Voices For Suicide Prevention
Voices For Suicide Prevention
Beyond Politics: Finding Common Ground in Ohio's Suicide Prevention
The looming deadline for Ohio's budget, which Governor Mike DeWine must sign by June 30th at midnight, creates an urgent backdrop for critical conversations about mental health funding. As pandemic-era federal dollars disappear from community pipelines, state lawmakers face increasingly difficult decisions about which programs to fund and which to scale back.
State Representative Jodi Salvo, a Republican, and State Senator Casey Weinstein, a Democrat, offer candid perspectives regarding budget challenges. Their shared commitment to the mental well-being of their constituents provides hope that even after facing economic constraints, Ohio can continue building on recent progress in suicide prevention and mental health support.
Welcome to another episode of Voices for Suicide Prevention. As we like to say, our conversations are real talk, real honest, real life. I'm Rachel Tilson.
Speaker 2:And I'm Scott Light. So our OSPF office is located just a stone's throw from the State House, and boy, that place is absolutely cranking. Right now it's a budget year, as a lot of people know, governor DeWine unveiled his budget priorities in early February. So right now, budget hearings, testimony all that that's begun in the House. Then it'll be the Senate's turn. After that and, rachel, you know this as well Governor has to sign the budget by June 30th at midnight.
Speaker 1:We are so honored to have a couple of lawmakers join us for this episode. Our first guest is state representative and vice chair. Is that correct? It is Of the House of Children and Human Services Representative, Jody Salvo, from District 51. Welcome to this episode.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I'm glad to be here, it's good to have you here.
Speaker 2:There are a lot of. Let's start out broad and then we'll get into some specifics. We are hearing here from a lot of folks. We talked to a lot of folks here from our perch at OSPF. A lot of state lawmakers are calling this a tough budget year. Help us, representative, to understand why.
Speaker 3:Okay, first of all, just let you know I am a brand new legislator so I've kind of walked into this beginning in January. So it does feel like you're drinking from a fire hose. I can't even tell you how quick this is moving and trying to figure out the Ohio budget. But I definitely think this is a challenging year and, as we all know, we're still just off the back of the pandemic. So for the last four years I think a lot of us, across every services and program Great, great opportunities just to develop needed programming here in the state of Ohio and I know that even I was a director of a prevention department back in my home district and you know we were certainly creating programming and I think because of that funding that was coming into communities, with the removal or the stopping of those funds, I think there's just a lot of competition for services and programmings because we have limited dollars at this point. So you're making tough decisions on what can you expand and what might need to be cut back a little bit.
Speaker 2:So it's difficult. Yeah, I heard the mayor of Cincinnati talking and he said hey, listen, once all these federal dollars are out of our pipeline, we're going to have to make some hard choices and I think a lot of cities and towns are facing that.
Speaker 3:Well, and being on youth and human services, I had the opportunity to hear hundreds of testimonies of wonderful work that's happening across Ohio. You know, from job and family services, programming, mental health, behavioral health, whatever that might be, there's a lot of good work being done to best practices, to fidelity. But then you have to step back and say do these programs hit all of Ohio? So if there was a lot of funding maybe concentrated in one area and we had the funding to support that, you're looking to say, okay, do we have enough of these services and programs in rural?
Speaker 1:Ohio. So to your point all of Ohio. Does it affect all of Ohio? What is your 30,000 foot view of our state's overall mental health?
Speaker 3:right now really dealing with challenging times with behavioral health, and I'm going to say I think that goes back to the pandemic. We went through a period of time where we were in isolation, we were not connected and sometimes and I say this with hesitancy, I think as we're coming out we swung from one end of the pendulum to the other. So you know, when I worked with young people prior to the pandemic man, we were taxing them out everywhere. You know from over-programming in schools and you need to get the best grades and you need to be involved in every activity at the school district. And then, of course, for the pandemic, and we needed to focus on mental health. We needed to speak about anxiety and depression and some of those areas. So I think we also went a little far on even defining what is normal challenges that we face to what is a mental health crisis. So I think some of that swing in the pendulum I think we're still trying to figure out.
