The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journal and published on News5Cleveland.com under a content-sharing agreement.The expenditures are divided into two tranches, according to documents provided by the Office of Budget and Management.
According to a fact sheet OBM provided, 2.4 million Ohioans live in communities with a shortage of mental health professionals, 21% of the state’s residents have a mental health or substance-use disorder, and demand for behavioral health services increased 353% between 2013 and 2019 while the number of mental health professionals rose by just 174%.
One tranche of $90 million in new mental health funds will be dedicated to “mental health crisis infrastructure expansion initiatives.” The one-time spending will go to:
About time.