Substance abuse plan makes 75 proposals
Gov. Mike Dewine said the budget plan he will unveil Friday will call for more services for Ohioans with mental health and substance abuse issues, addressing what he sees as “the state’s public health crisis.”
“We have to focus a lot on prevention, and we’re making a serious effort in this budget to deal with prevention. You got to look at short-term, short-term is more money for crisis situations.
“It’s the biggest complaint we get as we travel around the state is the people who have a health crisis, people who have an addiction crisis, they need help now, and so putting more resources in diagnosing the problem, getting them initial help, you’ll see that in our budget. You’ll also see a significant amount of money in prevention, starting in kindergarten,” Dewine said.
The governor’s remarks came at a news conference Thursday to release a report from his Recoveryohio Advisory Group that includes 75 recommendations for addressing such issues as stigma, prevention, treatment and support services, and law enforcement. However, the recommendations did not come with a price tag.
“About 13 Ohioans die each day from unintentional drug overdoses; approximately five people tragically each day take their own lives,” Dewine said.
The “recommendations in this report will serve as a framework for the next four years in our administration.”
In one of his first acts after taking office in January, Dewine created the Governor’s Recoveryohio Initiative, placing one person — Alisha Nelson — in his administration
in charge of coordinating the state’s anti-drug effort.
He also appointed a 30-member Recoveryohio Advisory Group to advise the governor’s office. The panel included former Gov. Ted Strickland, retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and government representatives, educators and advocates.
Among the recommendations: create a loan repayment program to address the shortage of mental health professionals; create prevention education standards for students in kindergarten through 12th grade; increase availability of naloxone, an overdose-reversing medication; expand transitional housing, quick-response teams and other crisis services; support housing, employment and other supports for those in recovery; and provide more alternatives to incarceration through specialty courts and other programs.
“The actions
presented here today will literally save lives,” said Terry Russell, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio. “The area regarding kids stands out. Once and for all we will recognize the need to break the cycle of neglect in this most vulnerable population.”
Russell said the proposals also will save millions in tax dollars currently spent on law enforcement and emergency-room treatment.
“I’ve been working in this field for 35-plus years and I don’t ever remember seeing a statewide plan to move this issue forward. We’ve had bits and pieces but never something that looked at everything,” said Cheri Walter, executive director of the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities.
“This plan is not about bureacracy. This plan is about people.”