ODVN Health Access Project Summary

ODVN’s Health Access Project, funded through the Office on Criminal Justice Services’ Family Violence Prevention and Services Act funding has four main components: CARE mobile advocacy, mobile health services, the CARE Connection, and the Substance Use and Mental Health Program, and the Brain Injury Program.

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The CARE Connection

The Care Connection, a response to the long-standing problem survivors face accessing behavioral health services, provides tele-therapy services to survivors in need of immediate mental health support. Providers participating in the CARE Connection directory connect with survivors within 2 business days to provide short-term (5-10 session), voluntary therapy services until survivors can get connected to longer-term support from local providers. The providers have been trained by ODVN on the CARE framework as well as domestic violence, brain injury, and working with vulnerable and marginalized populations. 

For more information on the CARE Connection please contact ODVN’s Health Access Project Coordinator Cheniece Wilson (cheniecew@odvn.org).

Substance Use and Mental Health

ODVN’s Mental Health and Substance Use Program Director, Cheryl Stahl, a licensed practitioner, provides support to ODVN’s network of 76 members. She is providing more intensive services to the seven mobile advocacy subrecipients.  Programs receive four core trainings, and on-site training and technical assistance as requested. ODVN is building relationships with treatment centers in those communities and providing training and other support to help the treatment centers build capacity to address domestic violence. The project director created three tools to help advocates work with substance-using survivors:  

• a Recovery Readiness Questionnaire
• Safer Use Plan
• Recovery Safety Plan 

The project provides training in SMART Recovery, an evidence-informed approach to overcoming addictive behaviors and leading a balanced life. Staff at participating programs receive training in the facilitation of SMART recovery groups, with the goal of having onsite support group options.  

ODVN also has a funded partnership with THRIVE Peer Recovery Services, which will provide peer support services to survivors working with 3 mobile advocacy project partners beginning in 2024.  

ODVN is a Project DAWN provider and certified to distribute naloxone to all our member programs. ODVN is also a source for fentanyl test strips and other harm reduction strategies. 

For more information on ODVN’s Substance Use and Mental Health programs please contact ODVN’s Substance Use and Mental Health Program Director, Cheryl Stahl (cheryls@odvn.org).

Brain Injury Program

ODVN’s founder of The Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury, Rachel Ramirez, and ODVN’s Health and Disability Project Coordinator, Kasey Holderbaum, provide brain injury training and technical assistance/support to both mobile advocacy and mobile health partners, as well as assisting with referrals to medical partners and the Ohio Brain Injury Connection.  Rachel co-chairs the Brain Injury from Violence CARE Alliance along with staff at the Ohio State University.  The group consists of over 40 organizations working together to better understand and address brain injury from violence.  Multiple members of ODVN’s Health Access team participate in the alliance.  

For more information on ODVN’s Brain Injury programs please contact ODVN’s Founder of the Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury, Rachel Ramirez (rachelr@odvn.org) or ODVN’s Health and Disability Project Coordinator, Kasey Holderbaum (kaseyh@odvn.org).

Health Access Documents

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CARE Health Access Project
ODVN Health Access Project Summary