Speaker 3:You know where a medium balance is and you know inflation at this point and you know we came through, we're going through, a really tumultuous political time. I think there's just so many things still coming at our communities and we're still not quite back to normal as far as and we see that in our communities it's much more difficult to get people to come to learn. And I'll go back to schools, like prior, if we had an issue that was rising in a school, maybe it was suicide. I'm just trying to think of different topics that normally we could raise awareness, we could get people out, we could have town halls, we could have conversations, and I find that that looks a little more challenging, at least in the district I live. So I think it's getting people back to the table on how do we do community together. So I think we're still working a little bit in isolation, which I think does impact some of this mental health stuff. And when you look at inflation, you look at cost of living, you look at behavioral health, workforce challenges.
Speaker 2:I mean, we do not have enough workers. That's right.
Speaker 3:I think that's also adding to this crisis that the need is great because of the environment we're in right now and yet we have trouble accessing the services. So I will let you know from the legislature we're really looking at that and they have been committed to this over the last couple of years. How do we get more people into the mental health field? How do we increase capacity? How do we invest in workforce? Because it's hard. Um, you absolutely see higher intensity needs for young people.
Speaker 3:Um so you know, even though we might see fewer kids in foster care right now, the amount of need is just much greater than we've ever seen. So, 30,000 foot view, there's just a lot going on, and I think there's a lot of commitment, there's a lot of passion, there's a lot of attention to investing in prevention, investing in treatment, but I think we're still in a rough place right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you mentioned your community. What are you hearing from your constituents on their needs?
Speaker 3:One of them is that access to care. I mean we can have great programs and we have great organizations but it can take you five to six weeks to get in to see, to even be seen or screened. So I mean that's difficult. I mean, even if we have someone go through an ER, we still might not be able to get them to see someone right away. So and then you know, when you look at job and family services, the need, the level of care for our young people is high. So that's a concern on communities and I know I'm here with the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
Speaker 3:Death by suicide is very high in my district. So I applaud the efforts that have been going on in Ohio and we have seen a 1% decrease overall in Ohio on suicide. But it's very interesting, in my district we've actually seen an 18% increase in death by suicide. But let me tell you what the demographics is 100% of our deaths have been males. All but two have been 40 and over. So you know we just started a suicide death review board, so we're just now starting to dig into that. But me just kind of looking at the situation, you can't not say well, stigma is always going to be that thing that we're really working to diminish or to decrease. But you know, you do have to think about just our financial situation, the costs, and I think of men. I think often, you know, men bear that weight of you know I got to take care of my family.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right, I'm a provider.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I know, the other day I went into the grocery store and I went to buy meat and I actually gasped I'm like. But when you think, if you live in a rural community, transportation's an issue, cost of living is high, so I think some of those stigma is still a big concern.
Speaker 3:Access to care is a big concern. So I would say for my community that might be some of the work. And again, high intensive needs of our kids and we struggle with childcare options. We struggle with foster care placement, foster care homes, residential placements they're not in our rural communities. So a lot of that, I think, plays out in my district because we are a little bit more rural. So access and care. I think really contributes to a mental health crisis.
Speaker 1:You know, the statistic that 80% of our suicides are middle-aged men in Ohio still rings true. And just hearing that in your specific district, the the statistic of them all being middle-aged white men are just, it never gets easier to hear it. Just, it's a gut punch.
Speaker 3:Every time it never gets easier to hear it's a gut punch every time and that one's hard as a legislator because I know we fiercely need to protect and help our young people, and then when you get into limited resources, where do you place them?
Speaker 3:It's much easier to advocate for that young person and I really there's a passion on my heart to make sure we understand, you know, death by suicide mental health challenges is across the entire continuum and if we do not have healthy mouths, fathers, grandfathers, that are able to have conversations that can get to a place that you know sometimes that seeking help is the harder thing to do, it is, but it's certainly an effective thing to do and it models it for young people. You know, and I think if you know our men are healthy. It also can help, you know, with that family structure and a community structure. It also can help with that family structure and a community structure. So I will be a voice to make sure that we're very mindful of all the needs that we have, especially around mental health in our state.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, to the credit of lawmakers like you and Governor DeWine, Ohio has upped mental health resources statewide, with the special emphasis on reaching our rural friends, families and neighbors. Are you worried that some of those resources could be cut in this budget?
