Ohio Disaster Response Project

Background/Purpose

The 2019 Memorial Day tornado outbreak in and around Dayton, Ohio saw an unprecedented 18 tornadoes touch down over a 2-hour time period. The three Ohio counties impacted by the tornadoes, Montgomery, Greene, and Miami, were declared disaster areas by FEMA, and the damage was estimated to be over $1 billion. The trauma experienced by families in this region is significant and ongoing. These same families were further traumatized by a mass shooting in Dayton that same year and by COVID-19 in early 2020. These combined stresses resulted in a regional spike in mental health disorder diagnoses in 2019 for both children and adults. In 2020, OMHAS received ODRP funding from SAMHSA to address the behavioral health needs of youth and adults impacted by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes. OMHAS distributed the funding to the Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board (MCADAMHS), the Mental Health Recovery Board of Clark, Greene & Madison Counties (MHRB), and the Tri-County Board of Recovery & Mental Health Services who oversee and fund behavioral health services in the counties impacted by the tornadoes. SARDI was subcontracted by MCADAMHS to provide all data collection training, program evaluation activities, gift card incentive management and distribution, and reporting for the ODRP project.

Goals

The goal of the ODRP project is to develop and employ a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health services to help children, families, and the entire communities impacted by the 2019 tornadoes thrive. The project aims to expand and enhance the following behavioral services:

  • Behavioral health training for healthcare professionals and community members.
  • Screening and referral services (i.e SBIRT) in schools and organizations affected by the tornadoes.
  • Substance abuse and intensive mental health treatment for youth and adults.
  • Outreach efforts including mobile treatment services.

To help ODRP reach its goals, SARDI is responsible for the following training and evaluation services:

  • Conducting SAMHSA mandated Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) data collection training and technical assistance for all providers receiving funding.
  • Distributing and managing gift card incentives for clients participating in the GPRA data collection.
  • Entering GPRA data into SAMHSA's data collection and reporting system.
  • Conducting weekly monitoring of data to ensure validity and integrity.
  • Providing monthly and quarterly reports to assess the impact of services on children and families residing in the three counties impacted by the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes.

Grant Type

Evaluation

Funded By

Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services Board (MCADAMHS)

Principal Investigator

Nicole Kinzeler, Ph.D.

Primary Contact

nicole.kinzeler@wright.edu

Partner Agencies