ST. CLAIRSVILLE – OhioRISE offers a helping hand for young people whether in their early years or when they are considering their next steps after high school, as students found during the Belmont-Harrison Career and Transition Expo in the ECO Center.
Jefferson County Educational Service Center (JCESC) OhioRISE is a Medicaid managed care program for children and youth with complex behavioral health and multisystem needs in Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe, Stark and Tuscarawas Counties and operated by the Jefferson County Educational Service Center. OhioRISE was formed to coordinate resources and put families in touch with what is available.
Care coordinator Vicky Filtz was on hand during the Oct. 7 career fair to greet young adults who are starting to make that transition into adulthood.
“It’s nice to be able to let them know what supports are out there, because a lot of the services that they’re connected to now while they’re a minor do end unfortunately when they’re 18, so it’s nice to let them know that we can be a support service that’s available to them up and to their age of 21,” she said.
“Young adults that maybe have some underlying mental health needs, that really can come to the surface at that point in their life as they’re trying to maybe figure out what the next steps looks like. There can be some additional stressors,” she said. “Knowing who the resources are out there and helping to get them connected to the right support can be really beneficial.”
OhioRISE has been active helping young people for several years in Belmont County, and Filtz will often see familiar faces at these events. Care coordinators find it rewarding to see the progress their kiddos have made.
“We’re very rooted in Belmont County. They do have quite a bit of services and supports, and we’ve been able to connect with a lot of the community partners so that we can establish relationships to support our members.”
Sean Ragsdale, senior vocational rehabilitation counselor for Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, expected as many as 500 visitors from the school districts of Belmont and Harrison Counties and beyond. Agencies such as OhioRISE are a welcome presence.
“OhioRISE, they make referrals to OOD services and support students with some needs. We’re able to partner with them and provide services to help the students towards a path to employment.”
OhioRISE’s care coordinators are knowledgeable about the needs and resources available in their areas. They follow the “wraparound” philosophy of coordinating with service providers to address every young person’s individual case.
Melissa Morelli, policy project manager with the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, was among those partners.
“We collaborate together with OhioRISE. We know students and youth that participate and are served by our program as well,” she said. “I know that it’s a good collaboration between our two organizations.”
Dawn West, community health worker with Harrison County Public Health, also said OhioRISE was invaluable for young people.
“OhioRISE does a lot more when there are children who are on the cusp of being too old for certain services but not old enough for adult services, so that wraparound service for OhioRISE participants is what I look for when it comes to making referrals. There are certain needs that can’t be met with conventional measures, so OhioRISE is a good fill-in.”
Jamie Coffield, office manager at VBH Therapeutic Autism Center in Bridgeport, said a couple of their clients access resources through OhioRISE. Respite services where caregivers receive assistance in looking after their children has been welcome.
“That would be great for some of our kiddos,” she said. She mentioned a variety of other benefits.
“We’ve had some families helped with communication devices through OhioRISE. It’s wonderful,” she said. “There’s so many resources that families don’t know about, so it’s nice that OhioRISE offers those resources.”
Representatives of area schools such as Bethany Lucas, Special Education Director of Martins Ferry City Schools District, also worked closely with OhioRISE.
“I have a lot of contact with them. They work with some of our students and they kind of help bridge home and school and support the students in all areas. It’s a wonderful program,” she said. “They help advocate for the families. They kind of bridge the communication between the school and the families. They’re always involved. They show up to every meeting, making sure the students are getting what they need inside and outside of school.”
Bridgeport Exempted Village School District Special Education Director Beverly Prati also makes frequent referrals to OhioRISE.
“Whether it’s having a student increase their attendance or have access to more accommodations that they need, whether that’s through the school system or even their after-school jobs. So I think it’s a good thing for students because it helps parents know what’s out there and it also helps the school districts as well to know what’s available for students in getting the resources for their children that they can have to be successful.”
She said OhioRISE has been a valuable member of the team. The district now hosts an office for the program.
“OhioRISE is part of our new building the Bridge, so they’re coming in and out of the schools,” she said. “The ultimate goal for our students is to get them to be productive community members.”
Jayme Yonak, special education director for Union Local School District, said her students have benefitted from OhioRISE in helping reach this point.
“We have OhioRISE in our schools and they’ve helped with several of our kids. They’ve helped get them ready for their jobs and careers after school and that’s been very useful, so OhioRISE has had a lot of services to offer, not just in gaining employment but also helping them get basic needs met that maybe they need help with.”
To learn more about OhioRISE, call 740-792-4011, email ohiorise.info@jcesc.org or visit OhioRISE online at https://www.jcesc.k12.oh.us/CareManagementEntity.aspx.
