Mental health experts applaud Ohio Gov. DeWine's attention to growing crisis

CINCINNATI (WKRC) – There's an extraordinary demand in Ohio for mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Governor Mike DeWine put a spotlight on the problem during his State of the State address.

“Despite our best efforts, it still is not enough,” Gov. DeWine said.

In the face of a growing national mental health crisis, Gov. DeWine made a vow to Ohioans that he's all in by emphasizing the state's need to make changes and improvements to treatment.

Diane Wright is a licensed social worker and vice president of quality management and compliance at Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services.

“We are grateful the governor is focusing on this, because it’s been a challenge for us for quite some time,” Wright said.

A number of challenges are clouding the profession, and it's creating an unprecedented demand.

“There is less stigma associated with reaching out for help,” she said.

It's a good challenge, but the behavioral health workforce can't keep up with the growing need.

It's hard to hire skilled and highly-trained professionals quickly.

“There might be less stigma related to asking for help, but I think, in some ways, there's still stigma about being someone who provides that help," said Wright.

It's an issue Gov. DeWine detailed in his address, along with others he wants to tackle.

He said the system isn’t broken, it just isn’t fully developed, and we are still building it.

Debbie Gingrich is the chief clinical officer with Best Point Education and Behavioral Health.

She says access to care is a big hurdle. Many people are put on waitlists.

“I think the other real barrier is insurance. What insurance do families have? What will it cover?” Gingrich said.

The experts think if a mental crisis isn't addressed early, the cost is greater when it's acknowledged later. In other words, prevention is key.

“I think the talk by Governor DeWine is backed by some action that we are currently seeing, but I still think we have more work to do,” said Gingrich.

Governor DeWine said he will lean on the legislature to make mental health a priority.

He did not provide many details on how any changes would be funded.