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Ohio’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Has Responded To Nearly 340,000 Contacts in Two Years

Two years after its debut, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a proven safety net for thousands of Ohioans each month who face emotional distress or thoughts of suicide.

“988 is saving lives,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “The lifeline is providing free, around-the-clock support to Ohioans in crisis by connecting them with someone to talk to for help at the moment it’s needed most. I am proud of the impact 988 has made in two short years and we fully intend to continue building on that momentum moving forward.”

Since its launch on July 16, 2022, the service has grown steadily. In that time, Ohio’s 19 call centers – the most of any state in the nation – have responded to nearly 340,000 calls, texts, and chats: an average of more than 14,000 contacts each month.

Ohio 988’s average speed-to-answer rate is 25 seconds, compared to 36 seconds nationally, and since its launch, the average amount of calls rolling over to the national 988 network is just 2%, reflecting a workforce capacity that allows the vast majority of calls from Ohioans to be answered in-state, by individuals with knowledge of local resources that can make a difference in a crisis.

988 By the Numbers

Anyone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis – or their family members – can call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to reach a trained specialist who can offer assistance.

Reasons to call 988 include, but are not limited to: thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, financial and relationship struggles, and any other kinds of serious emotional distress.

“988 is confidential and functions as a crucial gateway to crisis support within our communities,” said Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Director LeeAnne Cornyn. “Our hope is that reaching out to 988 in a behavioral health crisis becomes as natural to Ohioans as dialing 911 in other types of emergencies.”

Slightly more than one-third of Ohioans (36%) currently express familiarity with the service, compared to just 17% nationally. To further boost visibility of the service, OhioMHAS launched a statewide, multimedia awareness campaign in May. This effort included the introduction of the Ohio988 Materials Generator, which allows anyone in Ohio – including schools, local governments, faith-based organizations, neighborhood groups, emergency response agencies, and individuals – to create customized posters, videos, social media posts, and more materials promoting the service and how it can help people.

Communities and organizations throughout Ohio are conducting additional efforts to help promote visibility and awareness of 988. Some examples include:

  • The Huron County Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services has collaborated with six law enforcement agencies in the county – the Huron County Sheriff’s Office, Norwalk Police Department, Williard Police Department, Wakeman Police Department, New London Police Department, and Greenwich Police Department, as well as the Huron County Department of Job and Family Services and the Huron County EMA – to add 988 decals to their vehicles. To date, 79 decals have been purchased by the board and have been added to the vehicles.
  • The City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities designed and installed more than a dozen signs promoting 988 at strategic public access locations throughout the city – including the Hoover and O’Shaughnessy dams where incidents of suicide have occurred over the past decade. The department also hosted two crisis intervention trainings for its water protection specialist (Ranger) staff, so they are better equipped to offer resources and support to reservoir visitors who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
  • This past May, Heidelberg University rented three billboards in Seneca County near their campus to boost awareness of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline among students and their families. The billboards were strategically placed so that students and their families would see them when they are traveling to and from campus. The current billboards will remain in place through August, and then two new billboards will be created that will remain in place through December. University officials say plans are underway to create new billboard messages that will run from January through June 2025.
  • In the Mahoning Valley, Help Network of Northeast Ohio (which responds to 988 calls from Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, and Ashtabula counties) unveiled a Western Reserve Transit Authority bus featuring an 18.5-foot-by-8-foot “Hope in Motion” banner publicizing the 988 Lifeline. The Mahoning County Mental Health & Recovery Board, meanwhile, has partnered with Mahoning County Public HealthDirection Home of Eastern Ohio (formerly the Area Agency on Aging 11), and the Mahoning County LOSS Team to share suicide prevention resources targeting older adults, including 988 informational flyers distributed with food provided through the Meals on Wheels program.

988 Awareness

Above photos available for download here.

As 988 enters its third year of service, state mental health leaders are encouraging even more local communities and organizations to get involved.

“Any person or organization that puts effort toward building awareness about 988 is helping save lives,” said Doug Jackson, Ohio’s 988 Administrator. “The life you save may be a friend, a loved one, or someone in your community. You may never know that you helped to save that life, but together, we can be certain that we are offering hope to those that need to talk to someone.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or visit 988Lifeline.org for 24/7, confidential support.

