school-based program to address this critical issue.

A central component of the Red Flags program is the video called “Claire’s Story.” In an attempt to help her adolescent daughter tell the story of her struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide, Claire’s mother, Penny Frese, co-wrote with Claire, and produced the video to educate others about this mental health threat. That video, along with other program materials for students, teachers and parents, was developed to provide Red Flags participants with an understanding of the symptoms, the illness, and the available resources for recognizing and treating depression in adolescents.

To help combat depression and reduce the risk of suicide among middle school age students, the MHASC in conjunction with ODMH, distributes the Red Flags program material, free of charge, to middle schools across the state that are looking for a prevention program to educate their school community. To date, over 300,000 students in the state of Ohio have participated in Red Flags training. The program has also been used in a number of other states and it is being piloted in others

Downloadable Support Documents

Sponsor: Mental Health of America of Summit County