Governor Mike DeWine joined RecoveryOhio and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) to announce funding awards totaling more than $13 million to help communities throughout Ohio continue the fight against opioid addiction and prevent overdose deaths. These State Opioid Response (SOR) 2.0 grants come at a time when many communities are seeing increased demand for behavioral health services amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The awards include $147,428.20 to St. Vincent Charity Medical Center’s addiction treatment center, Rosary Hall, which has been at the forefront of treating drug dependency for nearly 70 years – treating more than 100,000 individuals with the compassionate care that is the hallmark of the hospital.

“This funding strengthens our work with community partners to support Northeast Ohioans in need and on their recovery journeys, especially as we work through the impact of the pandemic on the mental health and substance use treatment needs,” said Michael J. Biscaro, Psy.D., ABPP, chief of behavioral health at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center. “At Rosary Hall, this includes collaboratively hiring a systems navigator in partnership with Catholic Charities, as well as adding more Peer Recovery Support Specialists to our staff.”

In total, the state agency announced a total of 57 awards, including nearly $4.9 million to 36 community organizations under the “Use of Community Partners” program, and $8.3 million to 21 recipients of the “Use of Innovation” program.

“While the pandemic has rightfully been front and center in everyone’s minds, the opioid epidemic hasn’t gone away – it persists as a threat to our citizens and our communities,” said OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss. “This funding will help our local partners connect even more Ohioans to treatment and recovery services and support their use of new technology and innovation to stem the tide of opioid addiction.”

The ‘Use of Community Partners’ funding initiative seeks to strengthen Ohio’s integrated behavioral health system by closing gaps in the local continuum of care. Funding under this planned investment supports traditional and nontraditional community partners such as faith-based and minority organizations to engage more effectively with vulnerable, harder to reach Ohioans in services to support long-term community recovery.

The ‘Use of Innovation’ funds, meanwhile, will support technology and innovation advancements in Ohio’s behavioral health care delivery system. Examples include the use of digital cafes and expanded telehealth service provision and increasing access to Smartphone applications designed to support individuals in recovery.

Note: Click here to see the complete list of awards.

About Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center

Rosary Hall was founded in 1952 by Sister Ignatia Gavin, CSA, who worked in collaboration with Dr. Robert Smith after he co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12-step principles of which still serve as the foundation of care at Rosary Hall. Rosary Hall’s innovative efforts continue to be fueled by compassion and decades of proven experience in treating thousands of men and women for substance use disorder.

Treatment options and solutions are individually tailored to support each patient as they work toward a life not defined by substance abuse. Treatments include medical evaluations and ongoing assessments, medical stabilization and acute care detoxification (27-bed inpatient detoxification and assessment unit), outpatient treatment (OP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), partial hospitalization program (PHP), individual counseling, aftercare, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), case-managed transition into community and support networks, family education programs, adjunct therapies, transportation and civil legal assistance.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a new patient of Rosary Hall, please complete this quick online form or call 216-363-2580.