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September 2024
Newsletter
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During National Recovery Month, Ohio START is celebrating the achievements of those in recovery and highlighting the value of support networks, treatment options, and resilience in the journey to recovery.
“Recovery is about progress, not perfection.”
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Ottawa County Achieves Certification | |
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Congratulations to Ottawa County for achieving certification in the national START model! The Ottawa START team spent the last several months completing the certification process, which included a self-assessment, gathering supporting documentation, parent interviews, and staff and community focus groups. Achieving certification shows that Ottawa County is serving START families with model fidelity. This is important because we know that adherence to model fidelity leads to better outcomes for families, while keeping child safety a priority. Certification also demonstrates strong community systems collaboration in serving families affected by substance use disorder.
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From the Field: County Highlights | |
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Ashtabula
Ashtabula welcomes new Family Peer Mentor Nicole “Nikki” Orsulic.
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Union
Union welcomes new Family Peer Mentor Michaela Smith.
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Gallia
Gallia County's START hiring practices recieved praise for being more efficient and fair than traditional peer hiring.
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Ohio Celebrates National Recovery Month | |
September marks National Recovery Month. During National Recovery Month, START teams across the state are celebrating the journey of individuals who have overcome addiction, highlighting the importance of substance use treatment and mental health support. | |
New Podcast Shares Uplifting Stories | |
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PCSAO Director of Strategic Initiatives Mike Kenney, Brown County START Caseworker Ashley Roy and Summer who was successful in Ohio START joined Bob Friend, the director of the National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness, for their Let’s Have a Conversation podcast. This podcast highlights the relationships in Ohio START and working together to build trust and shared goals.
Listen to the full podcast HERE.
Check out 3,000 Good Things is a new podcast that offers listeners the opportunity to relax and enjoy uplifting stories about good things happening with child welfare frontline staff across Ohio. .In this first episode, listeners learn how a front porch and two cups of coffee transformed a relationship between an overwhelmed mother and a brand new caseworker. The podcast is available on Spotify at 3,000 Good Things.
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Ohio START Success Stories | |
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Lucas County Success Story
A Lucas County dyad described a heartfelt success this month as a mom that is rebuilding a relationship with her mother, her children's grandmother. The children's grandmother had custody of one of the children and was estranged from the mom due to SUD. When the mom was able to engage in services and enter into early recovery, the grandmother agreed to allow visitation with the child in her custody. Because of the improvements in their relationship, the grandmother is now advocating for the mom regarding her other children.
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Share your success story to be featured in the next newsletter here.
Nominate an Ohio START staff member to be spotlighted here.
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Save the Date for the 2025 Ohio START Summit
Did you know there are dates for next year's Ohio START Summit? The summit will be held May 13-14, 2025 in Lewis Center. We hope to see you there!
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Ohio START Job Postings
Do you have an open Ohio START position? Please send the details of your open positions to christine@pcsao.org to post on the Ohio START website.
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Alumni Support Group
Ohio START graduates are invited to participate in an Ohio START Alumni Group to connect with fellow alumni and celebrate successes. See the flyer to learn more. Email cartson@pcsao.org for more information.
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National START Family Mentor Affinity Group | Sept. 11, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
Mark your calendars for the next convening of the inter-state affinity group for START family mentors. This role-specific peer learning opportunity is designed for networking, shared learning, and quality improvement planning while building a nationwide community of practice to support improved outcomes for children and families affected by parental substance use disorders. The topic for this meeting is engaging families through communication, collaboration, and culturally competent strategies. Register here.
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New Mobile Application for Ohio’s Peer Recovery Supporters
Ohio Peer Recovery Organizations (OhioPRO) announced the launch of the new mobile application for Ohio’s certified peer recovery supporters. This project, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), was first developed by OhioPRO’s Peer Advisory Group in 2022. The group championed to create an online community that serves as a safe space for peer recovery supporters to share ideas, resources, events, and encouragement with one another. Learn more here.
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Recovery Month Toolkit
September is National Recovery Month. To help spread awareness, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released its 2024 National Recovery Month Toolkit. The toolkit offers various assets, such as social media posts and shareable graphics, that will help communities and organizations raise awareness about the information and resources SAMHSA offers to support people with mental health and substance use conditions in their journey to recovery. OhioMHAS and RecoveryOhio also partnered to release an Ohio-specific toolkit. Click here to view and download resources.
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FASD Prevention Hub
The Ohio Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Steering Committee launched a dedicated website featuring sharable resources that raise awareness about preventing and identifying FASD. The FASD Prevention Hub includes a downloadable toolkit, peer support directory, focus group testimonials, social media sharables, training videos, reports, and more.
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Women's Treatment and FAD Symposium
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will host this year's Women’s Treatment and FASD Symposium on Sept. 19 as part of the state’s FASD Awareness and Prevention month in September. Register here by Sept. 9.
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Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center Issues Warning on Dangerous Drug Mixtures
The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) released a public safety bulletin alerting Ohioans to an increasing number of illicit drug samples found to contain mixtures of powerful drugs that can cause overdoses and/or skin wounds. ONIC reported that drug testing labs across Ohio recorded an eight-fold increase in drug samples containing mixtures of “tranq-dope” (opioids and sedatives) and more than double the number of samples containing mixtures of “benzo-dope” (opioids and benzodiazepines) between 2021 and 2023 as compared to the three years prior. These drug mixtures have been identified in several forms, including counterfeit pills, powder, and rocks.
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Self-Paced Lessons to Expand Peer Recovery Supporter Skills in Rural Ohio
"Self-Paced Lessons to Expand Peer Recovery Supporter Skills in Rural Ohio" is a self-paced online program developed in collaboration between the Weitzman Institute and OhioMHAS. Learners will gain valuable insights, complete practical challenge tasks, and have the opportunity to earn digital badges, all while fitting the training into their busy schedules. Additionally, downloadable infographic posters are included with each lesson to share with peers, colleagues, and the community. Learn more and register here.
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Learning Community Discussions 2024 Schedule
Here are the 2024 dates for Learning Community Calls for caseworkers, supervisors, administrators, behavioral health workers, and family peer mentors. Please note that future dates are subject to change.
Caseworkers
Calls will occur on the third Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. Here is the Zoom link. Calls will be based on county size, divided into the following three groups: Metro/Large, Medium, and Small.
- Metro/Large call: Oct. 16
- Medium: Nov. 20
- Small: Sept. 18, Dec. 18
Supervisors
Calls will occur bi-monthly on the third Thursday of the month from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. The dates are as follows: Sept. 19. Here is the Zoom link.
Behavioral health workers
Calls will occur quarterly on the third Thursday of the month from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. The dates are as follows: Oct. 17. Here is the Zoom link.
Family peer mentors
Calls will occur monthly on the last Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The dates are as follows: Sept. 25, Oct. 30, and Nov. 27. Here is the Zoom link.
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Visit the training calendar below to register | |
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Motivational Interviewing: An Introduction Training (part 1 of 2)
Sept. 6 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
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Trauma Informed Family Engagement: Understanding the impact of implicit bias and structural racism
Sept. 18 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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Supervisor Professional Learning Community
Sept. 19 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
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Foundations 4: START Child Welfare Practices (9/23 & 9/24)
Sept. 23 & 24 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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Motivational Interviewing: Beyond the Basics Training (part 2 of 2)
Sept. 30 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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Ohio START is a program of PCSAO and an affiliate of the National START Model
Our Mission: We approach Substance Use Disorders with compassion, understanding and hope for recovery. We work as a team, supporting and holding each other accountable. We believe in family, love, equity, and redemption.
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