Speaker 3:Speaking to my colleagues, I think we all get this as a priority and people might come to this issue from a whole bunch of different angles, but we can talk to all those different perspectives Right now. Now there's a big push in Ohio to make sure that we have a workforce. I mean, we have so much great things happening in Ohio. We have a chamber of commerce that is doing an amazing job. We have legislators that are making sure that this is such a work-friendly state, but we need workers. So I think for people that are coming from that business perspective to say, look, we need to invest in mental health services so we have a healthy, viable workforce. So there's some people that that language can kind of help understand, and there's a lot of us. I mean, you do not run for office if you do not care about your communities period.
Speaker 3:So we can't run for office, we can't live in our communities without seeing the need. So it's very apparent when you're in your communities that these are issues we have to deal with. So I do think it's a priority issue. I think you know we're not going to cut if we don't have to, but we're a state with a balanced budget and I'm glad we have that. Our decisions have to be made, but you know I really respect Andrea White, who's the chair of Youth and Human Services. We have the Medicaid committee. A lot of us are just making sure. You know, part of government is to take care of our disadvantaged population. So I would say we're doing the best we can to be very mindful of the needs in our communities.
Speaker 2:You mentioned the chamber. The chamber hosted us, in fact, the week that we're doing this recording here, so just a couple of days ago, for one of our campaigns here at OSPF and it's called Lifeside Ohio. Lifeside Ohio is largely a campaign by firearms owners, for firearms owners, to talk about lethal means safety, to talk about mental health and suicide prevention. And we reach out to veterans groups, police, fire first responders, so public safety and to retailers. We've got just tremendous firearms retail partners all across the state, Great partners, Great partners, and there are a lot of gun owners all over Ohio, but also in your district.
Speaker 3:So first of all I love the work of LifeSite Ohio Absolutely and I'm from a rural community so just absolutely love that work. And where I think it is so special is a lot of times you get into some of the behavioral health spaces. And I'll say in my community we have a large prevention coalition but it might be weighted more female and when you're tackling some of those issues in a gun-owning community, I mean gun ownership is very high in your rural communities honey.
Speaker 3:I mean it's a way to recreate to just everything. But you can't come in if you're not someone that's really in that gun community and really have a discussion about firearms. So it's just super effective. So for us, when we go visit our gun ranges and short stops and everything, it's someone within that community that's going. So it's the right person to have that right conversation. Same with working with veterans. Our veterans are the ones that handle all that work and honestly, we support them. You know they tell us what their people need, what that looks like, and we're like great. You know, we got your back. Tell us what you need, we'll get the resources and services. So again, it's culturally competent.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 3:I think it's so much better received. And I'll tell you the other one, and I don't know if you were going to bring this up, but man therapy. Oh I love man therapy, so man therapy from my perspective, that is the best program for men that I have ever seen and I remember when we first brought it into our community, you know there were some counselors and stuff like what in the world is this?
Speaker 2:They're making a joke of this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but I think to hit men where they're at the humor is so disarming.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And you know it's hard to talk about mental health. I would say it is.
Speaker 4:Especially if you're a man?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it is Females. We just kind of go for it. It's just it kind of melts out of us, but it's difficult.
Speaker 2:It is.
Speaker 3:So to have an opportunity that you can kind of have some coarse and humorous posters. They work really well in businesses. Employers have no problems placing them up, nor do gun ranges or, you know, bars, athletic clubs, whatever that might be. But I think that goes hand in hand with LifeSite Ohio. It's an opportunity that you're having conversations, you're putting something up that directs people to resources that they can do in the privacy of their own home. That head inspection allows them to go. Ah, maybe something is going on here, but I think just the approach that it has.
Speaker 3:But when you marry those two together, in a community especially when you're trying to reduce stigma and you're trying to educate and create awareness, because it's not preachy, there's nothing coming at you, it's just saying, hey, there's an issue here, let's try to understand it and let's know help. Help is good. Resources are great.
Speaker 2:Rachel and I love it when we get a call here from again a county suicide prevention coalition and they'll say can we get one of your retailers to be one of our public speakers to come in and help us understand gun culture? Just come in and help us understand who we're treating in our respective communities. Seriously, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, because that's how you know that you're breaking down barriers.
