New Day Ohio Conference
May 4, 2006

Presentations

Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Director, Ohio Department of Mental Health, and Ohio’s Mental Health Strategic Advisory Committee brought together over 450 stakeholders to kick off the state’s mental health transformation effort during a conference at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus on May 4.

Ohio was one of seven states to receive a Transformation State Incentive Grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2005. The grant will help Ohio develop a comprehensive statewide mental health plan, approved by the Governor, to improve mental health supports. To assist in communicating and gaining support for this work, Ohio’s Strategic Advisory Committee has created a Web site, www.anewdayohio.org, and created a number of materials to help consumers of mental health services, their families, advocates, mental health professionals and others learn more about transforming Ohio’s mental health system.

The conference launches five years of work mental health stakeholders will participate in to create a system that ensures that all Ohioans with mental illness can live, work, learn and participate fully in their communities. Attendees included consumers and families, advocates, state agency officials, local behavioral health boards, service providers, faith-based agencies, schools and universities, and social service agencies.

Presenters at the conference included:
• Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Director, Ohio Department of Mental Health
• Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, Ohio Supreme Court
• Kathryn Power, M.Ed., Director, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA
• Gloria Boseman, R.N., Ph.D., Chairperson, Department of Nursing, New Jersey City University
• Susan T. Zelman, Ph.D., Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ohio Department of Education
• Merle Grace Kearns, Director, Ohio Department of Aging
• Thomas J. Stickrath, Director, Ohio Department of Youth Services
• Terry Collins, Acting Director, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
• Judy Wortham Wood, Deputy Director, ODMH Transformation State Incentive Grant
• Consumer and Family Advocates

The Strategic Advisory Committee is a diverse group of mental health system representatives who are guiding transformation within the ODMH-funded system. Membership includes the Ohio Department of Mental Health, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Ohio, Ohio Advocates for Mental Health, Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, Ohio’s Clinical Quality Council, Ohio Community Support Council, Ohio Council of Behavioral Healthcare Providers, and the Ohio Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.