Content Working Groups
Several Content Working Groups (CWGs) were established as a result of the Transformation State Incentive Grant. These multi-agency groups carry out the grant's charge to develop strategic plans and oversee implementation of those plans. The groups also develop and guide ongoing implementation of the Comprehensive Mental Health Plan (CMHP).
Access to Better Care (ABC)
Internal Lead: Kay Rietz
The ABC CWG strives to build the capacity for addressing children and family behavioral health needs in an integrated way across the developmental spectrum and the many settings where children need or receive care, including in their home, schools, child welfare, juvenile justice and community-based environments.
Childhood Trauma
Internal Lead: Carrol Hernandez
The Childhood Trauma Group focuses on addressing the impact that serious traumatic experiences can have on children over their lifespan and to help infuse trauma-informed care principles and practices into all child-serving systems, including the mental health system.
Diversion and Reentry
Internal Lead: Tereasa Moorman-Jamison
The mission of the Diversion and Reentry CWG is to reduce the number of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system through diversion, treatment and reentry strategies.
Homeless and Housing
Internal Lead: Jeannette Welsh
Under the lieutenant governor, the Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing is charged with creating a plan to both prevent and end homelessness. The council’s policy team is responsible for devising the short and long-term goals and strategies for the plan. Six work groups were formed: Chronic Homelessness, Family Homelessness, ACCESS to Housing, Mainstream Resources, Systems Transition and Research and Planning. Through increased collaboration and coordination, the council aims to improve the availability of homeless and housing resources, improve discharge planning for people leaving state institutions and hospitals, improve planning for youth leaving foster care, further the state’s work around Olmstead planning and eliminate barriers to mainstream resources.
Older Ohioans
Internal Lead: Liz Gitter
The Older Ohioans CWG is Ohio’s coordinating hub for older adults’ mental health and substance issues and information needs. It addresses the behavioral health needs of older adults and aims to reduce abuse and trauma-related issues across multiple systems. Its major priorities for SFY 2008 are to: 1) sustain and enhance a robust, cross-system collaboration at the state and local level for behavioral health care for older adults, 2) promote physical and behavioral health care integration for older adults and 3) eliminate stigma associated with mental illness and addiction disease among older adults.
Employment
Internal Lead: Amy Price
The Employment CWG is a diverse group of consumers, family members and other key stakeholders working together to promote job opportunities for people affected by serious mental illness. Research evidence strongly supports the critical impact that employment plays in promoting recovery. The Employment CWG will recommend approaches that support good employment outcomes through the accelerated adoption of best employment practices and the key linkages required for their implementation.
Prevention
Internal Lead: Kris Washington
The mission of the Prevention CWG is to develop a model for providing prevention practices in mental health consistent with Ohio’s Shared Agency Prevention Framework and the President’s New Freedom Commission recommendations. Its charge is to identify and establish mental health prevention practices, goals, guidelines and potential funding/resources; create a state-level process for reviewing local and state outcomes; and create prevention implementation guidelines that are applicable to county boards, local agencies and cross-systems prevention services providers.
Cultural Competence
Internal Lead: Jamoya Cox
This CWG supports the development and implementation of cultural competence strategies and actions steps already incorporated into the Comprehensive Mental Health Plan.
Public Mental Health System
Internal Lead: Don Anderson
This CWG will develop strategies to create or improve infrastructure within the public mental health system, such as financing, workforce, technology.