NEOMED to host SOAR Regional Partner Summit
NEOMED will host the State of Ohio Adversity and Resiliency (SOAR) project’s Northeast Ohio Regional Partner Summit on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
SOAR is a multi-institutional collaboration among researchers working to understand and improve behavioral health outcomes. The SOAR project includes two research components: a wellness survey focused on mental health of Ohioans; and a Brain Health Study, in which researchers are learning about how brain, nervous system and immune system functioning affect mental health.
NEOMED Department of Psychiatry faculty members Drs. Stacey Barrenger and Natalie Bonfine are involved with the SOAR project and serve on the planning team for the upcoming Partner Summit. Dr. Marc Basson, dean of the NEOMED College of Medicine, will be providing welcoming remarks to the SOAR Partners.
The Partner Summit will engage SOAR Partners and stakeholders in a discussion about mental health and substance use treatment needs among people in Northeast Ohio. A panel of local service providers and administrators, law enforcement, clergy and people with lived experience navigating the mental health and substance use systems will present. Each panelist will share their experiences working to improve mental health and substance use needs of people in Northeast Ohio. Topics of discussion will include trauma, suicide, resiliency, youth mental health and other key issues that affect the mental health and well-being of people living in this region of the state.
The SOAR program is a groundbreaking research initiative focused on understanding the root causes of mental health conditions. Key points include:
- Multi-generational Study: SOAR aims to uncover the biological, psychological, and social patterns related to mental health, similar to how we understand heart disease.
- Comprehensive Research of two main studies:
- Wellness Discovery Survey: Collects data from 15,000 Ohioans across all 88 counties to understand their mental health state and related factors.
- Brain Health Study: Involves in-person visits with 1,200 families to gather detailed information about brain function, biological health and social environment.
- Global Impact: The findings from SOAR are expected to improve mental health care not only in Ohio but also nationwide and globally.
- Support and Funding: The program is supported by Gov. Mike DeWine, the Ohio Legislature and Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) and aims to reverse the trajectory of deaths related to mental health conditions within a decade.
The goal of SOAR is to bridge the gap between understanding and treatment of mental health issues, providing a playbook for prevention and resilience.