Bringing More Behavioral Health Prevention to Schools
In June, more than 160 people attended the Safe and Healthy Schools Summit in Columbus. This opportunity was provided as part of the Safe Schools, Healthy Students (SSHS) federal grant administered by Ohio.
The event, hosted by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), Ohio Department of Education (ODE), and PreventionFIRST! (PF!), provided school staff and behavioral health professionals from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana the opportunity to share successes and lessons learned from the SSHS grant.
Topics covered included:
• Ways to incorporate the PAX-Good Behavior Game and/or the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework into local schools
• Information on school-based, comprehensive substance abuse prevention programs
• How to partner with National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) on services and advocacy for parents and children diagnosed with mental or emotional disorders
• Updates on ODE’s school safety laws
• How to implement multi-ethnic competency around behavioral health