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- calendar_today November 6, 2026
Partnership Supports Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Solutions
The Ohio Education Research Center (OERC) at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University have joined forces with the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health to bolster the state’s behavioral health system. Their collaboration focuses on ensuring behavioral health professionals have better tools to identify research-supported prevention and early intervention strategies.
Centralized Online Resource for Program Selection
The resulting initiative is the Ohio Registry for Prevention and Early Intervention Programs, an online platform that serves as a publicly accessible, central resource. The registry is designed to guide state and local leaders, providers, and community organizations in selecting behavioral health programs that fit the unique needs of their populations while meeting well-established standards of evidence. Every program featured in the registry has demonstrated positive outcomes supported by research.
Evaluation of Programs and Capacity Building
Central to this work is the assessment of both nationally recognized and Ohio-originated programs. Jessica Collura, senior research associate at OERC and lead on the project, highlights the importance of evaluating home-grown Ohio programs for potential inclusion. "A core part of this work is evaluating home-grown programs in Ohio so they can be elevated and included in the registry," she explained.
The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health has provided over $1 million to OERC and the College of Social Work to both develop and maintain the registry and to promote capacity building in the wider behavioral health field.
Improving Outcomes Through Prevention and Early Intervention
Tia Marcel Moretti, director of the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health, emphasized the preventive power of the registry. “By helping communities identify programs that work, we can support individuals and families earlier—often preventing more serious behavioral health needs down the road.” Moretti noted the registry ensures Ohioans have access to proven prevention and early intervention services and supports ongoing quality improvement and innovation across the state.
Connecting Practice with Evidence and Policy
Cindy Clouner, managing director of the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery, underscored the benefit of a centralized resource for professionals. She stated that such a resource helps bridge the gap between practice and evidence, supporting sound program selection and effective implementation. Clouner co-leads the project with Collura.
Tasha Perdue, Glenn College assistant professor and project advisory committee member, pointed out that the registry not only informs researchers about supported interventions but also identifies gaps in services for particular communities. Researchers with new interventions can submit work for evaluation and potential inclusion in the registry, thereby enhancing the field’s collective knowledge base.
Building Transparency, Accountability, and Innovation
Perdue stressed the importance of evidence-based programming in maximizing the impact of limited resources—a key concern for nonprofit organizations and service providers. Implementing evidence-based approaches helps ensure accountability and transparency and keeps interventions aligned with established public health guidelines and best practices. The Ohio Registry is positioned to strengthen the behavioral health system by fostering quality improvement, guiding decision-makers, and ultimately benefiting communities across Ohio.
Source: news.osu.edu.