Speaker 3:It's great. I love the word gun culture. I was struggling with words there, so gun culture, thank you.
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 3:But no, there's so much work to be done there and I think that is the only way that we're going to have those conversations, because they need to be safe. I think people are concerned about the loss of gun and gun rights and that's just a tricky conversation, so it needs to be someone within their own world to be able to have those conversations. Like look, no one is trying to take away guns, that's right.
Speaker 3:That is not the objective. It is just understanding safety and just understanding some of the struggles we're dealing with mental health in our current climate right now. So what are some conversations that we can have?
Speaker 2:And it goes the other way. Once social workers or those great nonprofits out there or those suicide prevention coalitions, once they get to know the retailers personally, then they're not thinking well, they're just out to make a buck, no. Then they get to know Joe at Blackwing or Mark Leach at Vance Outdoors. Those are a couple of our big public speakers. But that's when you build a relationship, you build trust.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Thin Feather Fur is one of our partners as well.
Speaker 3:So the first time I heard them speak, that was like a light bulb for me. I enjoyed understanding all the levels they have because they don't want to sell a gun to someone that might be at risk. That's the last thing they want for themselves, for any of their clerks, you know. And then you hear that with gun ranges you know they want responsible use. So I think everyone should go listen to one of those at Lifesite Ohio because I think it helps people understand. You know that gun world in a very different way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you did mention hearing from your veterans. I want to go back to that. We know that there is a mental health crisis with veterans and first responders. What do the folks in uniform in your district have to say? What do they need?
Speaker 3:what do they need? We work a lot with the Cleveland VA. So for our veterans they have like a SAVE VA I think that's what it's called like their version of QPR, so we try to again meet people right where they're at, so just really using the services and programs that are important to them. So I think for our veterans we very much let them guide exactly where it needs to be and, because it's more veteran driven, as a community we really just provide those resources. I think for law enforcement, I think offering like QPR and mental health first aid training is helpful. Like QPR and mental health first aid training is helpful because even if they do not think it's for them, they're getting an understanding of mental health, Because I think that's a really hard profession.
Speaker 3:Sometimes we get law enforcement first responders. I think often they have to just disconnect for their thinking part of their head because they're seeing so much all the time. So providing opportunities where they can learn about mental health in safe spaces, I think like man therapy is super helpful for them because you can put that up, you know, in the station and again not have those conversations and let that be a little more self-directed. But I think what we can do as communities. Just be very supportive of our first responders and you know, all those on the front lines, because that is, those are professions where they've never been encouraged to talk about mental health.
Speaker 3:And I know there's a lot of concerns about if I discuss what I'm feeling. Am I going to lose access to my farm or my ability practice?
Speaker 2:And could it hurt a promotion if they bring it up?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So I almost wonder and I'm just thinking out loud as I'm saying this they do have to just kind of disassociate from what they see day to day.
Speaker 3:It's just hard. You know I have such a heart for our veterans and first responders. I'm glad you brought that up because that'll be one that I'm going to be more mindful of, because I don't think we have great solutions in our community.
Speaker 2:I mean back home for that population. As we do start to wrap up our conversation. Representative for us here at OSPF and this goes out to the larger nonprofit community out there how can we better make our case to lawmakers about the lifesaving work that's being done?
Speaker 3:Okay, and I just saw you on Cap Square Adv. Cap Square Advocacy.
Speaker 2:Day, about a week or two ago.
Speaker 3:This is what I would say for effective advocacy Really encourage your members to create relationships with their legislators. Get to know their representatives and senators, and it doesn't even need to be coming here to Columbus. Call the office, schedule a time back home, because I think the more they have that relationship with you it's not a once and done, here's a request for a budget item or for a program it's that they know you from their community. Get to know your legislator to be an expert on the issue. You know we're involved in this issue. This is why this is what's happening in our community, so they can understand how this impacts their district. Also, let them know what solutions you have.
Speaker 3:You know, look, we have LifeSite Ohio and it's a great way to partner, you know, with that gun community.
Speaker 3:We have, you know, man therapy and this is a great opportunity, you know, to really increase access and awareness and education on mental health services in the workforce and there can be a what's in it for them.
