Ohio seeking providers for expanded mobile response services for youth

Ohio wants to make mobile response services for youth in mental health crisis available for all children and people under age 21 in Ohio. However, the service currently is only available in about half of the state's 88 counties, the Dayton Daily News reported on Aug. 9. The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) is requesting proposals from agencies that would like to be regional providers of mobile response and stabilization services. “OhioMHAS is seeking to establish contracts with providers in 18 identified regions, with the aim of broadening the service's coverage to include the full state. OhioMHAS will award up to $12 million to eligible providers to provide Mobile Response and Stabilization Services coverage.” These mobile response services are for youths under age 21 who are experiencing significant behavioral or emotional distress, OhioMHAS said. Other 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 said she believes an expansion of these services in Ohio will be beneficial. “If we can help divert youth from adult emergency departments and allow them to be evaluated in their home or school, this improves access and allows youth to be evaluated by clinicians that specialize in youth mental health crisis evaluations,” Blankenship said. OhioMHAS anticipates the new regional model to be implemented by January 2025.