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ODA Newsletter Issue 6 July 2025
Ohio Deflection Association delivers support around public safety for the health and wellbeing of those struggling with substance use and mental health disorders. Through the development of deflection and pre-arrest diversion strategies, support tools and facilitating the education of community partners providing outreach services. Focusing on real life challenges with real time solutions by providing communities with education, guidance and resources.
NEWSLETTER
ODA Quarterly Latest Deflection News & Information July, 2025 Issue #6 Welcome back to our quarterly Newsletter!
2025 ODA Updates:
The Ohio Deflection Association has officially started the planning process for the 5 Annual Training Summit.th The Summit will be held January 20 - 23 , 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio th rd Stay tuned for more information!
2025 ODA Updates:
In early 2025, the Ohio Deflection Association officially became a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. As part of this transition, team members have been assigned new organizational email addresses.
In January 2025, The Ohio Deflection Association hired an Executive Director. Tom Fallon will serve as a principal advisor to the Ohio Deflection Association Board, guiding all policy matters related to services, growth and operations.
Commander Fallon has been working very closely with the Ohio Deflection Association Administrative Assistant, Scotlynn Duff.
Tom and Scotlynn have been collaborating on a few different projects including The Ohio Deflection Association Regional Lunch & Learn Trainings.
See More Information Below
Tom Fallon Executive Director Scotlynn Duff Administrative Assistant tom@ohiodeflectionassociation.org admin@ohiodeflectionassociation.org Regional Lunch & Learn Trainings These in-person training sessions were developed to bridge the gap between our annual summits and provide an opportunity for group learning and engagement. The Ohio Deflection Association has successfully hosted four sessions to date and are looking forward to our fifth at the end on this month in Northeast, Ohio Sessions include open group discussions, an introduction to your ODA Regional Representative, Stigma training and a tailored seminar on Recovery Ohio’s Overdose Early Warning Dashboard by Erin Reed, Director of Recovery Ohio.
Regional Lunch & Learn Trainings May 2 , 2025nd Southwest, OH May 6 , 2025th Northwest, OH Regional Lunch & Learn Trainings May 22 , 2025nd Southeast, OH May 23 , 2025rd Central, OH 2025 ODA Updates:
At the beginning of 2025, members of The Ohio Deflection Association pledged to spend more time in the field with different teams across the state.
Since then, Members have participated in many outreach events and Operation BRIDGE Events to offer support.
Ross County BRIDGE Event
Lawrence County BRIDGE
Event
ODA Needs Your Help!
The Ohio Deflection Association has been working on an ODA Membership Directory to serve as a master list for our members.
On the Ohio Deflection Association website there is a County Map with useful resources.
We are working on updating and building that list to offer more opportunities for engagement and collaboration.
We ask that if you know of any change in leadership, you let us know so that we can provide the most accurate information.
We also ask that you take a look at your county and let us know how we can change the information to better fit your team and your mission.
We want to know the following information
Your Team Name Your Teams Point of Contact and their contact information Your Teams Mission Statement This information can be passed along to our Administrative Assistant admin@ohiodeflectionassociation.org RecoveryOhio’s Overdose Early Warning Dashboard is a groundbreaking tool designed to predict when communities may be at heightened risk for a spike in drug overdoses, so local leaders can take action in time to save lives.
The first-of-its-kind dashboard draws upon a variety of data sources to pinpoint ZIP codes at increased risk for overdoses up to 30 days in advance – providing local leaders with a critical window for intervention.
Useful Resources
Click here for more information
Useful Resources
Click here to see our website The Ohio Deflection Association Secretary, Nicole Jenkins has developed a new calendar, now available on our website, to keep everyone informed and up to date.
This centralized resource includes BRIDGE events, Outreach initiatives, funding opportunities and deadlines, as well as updates related to National Deflection Day/ Week If you would like to add an event to the calendar, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
admin@ohiodeflectionassociation.org As part of our 2025 expansion efforts, we are pleased to announce the introduction of an official telephone line for enhanced support. our part-time Administrative Assistant will be available to assist you during the following hours:
Tuesdays: 11am- 4pm Wednesdays: 2pm- 5pm Thursdays: 10am-2pm Please feel free to call during these times should you or your team require any additional support.