Speaker 3:You know, hey, can you partner with me, say if you're from that social service world, and that's going to be a win-win for them and for you, because if you're from a behavioral health, that might not be that partner that you have the strongest relationship with, but your representative senator might. So to then pull them into the work you're doing, I think is super helpful because they have a platform, they have a lot of connections. It gives them an opportunity to share stuff. They can also share information on their Facebook page, on their social media page. So I would say, the more you can create that relationship and get them as a partner in the work you're doing, it's going to be easy sell. We're having these mental health challenges. They know that and I think if you can engage them really at that district level, I think then you're going to have a lot of support when we have budget requests, programming requests.
Speaker 1:So I would say, relationship, relationship, relationship, yeah you guys want to hear from your constituents, yep. That's amazing Representative Salvo. Thank you so much for your public service. Thank you for being a champion for mental health and suicide prevention and for joining us today. Thank you.
Speaker 3:It was a pleasure.
Speaker 2:Our next guest coming from the Statehouse, joining us via Zoom this time, is State Senator Casey Weinstein. Senator, it's good to have you here, welcome.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much for having me. This is such an important issue, very timely, always timely, but in particular because of our work in the Statehouse on the budget. Very timely discussion, so appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2:Well, let's jump right into that. We are hearing here, and, and, and you know, a lot of nonprofits, a lot of organizations are hearing from state lawmakers. This is this is a tough budget year. Help our listeners to understand why that is.
Speaker 4:You know, without getting overtly political, the challenge that I see is that we pass tax cuts and revenue tends to decrease or not increase at the rate that we hope it would, and that forces us to back into cuts in the next General Assembly or not be in an optimal funding environment, right. So we, you know, have have done some very marginal tax cuts. I've actually voted for the budgets because there's been a lot of good things in these budgets in past years. But these tax cuts are disproportionately often going to the wealthiest and then that creates a situation where revenues decrease and we have to make really, really tough decisions on, you know, balancing school funding or Medicaid or really important programs like suicide prevention and the programs that are addressing that issue.
Speaker 4:Another tax cut, potentially moving toward a flat tax, which we've been doing over successive general assemblies, which is predicted to bring in less revenue. And then there are general political well, not political economic headwinds and financial headwinds that create some additional uncertainty and, as a result, there becomes pressure on of all those things. There becomes pressure on of all those things. There becomes pressure on what we're going to invest in as a state. So that's the sort of the defensive crouch that that we're in from an investment perspective in Ohio.
Speaker 1:Well, our podcast and our mission here at OSPF is mental health and suicide prevention. Senator, as you know, you are a great advocate and champion for suicide prevention. We are constantly building and executing our campaigns, building partnerships and advocating for access to mental health services in every corner of Ohio. What's your 30,000 foot view of our state's overall mental health right now?
Speaker 4:I think it's a mixed bag, Like, Like. We've seen progress, but suicide is still, and remains, the second leading cause of death for Ohioans, especially for younger Ohioans, so age 10 to 14 and 20 to 34. So that is a shocking statistic that I share with people, because there can also be kind of a stigma around it and it's not something that that maybe people are of as as aware of as they need to be. But we need to be talking about this um, second leading cause of death, especially for young Ohioans. That is unacceptable. So we, we absolutely need to continue, uh, with resources, actionable steps, collaboration from the great groups like yours that are out there addressing this issue. We still have a lot of work to go, or a lot of work to do, excuse me, and a long way to go to get to. You know the number that we want to get to, which is zero, as our you know kind of our guiding light here for this, for this issue.
Speaker 2:Senator, we, rachel, asked you about the 30,000 foot level. Let's come down to ground level in your district, in District 28. What are you hearing from your constituents about their mental health, behavioral health, needs and wants?
Speaker 4:People are definitely feeling a range of just in general, a range of anxieties and stresses and I hear about that from my constituents a lot. I hear especially about young people. You know, when I was growing up, I didn't have access to this. I think we can say we didn't have as much access to all of this information and news and I was sheltered to some extent about what was going on in the world. We didn't have social media, we didn't have, you know, a lot of the cyber bullying that comes along with that. We didn't have so much exposure to so many threats to our mental health. So I continually hear about bullying, cyber bullying and stresses and pressures on young people and the data right, the data show that that's a real issue for us in the state and that no exception here locally in Summit County.