You can also learn more at mha.ohio.gov/988.

 

Federal Marijuana Reform: Effects and Echoes of Rescheduling - August 7

After decades-long efforts by advocates and researchers, President Biden announced in October 2022 that he instructed “the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to initiate the administrative process to review expeditiously how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.” In May 2024, the Attorney General submitted a notice of proposed rulemaking to the Federal Register, initiating a formal rulemaking process to consider the reclassification of marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). While the rulemaking process timeline has some uncertainties, many expect a final rescheduling rule could appear as soon as September or October 2024.

But what would such a move mean for modern marijuana laws, policies, and practices? Could medical marijuana products be prescribed by doctors and sold in pharmacies nationwide? Would changes in federal laws dramatically impact current medical and recreational industries operating under disparate state systems? And would placement in schedule III make a meaningful difference in the operation of criminal justice systems, especially for people with marijuana-related criminal convictions at the federal or state level?

Join the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center and a panel of experts for a discussion on the legal implications of marijuana’s status as a controlled substance and the potential impact of federal rescheduling.

Panelists:
John Hudak, Director of the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy
Robert Mikos, LaRoche Family Chair in Law, Vanderbilt University Law School 
Fatima Afia, Attorney, Rudick Law Group, PLLC
Shane Pennington, Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP 

Moderator:
Cat Packer, Distinguished Cannabis Policy Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Drug Enforcement and Policy Center and Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation at Drug Policy Alliance

Click here to register!

 

Anonymous Survey Asking Ohio Farmers About Their Stress, Mental Health

The Ohio Farm Bureau, Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University created a survey for farmers and other agriculture workers to voice their stressors and access help. The survey is available online until the end of July.

Ty Higgins, spokesman for the Ohio Farm Bureau, said the survey is looking at three main points. “This survey is looking at what the stressors are in Ohio agriculture, how farmers and farm workers and agribusiness professionals are dealing, coping with those stresses and then where the resources are and where they aren't,” he said. Higgins said he hopes this project will help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the agriculture community and bring awareness to help that’s available. About 1.5% of U.S. society is involved in agriculture according to Higgins. That can make farmers feel more isolated in their mental health needs. The project started with the creation of Got Your Back Ohio in 2019 which offers Ohioans working in agriculture help and resources during stressful times. The Ohio survey opened nine months ago and will remain open through July. Results will be presented in September at the Farm Science Review.

 

Local Police, Courts Overwhelmed with Youth Group Homes as Kids from Across Ohio Sent Here

More than a third of group homes where kids from across Ohio are sent by the state because of delinquency or they are victims of abuse or neglect are now located in Montgomery County, putting a strain on local courts and emergency services and raising concerns about the health and safety of children housed there, a Dayton Daily News investigation found.

The city of Dayton has more than twice as many group homes as Hamilton County, which has the second most group homes in the state, behind Montgomery County. These are group homes licensed by the Ohio Department of Children & Youth where kids and teens are placed, usually by children services agencies, according to state data and officials.

Dayton officials say the city is looking at zoning changes to try to better regulate these kinds of residential facilities and try to avoid further concentration and oversaturation. The city also may impose some new requirements on them.

Some group home providers and staff say they are struggling to deal with kids who reside in their facilities who have complex problems and significant trauma. Providers say by law they have to call police when their kids run away or go missing or they risk losing their licenses.

 

SAMHSA Finalized Take-Home Methadone Flexibilities, But Challenges to Access Persist

As fentanyl proliferates the illicit drug market and opioid-related overdoses surge, access to the life-saving medication methadone is more critical than ever.

Efforts to increase access to take-home methadone have paid off, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) cemented COVID-era flexibilities earlier this year.

For substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers involved with methadone prescribing, SAMHSA’s final rule simplified processes and extended significant benefits for patients. Still, pain points remain for this segment of the SUD industry.

Methadone can reduce opioid cravings and sustain recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD). Patients are required to receive the medication under a clinician’s supervision, but daily visits to OTPs can profoundly impact a patient’s life by making achieving employment difficult, for example. Older patients or those with limited mobility can also struggle to attend in-person visits. SAMHSA’s final rule enabled OTPs to provide more personalized care, including the removal of length-of-treatment guidelines for take-home methadone.

 
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