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Governor Mike DeWine and The Ohio State University Introduce the SOAR Study on Ohio Mental Illness

Client Alert

On January 19, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and The Ohio State University announced a new research initiative, the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (“SOAR”) study, which will investigate all factors influencing Ohio’s mental illness and addiction epidemic. SOAR will focus on Ohio families across generations to:

  • Identify factors or risks that lead to persistent distress, mental illness, substance abuse, use disorders, or overdose,
  • Understand how exposure to such risks impacts one’s behavior, biology, and brain function,
  • Identify patterns of intergenerational transferal of illnesses, and
  • Discover methods to promote resilience allowing one to face adversity.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine will collaborate with a number of Ohio universities to lead the study. Bowling Green State University, Case Western/ University Hospital-Cleveland, Central State University, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, among others, will join Ohio State in the study.

Beginning its initiative, the SOAR study will start with two paralleled projects. First, under the SOAR Wellness Survey, as many as 15,000 Ohioans will be surveyed to collect information on social and psychological makeup, life experiences, and the participants’ mental health. Second, the SOAR Brain Health Study will examine about 3,000 Ohio families to study biological, psychological, and social factors to determine who does well facing adversity, and who does not.

Over the past decade, Ohio has witnessed a rise in mental illness and drug overdose, which has been heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidencing the state’s attempt to improve these issues, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has funded the SOAR study with an initial $20 million grant.

In performing extensive analysis on Ohio individuals, families, and multiple generations, SOAR study researchers hope these findings lead to “new strategies” that support resilience and enable families to “break the chain” of mental illness and substance abuse.

If you have questions about the content of this Client Alert, please contact BMD Healthcare Member Daphne Kackloudis at dlkackloudis@bmdllc.com.


Recent Litigation Challenges the Affordable Care Act Preventive Services Requirement

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been met with numerous legal challenges. The most recent legal challenge, Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra, could affect millions of people covered by private health insurance.

340C – Prospective Legislation to Protect Federally Qualified Health Centers

Advocates for Community Health (ACH), an organization created to implement policy and advocacy initiatives for health care systems across the United States, has begun drafting legislation that is geared towards protecting Federally Qualified Health Centers (“FQHCs”) enrolled in the 340B Program, which is being dubbed “340C.”

Getting Paid to Vote

Can you get paid to vote? Election Day is upon us and employees across the country are asking whether they can get paid to vote. Essentially, can they take paid leave of a few hours to go to the polling location to cast their vote in a midterm election or presidential election. Well, it depends on the state where the employee works.

BMD Makes 2023 U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Firms" Edition

Best Law Firms 2023

EEOC’s New “Know Your Rights” Poster to Replace “EEO is the Law” Poster

Under federal law, covered employers are required to post a notice in the workplace describing federal antidiscrimination laws. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) prepares the mandatory posters summarizing antidiscrimination laws and explaining how employees and applicants can file a complaint if they believe they have experienced job discrimination. On October 19, 2022, the EEOC released a new poster: “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal,” replacing the “EEO is the Law” poster. Employers must now use the poster captioned as “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal – Revised 10/20/22.” Employers may be reprimanded for failure to appropriately and compliantly post the updated poster.