In January 2019, Governor Mike DeWine challenged the RecoveryOhio Advisory Council to develop recommendations that provides a summary of the current state of Ohio’s public health crisis and offers advice on the next steps needed to address it. Detailed in Executive Order 2019-08D, creating the Governor’s RecoveryOhio Advisory Council, the group’s recommendations should address:

• How the state could best provide high-quality prevention and early intervention programming in communities and schools;
• How to improve access to treatment services in Ohio for mental health and substance use disorders;
• Recovery support strategies as foundations for wellness, including -- but not limited to -- peer support, employment, and housing;
• Improving the quality of care provided for mental health and substance use disorders in the community and in health care and criminal justice settings;
• How to create efficiencies across systems among, for example, state psychiatric hospitals; private hospitals; criminal justice settings; treatment facilities; recovery support programs; and in businesses so that patients receive coordinated care and support that reduces duplication in service delivery and encourages quality care and outcomes;
• Providing service in a culturally competent way and addressing underserved populations including, but not limited to, the need for:
  • Acute care mental health services for youths;
  • Care that addresses the distinct needs of families impacted by mental illness and addiction;
  • Care that focuses on the unique needs of older adults;
  • Care that focuses on the unique needs of veterans.
• What critical outcomes can be measured to improve Ohio’s system of mental health and addiction services;
• How federal, state, and local resources can be better coordinated or redirected to meet the needs of Ohioans; and
• Considerations for the state budget.