Blog Archives

Gambling Awareness Survey Seeks Input

2/23/2015

From OhioMHAS e-Update, February 2015:

Community leaders and the State of Ohio are watching the effects of 11 new casinos and racetrack gambling venues
in the state, along with all the other gambling available, such as lottery, bingo and sports betting. It is important that individuals and families know how to gamble responsibly and where to turn for help.

A group of behavioral health professionals and research scientists have collaborated on a brief survey to assess the current level of awareness related to gambling issues. The team is seeking your help in encouraging the general public (ages 18 and older) to respond to an anonymous, 10-question survey to help gauge current awareness of gambling issues. The survey will be live through March 13.

Please distribute to family members, community coalitions, board members, parents, faith and community groups, and encourage them to share the survey widely.

Registration Opens for 2015 CIT Academy

2/12/2015

Registration is now open for the 2015 Crisis Intervention Team Academy for Law Enforcement Professionals. Members of law enforcement departments in Darke, Miami and Shelby County are eligible to register for the free four-day training.

The CIT Academy is a nationally recognized program that teaches law enforcement safe and effective approaches to handling crisis incidents involving a mentally ill individual. The intensive 4-day training is conducted under the instructional supervision of local CIT-trained police officers, mental health professionals, consumers, and family advocates and will offer practical techniques for de-escalating crisis situations.

The 2015 Academy is the 10th annual class led by the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services. Through 2014, more than 170 law enforcement officers and professional staff in the Tri-County area have graduated from the CIT Academy. Class enrollment is capped at 20.

Companion courses to CIT are presented periodically for specialized audiences whose positions may put them at the intersection of the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. Registration is currently under way for one-day companion courses for Shelby County court, probation and parole personnel, and for emergency dispatchers. Both of those courses are in March, and have limited and specific audiences.

Other companion courses may be one-, two-, or three-day courses for behavioral health professionals to gain a better understanding of the law enforcement perspective, for teachers, or for other specialty audiences. The Tri-County Board makes the training available at no cost to the organizations. The free training is made possible with funds from the Tri-County Mental Health Levy, and by grants from NAMI Ohio.

For more information about the CIT Academy or Companion Courses, contact Brad Reed, Director of Community Resource Development, by email at ReedB@tcbmds.org, or by phone at 937-335-7727 ext 209. Information about the CIT Academy and Companion Courses can be found on the Tri-County Board's website, www.tcbmds.org, under the Community tab.

Youth Prevention Leaders Sharpen Skills

2/9/2015

Youth from Darke and Shelby Counties attended a Youth-Led Prevention workshop Saturday, Feb. 7 at Edison Community College in Piqua. Leading the training was Jim Ryan, an Ohio certified consultant and former director of Drug Free Action Alliance. The training was organized and sponsored by the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services. Youth teams attending represented We Are the Majority in Darke County, and the Big Buddies program in Shelby County. The training focused on techniques for engagement and effectiveness, and was free to the youth participants.

SafeHaven Plans 'Hope and Recovery Celebration' Fundraiser Event

2/4/2015

SafeHaven, Inc. is excited to announce our 2015 fundraiser event, “Hope and Recovery Celebration”, and you are invited! On Saturday, March 28, 2015, please join us at the Fort Piqua Plaza Banquet Center in Piqua, Ohio. The evening will consist of a delicious catered dinner, music from Amanda Livingston and Steven ‘Crash’ Worley, and fantastic silent auction items! Doors open at 5:30pm at 116 W. High St on the 4th floor.

Enjoy 6:30 meal options of

Beef Au Jus with Whipped Horseradish
Chicken Breast with Champagne Cream Sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans Almondine
Mixed Salad Greens with Cranberries, and Sugared Almonds
Ranch, Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Champagne Dressings
White, Wheat, and Cheese Rolls with Whipped Butter
Regular and Decaffeinated Coffee

Music from Amanda Livingston and Steven ‘Crash’ Worley will begin at 7:00, with silent auction item winners announced throughout the remainder of the evening. There will also be a cash bar in the 4th floor Banquet Center provided by Mulligan’s.

Tickets for the event can be purchased:

Via credit card at www.safehaveninc.com through the secure PayPal link
By calling 937-272-3446 from 9am to 5pm
By contacting Executive Director Douglas Metcalfe via email at safehavendouglas@woh.rr.com
At the door the day of the event via cash or credit card

Advance tickets are available for twenty-five dollars ($25), and tickets purchased at the door will be twenty-eight dollars ($28). Full-table discounts are available for one hundred-sixty dollars ($160) for eight tickets, a savings of forty dollars ($40). All proceeds benefit the SafeHaven mission to provide educational, social, and vocational support for the mentally ill.

