Ohio plans to expand mobile youth mental health crisis response to all 88 counties

Ohio wants to make mobile response services for youth in mental health crisis available for all children and people under the age of 21 in Ohio — a service only available in about half of Ohio's 88 counties (Source: “State to expand mobile response service for youth in crisis; seeks providers,” Dayton Daily News, Aug. 9).
 
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is requesting proposals from agencies that would like to be regional providers of mobile response and stabilization services. Up to $12 million in funding is available for eligible providers of one the 18 established regions, OhioMHAS said.
 
Gov. Mike DeWine, in his 2024 State of the State address, said mobile response services should be made available statewide. These services for youth experiencing significant behavioral or emotional distress are currently only available in 47 Ohio counties.
 
Others states have been able to divert pediatric emergency department behavioral health visits with the use of mobile response stabilization services, said Dr. Kelly Blankenship, associate chief medical officer of behavioral health at Dayton Children’s Hospital, who believes an expansion of those services in Ohio would be beneficial.