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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.


Lessons Learned: Five Tips for Buying or Selling a Practice

If you are anticipating buying or selling a practice during the coming months, you are not alone. The healthcare industry is experiencing a wave of integration. In fact, it has been occurring for several years. Many transactional healthcare attorneys have negotiated and closed dozens of these transactions for clients. They have negotiated on behalf of the sellers in some cases and the buyers in others.

Ramping Up – A Quick Guide to Pressing COVID-19 Employment Law Issues

As the country continues to grapple with a global pandemic that now seems to be never-ending, businesses everywhere are waking up to realize that the calming of the COVID-19 employment issues over the summer has come to an end. As cases rise exponentially in all 50 states as we head into the winter months, the number of employment issues related to COVID-19 will also increase dramatically. For these reasons, it is important that we return to the employment law basics that were covered this prior spring, while highlighting the many lessons we have learned along the way. As COVID-19 matters and concerns continue to hinder the working environment of every business, it is important that you reference this review to guide you through these tough issues and questions.

Your Workplace Under Biden

This is my favorite recurring post – Predictions of How a New Administration Will Affect Your Workplace. Four years ago, we accurately called the emasculation of the 2016 proposed FLSA Overtime Rules (the salary exemption threshold was set at $35,568 in 2019, rather than $47,476 as proposed), we forecasted a conservative shift of the NLRB and its results (a roll-back of employee rights, social media policy evaluations, and joint employer rules), and we nailed the likelihood of multiple conservative appointments to the United States Supreme Court and its long-term effects (although I completely failed to predict that my ND classmate Amy Coney Barrett would fill the final vacancy during the Trump administration). This time, the L+E Practice of BMD has decided to make it a group effort at predicting what will happen, what probably happen, and what might happen under President Biden. As always, please save this in your important files and pull it out four (or eight) years from now to judge our accuracy.

HHS Provider Relief Funds Reporting Requirements: Important Updates Every Provider Should Know

HHS continues to revise its reporting requirements for the use of the Provider Relief Funds. Providers with more than $10,000 in Provider Relief Fund payments must report on the use of the funds through December 31, 2020. The reporting window will begin on January 15, 2021 and providers must complete reporting obligations for FY 2020 by February 15, 2021 through a portal designed by HHS. However, providers that have unexpended funds as of December 31, 2020, will have an additional 6 months to use the remaining funds through June 30, 2021. These providers must submit a second and final report no later than July 31, 2021.

Should I Apply for Phase 3 Funds? Important Considerations Every Provider Should Know

On October 1, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) announced an additional $20 billion in new funding for providers through a Phase 3 distribution. Importantly, providers that previously received HHS Provider Relief Funds or already received payments of approximately 2% of annual revenue from patient care are eligible to apply. Eligible providers have until November 6, 2020 to apply for these Phase 3 Funds. However, the question from providers continues to be: Should I Apply for Phase 3 Funds?