Speaker 4:I live in Hudson, ohio, and you know in Summit County in my district is Akron and surrounding cities all the way up to Hudson.
Speaker 4:So it's a wide range of communities but it's a common problem and people are concerned about rollbacks in the programs, whether they be federally funded or state funded, that provide that safety net and that fabric that we need, that social fabric that provides the resources for people when they're in crisis or they're in need of help any range of help right. So Governor DeWine has been really good over the years about addressing these social safety net programs, wraparound services, critical county programs from a state perspective that provide a lot of the safety nets and the resources for people who have, who need mental health support, and those are just. You know, typically the budget comes to the house and then it's the cuts begin right and that's the. That's the challenge. We've been able to find bipartisan pathways in the in the past few years to maintain that support and maintain those investment levels. But I'm a little more concerned this year, between the federal and state pressure, that we could see rollbacks in the resources at the local level that we really, really need.
Speaker 1:Well, I was going to say. That pretty much answers our next question. Could some of those resources be cut in the budget? I think that is that. That sounds like one of your concerns, Senator.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and so, in particular, the budget's a big thing, right, and it's it's almost $90 billion over two years. There are so many different interest groups, but this is one that, because your organization and so many others have done great, great advocacy, we pay really close attention to, and, in particular, there's a line item for the 988 suicide crisis response line. It was funded at $25.8 million, but it drops in the following year and then it's unclear about FY27. There could be a drop there. So when we're talking about, like we talked about earlier, this is still a problem, a really, really significant problem, and really kind of, at best, we've got mixed results addressing it. Right now, we have to have those resources available for folks. So anytime I see cuts in a time of escalating costs and prices, I get really, really concerned, and that's something that when the budget gets to us in the Senate which it will in the next month that I'm going to be working on, trying to shorter that funding up.
Speaker 2:Now I don't want to start a rivalry here when it comes to military service. So my brother-in-law just retired with 36 years in the Army. Rachel, you've got Marines in your family, right, my?
Speaker 1:boyfriend is a Marine, my dad was 32 years in law enforcement, my other brother's in the Army, my one brother's in the Air Force Senator. So I will. I'll give you some points there.
Speaker 2:I did have one brother in the Air Force your smartest brother, for sure.
Speaker 1:He is my favorite.
Speaker 2:Well, to Rachel's point, you're a veteran senator, proud graduate of the Air Force Academy as well. By the way, if anybody's never taken the tour of the Air Force Academy, that is awesome.
Speaker 4:We met while we were at the Academy. We were in the cadet gymnasium between our junior and senior year and I was like moving a TV that was mounted to the wall and it came off the wall Like it was an old school TV, like I'd have to tell kids this, like cathode ray tube TV, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Weight like 300 pounds.
Speaker 4:Yeah, basically Right. And she. She rescued me, you know, as I cried out for help when it broke off. That is the best love story 22 years ago, almost gosh, and we were back for a 20-year reunion and it was breathtaking. I love Ohio, Love Ohio, but very different from the mountains and just seeing those and having been away for so long Because I grew up in New Mexico it really it's different going back.
Speaker 4:So, it was really nice to go into a place although it was a very high-pressure environment as the nation's premier service academy.
Speaker 2:Shots fired. Shots fired.
Speaker 4:But to be in that kind of scenery and that kind of environment is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about some outreach to veterans and to men and women in uniform on the public safety side. Please fire first responders to veterans and to men and women in uniform on the public safety side police, fire first responders. You know about our campaign here at OSPF called LifeSide Ohio, and that's who we reach out to. We reach out to veterans, we reach out to those others in uniform as well police and fire and first responders Again, those people on the scene who are running into emergencies to protect all of us. The great thing about LifeSide is that now we are bringing all those groups I just mentioned and connecting them with county suicide prevention coalitions all around the state. So the sharing of information, the breaking down of stereotypes and stigmas. Can you talk about how that work is really so important, especially in those veterans communities and those public safety communities? You talk about how that work is really so important, especially in those veterans communities and those public safety communities?
