The Voinovich School is committed to partnering with state and local government agencies and community-based organizations to improve physical and behavioral health outcomes. To achieve these goals, we work together to enhance local capacity for data collection and utilization, needs assessment, planning and implementation of evidence-based models, performance evaluation, and impact measurement.
Our teams of professional staff members and faculty have collaborated with partners on a multitude of health and wellbeing initiatives, including Children of Incarcerated Parents, Community of Practice – Rural Community Opioid Response Program, Ohio Adult Allies, Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion, Ohio Healthy Youth Environments Survey (OHYES!), Ohio Medicaid Assessment research, and the Strategic Prevention Framework – Partnerships for Success Communities of Practice in Southeast Ohio.
In addition, Voinovich School professional staff are well-versed in conducting community health needs assessments (including the 2025 State Health Assessment), developing strategic plans (including the 2025-2029 State Health Improvement Plan), and evaluating programs such as Overdose Data to Action (OD2A), Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), Sobriety Treatment and Reducing Trauma (START), and Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP).
COP-RCORP serves as a collaborative hub for sharing evidence-based strategies, resources, and insights to address behavioral health across Ashtabula, Fairfield, Seneca, and Sandusky counties. The goal is to empower local leaders, healthcare professionals, and community partners by fostering peer-to-peer learning and collective problem-solving. As a public resource, this website allows professionals and advocates across rural communities to learn from the work of this group and apply these successful strategies to their own local situations. The Voinovich School supports these efforts by facilitating connection and knowledge-sharing to build healthier, more resilient communities.
Team Lead: Holly Raffle
OCI serves as a central access point for education, resources, and networks that build capacity among Ohio’s behavioral health and public health-connected coalitions. The goal is to empower established and emerging coalitions by providing accessible, high-quality professional development, training, and technical assistance. As a public resource, this website allows prevention professionals and community leaders across the state to learn from the work of this institute and apply these evidence-based strategies to their local situations. Facilitated by the Voinovich School, OCI supports statewide efforts to strengthen collective impact and improve community health outcomes.
The Ohio Healthy Youth Environments Survey (OHYES!) asks questions about substance use, social climate, and other behaviors and experiences that pose a risk to youth wellness, and those that help to protect it. The goal is to empower high-impact change by uncovering student needs at the local level. Using these insights, we can learn where Ohio students are thriving and build on what works. This data can also enable schools to track changes in student health and safety over time. The Voinovich School supports the State of Ohio's efforts to implement and analyze this survey.
This initiative partners with community organizations working with families impacted by incarceration. We support these groups to implement the Creating Lasting Family Connection curriculum, build administrative and facilitation skills, and expand organizational capacity.
We assist the State of Ohio and local health departments to collect and analyze health data and public feedback. This information is used to identify what is going well, prioritize community health needs, and plan for the future.
This project focuses on better utilizing overdose data to ensure prevention and intervention efforts are targeting the most pressing local issues. The Voinovich School is serving as external evaluator, helping those implementing OD2A to better understand what is working well and areas that require additional work.
Discover the Services We Provide and Meet Our Team Members
We partner with organizations to enhance behavioral health capacity in Ohio. The Partnership for Community-Based Prevention offers intensive leadership development, training, technical assistance, and evaluation to bolster substance use prevention and mental health promotion efforts.
Team Lead: Holly Raffle
For more than 20 years, we have been assisting government agencies and nonprofits to understand their current environment and prepare for the future. Our services include program evaluation, needs assessment, strategic planning, technical assistance, and data analysis.
Team Leads: Margaret Hutzel and Jacob White
As part of our educational mission, the Voinovich School engages MPA students and Voinovich Undergraduate Research Scholars to work closely with faculty and staff on these projects.
Experiences vary, but opportunities include conducting and analyzing surveys, focus groups, and interviews; learning to use specialized statistical software; assisting with community workshop facilitation; and developing public reports, presentations and infographics.