SafeHaven will share updates on Facebook of all of the fantastic incoming silent auction items. Winning bids will be able to be paid through cash or credit card the night of the event.

About SafeHaven

Established in 1996, SafeHaven is a non-profit agency with locations in Greenville, Piqua, and Sidney serving adults in need of mental health support across Darke, Miami, & Shelby Counties. SafeHaven provides all services free to the Tri-County community, including daily transportation to and from our locations, providing access to our daily schedule of support groups, classes, activities, field trips, holiday parties, payee services, a daily meal, and much more. In addition, the agency offers a HOPE-Line telephone service - 937.451.3232 or toll-free 855.276.HOPE (855.276.4673) - for individuals who are isolated and alone or who need to discuss coping skills, problem-solving, or where to find help.

Last year again, SafeHaven tallied nearly 70,000 miles driven, nearly 10,000 meals served, and over 3,000 groups held, in providing impactful hope to over 100 individuals per day at our locations. Mental illness affects one in four individuals at some point in their lives, often with debilitating symptoms, suffering, broken lives, and sometimes even suicide. On behalf of all those we care for, thank you for helping us provide hope and real impact. We look forward to seeing you March 28, 2015 at the Fort Piqua Plaza Banquet Center to celebrate the differences we’ve made together and to help support this great cause into the future.

Dr. Phillip Hash Joins Recovery and Wellness Centers as CMO

2/3/2015

Dr. Phillip Hash joins the staff of Recovery and Wellness Centers of Ohio as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Phillip A.K. Hash, DO, PhD, will join the staff of Recovery and Wellness Centers of Midwest Ohio as Chief Medical Officer full time March 16. He began part time Jan. 27.

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, primary goals will include enhancing timely, high quality care at RWC, significantly reducing wait times, and providing families more rapid access to improve care and decreasing the burden on our community partners such as local emergency rooms.

With training in child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Hash will help close the gap in specialized behavioral health care for children and adolescents in Darke and Miami counties. Cynthia Cook, Executive Director of the Recovery and Wellness Centers, said Dr. Hash's "style and knowledge in child/adolescent/family issues is something that is much needed in our communities."

Cook continued: "Darke County, in particular, has not had a child specialist in several years as these specialists are few and far between. Now we will have child/adolescent specific physician services as well as our other ongoing services for this population, which include therapy and community psychiatric support services in both Darke and Miami counties."

Dr. Hash said there is a critical need for child and adolescent behavioral health care. "There's a shortage anywhere you go," he said. "We want to make sure kids are in the right kind of care. Primary care physicians provide about 50 percent of mental health treatment, but write about 75 percent of anti-psychotic medications. Kids are not tiny adults. Their bodies and brains are in growth mode."

Dr. Hash continued: "If we see a medical need, we want to treat it appropriately. We want to be very conservative and prescribe very responsibly. Medications are part of the solution, but the real value is with therapists and family counselors. That's part of my attraction to the specialty."

In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hash will oversee medical operations, prescribing practices, scheduling and personnel. Recovery and Wellness "has a high no-show and cancellation rate. We want to turn that around," he said. "We want to increase capacity without spending more. There are plenty of examples out there that we can apply here."

In addition to practicing in university, community, inpatient, and outpatient settings, Dr. Hash also has private practice experience. He has also worked diligently to identify new areas in which technology can be applied for the benefit of patients and their families in the community mental health settings. This includes founding a telemedicine program in Northwest Ohio with almost 3500 telemedicine encounters, increasing access to care for families in a seven-county area.

Dr. Hash is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CAP) and Adult Psychiatry. He completed his CAP Fellowship at the University of Kentucky and his adult residency training at Henry Ford Health System. Further, he served as Chief Resident in both training programs.

Dr. Hash is a graduate of the Pikeville (Ky.) College School of Osteopathic Medicine. He also holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering (Human Factors) from the University of Central Florida. Prior to starting his career as a physician, Dr. Hash served as an officer in the United States Air Force. His assignments included a stint at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

Gambling Awareness Survey Seeks Input

Registration Opens for 2015 CIT Academy

Youth Prevention Leaders Sharpen Skills

SafeHaven Plans 'Hope and Recovery Celebration' Fundraiser Event

Dr. Phillip Hash Joins Recovery and Wellness Centers as CMO

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