When the budget season began, I did not know what to expect. I have done extensive research and advocacy on various policy topics since joining Community Solutions, but this was going to be a new experience. The budget plays a HUGE role in supporting programs across the state and influences administrative structure in different state...
Author: Kyle Thompson (Kyle Thompson)
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Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services: Final budget overview
On July 5th, Governor Mike DeWine signed H.B.33 into law. The enacted version of H.B. 33 appropriates $1.2 billion in FY 2024 and $1.1 billion in FY 2025 for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), totaling $2.3 billion for the entire biennium. Approximately half (50.4%) of these funds come from the General...
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Department of Children and Youth Begins Planning; Announces New Director
Earlier this year, the DeWine administration announced in their state budget proposal a plan to create the Department of Children and Youth (DCY). The agency will combine several programs and resources from six agencies working in health and human services. With the recent passage of the state budget, the new Department is officially going to...
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An update on 988: What is the future of behavioral health crisis care?
On July 7th, 2023, Governor Mike DeWine gave a press conference discussing the 988 Lifeline. His press conference outlined significant changes that have occurred since the Lifeline number was federally changed last July. Previous work by Community Solutions has tracked the implementation of the 988 Lifeline number. With the conclusion of the state budget, the...
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Supreme Court ends a once-promising opportunity for debt relief and loan forgiveness
The Supreme Court has ruled against the Biden Administration’s student loan forgiveness plan. In a 6-3 decision on June 30th, the Supreme Court effectively ended any opportunity for debt relief that students could obtain through the intended loan forgiveness plan. For many borrowers, this news signifies the end of a once-promising opportunity for debt relief...
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Bots and Benefits: How is AI impacting Ohio public benefits programs?
In a previous blog exploring AI, we talked about the usage of AI tools in behavioral health, as well as funding in the state budget for digital therapeutics. While AI has significant application in performing serious tasks such as mental health treatment, there are also basic uses of AI that function on a lower level....
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Funding Changes in the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
On Wednesday, April 26th, the Ohio House passed House Bill 33, the state operating budget. The amendments made to the bill changed some of the as-introduced funding levels for the state budget. Within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS), several reductions were made to line items that have changed allocations for programs...
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Artificial Intelligence in Behavioral Health and Suicide Prevention: Opportunities, and Challenges
Throughout the past year, there has been a steady rise in interest in artificial intelligence (AI). The overall onset of AI technology has provided remarkable innovations in computation, completing a large variety of tasks at speeds that were once deemed impossible. With the recent explosion of AI technologies revolutionizing so many different industries at once,...
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ARPA in Cleveland: an update on the landscape
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law by the Biden Administration in 2021. This legislation is meant to address the negative economic and health effects that were caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here at Community Solutions, we have shared our policy asks related to ARPA and what we hope these funds will...
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Student loan forgiveness: pitfalls and opportunities
In our previous examination of student debt, we outlined extensive coverage of President Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan. A lot has happened since then, including an abrupt pause of the program. In the current student debt landscape, what has changed? Let’s review what’s happened since the pause, and what opportunities for student loan forgiveness might...
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