PEP Selected as a Care Management Entity for OhioRISE

PEP Selected as a Care Management Entity for OhioRISE

Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Director Maureen Corcoran named the 20 community-oriented Care Management Entities (CMEs) selected to build local systems of care for OhioRISE (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence), Ohio’s first highly integrated care program for youth with complex behavioral health and multi-system needs. PEP is immensely proud to have been chosen as the CME for Catchment Q, which includes Cleveland and most inner-ring eastside suburbs.

This moment is uniquely meaningful for PEP, as it is the culmination of more than 30 years of advocacy for services to support multi-system involved youth. What began as a demonstration project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1989 to find better strategies to care for young people with serious mental health challenges became PEP Connections’ intensive care coordination/high-fidelity wraparound service.

As we witnessed firsthand the positive outcomes this type of service had for kids in crisis, we hoped that one day the model would be available throughout the state. Today’s announcement means the day we have been working for has finally come.

Care Management Entities for OhioRISE are charged with building local systems of care and will serve as the singular point of contact families can turn to in times of crisis. The focus for CMEs is ensuring that wrap-around, high-intensity care is available, coordinated locally, and clinically integrated for enrolled children.

As Director Corcoran stated, “Our goal is making sure children with the most complex needs receive the right kind of care, in their hometowns, surrounded by families and communities they know and trust.” We are proud to be a partner in this work and we are profoundly grateful for the leadership of Governor DeWine and his cabinet, who through the creation of OhioRISE have modeled mission-driven innovation and collaboration in service to children and families.

Read More about PEP and the Evolution of OhioRISE