In 2014, my wife and I were forced to surrender custody of our son Andrew to access residential treatment for his complex behavioral health needs related to Autism, an Intellectual Disability, and Mental Illness.  Forcing parents of multi-system youth to surrender custody of their children to get help is wrong!  Ohio has made progress toward ending this cruel practice, but we need systemic change to truly abolish it.  The Ohio Department of Medicaid’s OhioRISE program embodies that change.

Funding for OhioRISE is irrevocably woven throughout the Medicaid procurement.  While kind words and good intentions to protect OhioRISE are appreciated, if the procurement process is derailed, these will simply become eulogies for Ohio’s hopes to permanently end forced custody relinquishment.

OhioRISE will serve 50,000+ families like mine throughout Ohio.  Disrupting the procurement process will hurt OhioRISE and is a betrayal of families in crisis.  We demand that Comp Doc MCDCD 42 and MCDCD 43 be removed from the budget bill.

The old system has failed our families.  We have waited long enough for a new system.

I urge all Ohioans to sign this petition and to contact their State Senators and Representatives, President Huffman, and Speaker Cupp!