Speaker 4:Thank you for bringing that up and, first of all, thank you and your families for your service too. We joke about the inter-service rivalries, but it is a beautiful thing to serve and give back, whether that's as a first responder at the local level I mean frankly what you're doing today in helping people and give back whether that's as a first responder at the local level I mean frankly what you're doing today in helping people and giving back or certainly in the military. But, yeah, there are unique pressures that come with that and we have to recognize that and it really shows up, unfortunately, in the numbers of suicides. It's twice the rate when comparing it to the population as a whole, and so we lost 232 Ohioans in the last year I have 2022, 232 Ohioans veterans died of suicide. We absolutely have to recognize that and there's a layered approach between what the VA does at the federal level and what we can do at the state level and what you're doing as part of that to address it.
Speaker 4:And I think it's just a recognition about PTSD. The stresses and pressures and the experiences. You know, life-threatening experiences that can happen on a daily basis in those roles require unique resources and unique programs and ways to address those problems. I'm so thankful for the work that you're doing to address it and making those connections. One thing that I really worry about is that we have this great network of organizations and groups, but is there awareness about them and are there cracks that folks can fall through? And when you talk about that connective tissue and that networking, that's how to address that and ensure that when people need support, especially our first responders and veterans, that they get it. So absolutely critical work that you're doing.
Speaker 1:Overall, how can we at OSPF or any other organization, make our case to lawmakers about the life-saving work that we do? What's your best piece of advice?
Speaker 4:One is just education right.
Speaker 4:There is, as I mentioned earlier, there is a stigma, a taboo about discussing this right that still permeates. I think discussing it and educating about it is such a huge part of solving the challenge, because you understand what the problem is, where it is, who it's affecting, and then we can start really well you already are, but we can continue to get better about addressing it. So that awareness is so important and you know, just on a on a personal level, when you are able to relay stories and there are there are folks who are willing to advocate and maybe have been impacted by suicide or work in the field when you can sit down with your legislator and talk about this, it is the least partisan issue in the world. This affects everybody and it is something that everyone I think I can speak for all of my colleagues here, which is not often the case, but everybody wants to work on this, advocate on this, reduce this crisis.
Speaker 4:So do that, and in-person is the best way to do that and for me as a legislator, I really try to be available and accessible, whether it's in my office at the state house or in the district over coffee, you know to show up and sit down and have this human interaction about what this problem is and educating on the scale of it, the local impact, maybe a personal story or some connection that really resonates and it moves us to take specific action on this issue, which is so, so important. So the advocacy, your voice, matters. And the second thing I'd say is the budget matters. So now is the right time to do it, right when we are putting together the budget that will dictate the funding levels for the next two years. So your voice matters and the timing is right.
Speaker 2:Well, and let's let our listeners know, rachel, when we at OSPF had our advocacy day a few weeks ago, who was there to headline the morning conversation with all the folks in that Sheraton ballroom? Senator, it was you, and you always step up when it comes to this cause, when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention. So thank you for joining us today, thank you for your public service and, again, just your overall advocacy. As you know, it matters.
Speaker 4:It does, and I so appreciate that. Your group is amazing in your advocacy. You've got a great team. You're doing the most important work.
Speaker 4:So you know what, as legislators, sometimes there's so much on our plates that we need these groups to help us be the best representatives for this cause.
Speaker 4:Right, because your time could be consumed with a hundred other things. But when you have great groups like yours, it reminds us and it keeps it top of mind and it compels us because it's the right thing to do, to take action, and I'm very thankful to be in a position to do that, thankful for the bipartisan support that we had on that panel and that I know we'll have in the budget. And you know, get us on the record um and committing to continuing this funding. Now is the right time to do that and I I promise to work as hard as I can uh to continue showing up um for the community, and I am always available. You can find me at Senator Weinstein across social media or just Google our office and reach out, always willing to meet anybody, whether you're my constituent up in Summit County or not. Always, always willing to sit down and talk about this issue and help however I can.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, Senator.
Speaker 2:This has been a great discussion. We'll certainly have you back for future discussions as well. To our listeners when you listen to our episodes, you break stigmas, you break barriers and you care about mental health and saving lives. This is Voices for Suicide Prevention, brought to you by the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.