In 2003, First Lady of Ohio (Emeritus) Hope Taft, in partnership with members of the Ohio Family and Children First (OFCF) Cabinet Council, formed the FASD Steering Committee expanding to include Ohio Department of Aging, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, institutes of higher education, providers and parents.
On Sept. 9, 2004, the FASD Steering Committee held a Town Hall Meeting to increase awareness of the challenges faced by Ohio’s children and families. This testimony along with a needs assessment analysis conducted as part of the FASD Steering Committee’s work with The Ohio State University’s Center for Learning Excellence using the Partnerships for Success Strategic Planning Process led to a course of action based on key findings:
- Many professionals who provide services to children and families in Ohio are ill-prepared to address FASD. Within systems and cross-systems, education regarding the impact of prenatal substance exposure, diagnostic indicators and effective interventions/treatments are needed.
- Children are often diagnosed with several mental and physical health disorders that can lead to a variety of uncoordinated services. The point of entry for identification and referral is usually through children’s service agencies, MR/DD systems, schools and mental health agencies. At this point children may receive screening for developmental and mental health disabilities, but not for FASD. New and existing services should be designed and coordinated to screen for FASD.
- With the exception of a few areas of the state, services available to individuals affected by FASD are inadequate. A primary barrier to treatment is the large number of people seeking help from a very limited number of programs. Ohio also does not have services that help support adults with FASD related to housing, employment and daily living functions. Although adult services are available through the MR/DD system, many FASD adults do not meet the requirements for services from this agency. For those adults who do meet MR/DD requirements, they are subject to waiting lists lasting up to two years.
- There are few services available for parents, foster parents and other caregivers, who play key roles in promoting the welfare of children affected by FASD. Services should include support groups, respite care, parent/caregiver training, and treatment advocacy.
- Efforts should be undertaken to establish formal recognition of FASD. Policies should be developed and adopted that define how FASD is addressed in educational settings.
- Ohio-specific FASD prevalence data should be collected on a continuing basis. While extrapolations based on national data are useful, they are not sufficient for targeting prevention, early identification and treatment services.
With its mission to establish efficiency in state systems resource allocation, coordination of services and augmentation of available resources to address FASD, the FASD Steering Committee developed a strategic, implementation and evaluation plan to address the key findings. The plan has five goals:
- Increase the availability of services for those already affected by FASD and for parents and other caregivers;
- Increase awareness regarding the risks associated with alcohol use during pregnancy;
- Provide FASD-specific education and training for agencies, organizations and professionals who provide services to children and families with or at risk of FASD;
- Adopt appropriate FASD screening tools and protocols and increase access to screening; and
- Create and implement a data tracking system to track FASD risk factors, prevalence, and incidence in Ohio, and measure progress toward reaching the other four goals.
Funding from the state of Ohio secured by the Department of Health, Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, and Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services will support the implementation of Ohio’s FASD strategic plan and help Ohio develop a comprehensive state system of care for FASD.