513-319-7567 Strengthening Deflection Across Ohio: ODA’s Impact in 2025 Words from ODA President, Dan Meloy “In a significant organizational milestone, ODA conducted a search for our first Executive Director and selected Cmdr. (ret.) Tom Fallon. He began his service as ODA Executive Director in January, during the 2025 ODA Summit. Throughout this year, ODA partnered with each of Ohio’s five regions to host regional “Lunch and Learn” events- introducing the ODA regional representatives, facilitating community conversations about stigma, and showcasing Ohio’s “Early Warning Dashboard” with RecoveryOhio Director Erin Reed. These efforts underscore ODA’s ongoing commitment to community collaboration, innovation, and systems change.”
“In 2025, the Ohio Deflection Association (ODA) continued to expand its leadership role in advancing deflection and community-based crisis response. The year began with the ODA Summit in, January, drawing participation from 14 U.S. states and Canada, and featured nationally accredited training sessions and the presentation of ODA awards. ODA provided $19,000 in mini-grant awards to support 19 deflection initiatives, while distributing nearly $11,000 in outreach supplies to more than 30 teams across Ohio.”
Community Support Supplies At the 2025 ODA Summit members of the Board took orders from teams all across Ohio and surrounding states for community outreach supplies.
The orders were then hand packaged and shipped out to these teams.
Community Support Supplies Hamilton County, Ohio’s HopeLine using their supplies for outreach events!
The Deflection ECHO is intended to build a network and community for Ohio quick/overdose response/deflection teams. Medical first responders, law enforcement, peers, and treatment providers, etc are encouraged to join the monthly one-hour session designed to share promising practices amongst one another to help respond to what teams face in the field. The hour includes a brief informational presentation followed by consultation time so that teams can share scenarios or ask questions and learn from one another. Sign up now!
A primary role of the Deflection Initiative is collecting, providing access to, and disseminating information on promising and best practices. Our newly launched Knowledge Hub serves as a central location for resources, innovations, and programs that will promote progress, advance the field of deflection, and support teams around the state.
A document repository, deflection literature, and local and national resources can currently be found on the site.
Knowledge Hub
The Deflection ECHO
Deflection ECHO Knowledge Hub Sign up for Deflection News
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Bridging Recovery & Interdiction Data Gathering Enforcement. The Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS) in collaboration with other state, local and private entities are driving two statewide community outreach days called Operation BRIDGE Days. The focus will be a collaborative effort to identify resources and build partnerships between law enforcement and outreach within the community. The goal is to have participation in all 88 counties in the State of Ohio. For more information on future operations or if you would like to participate, please email BRIDGE@dps.ohio.gov.
Operation Bridge
Upcoming BRIDGE Events
GREENE COUNTY OHIO
July 16-17
CLERMONT COUNTY, OHIO
July 16-17
COLUMBIANA COUNTY, OHIO
July 17
MIDDLETOWN, OHIO
July 25
LORAIN COUNTY, OHIO
September 2 If you’re interested in attending any of these events please feel free to reach out for further details BRIDGE@dps.ohio.gov admin@ohiodeflectionassociation.org
Training Opportunity
Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care for Post Overdose Outreach Teams :
This is an online course that aims to equip first responders and post-overdose outreach teams with the background and tools to implement a trauma-informed response when interacting with a person who has experienced an overdose.
The course is divided into 5 modules. All modules will need to be completed in order to complete the requirements for course completion.
Click here for more information on this course
Special Feature
The Hope Resource Center serves Columbus residents fighting addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges in disadvantaged neighborhoods with high rates of overdoses, poverty, and human trafficking. Our Resource Centers provide a pipeline from life-threatening addiction and homelessness to lasting sobriety, community engagement, family reunification, and employment, restoring hope and human potential.
Franklin County’s own, The HOPE Dealer Community was featured in a segment on CBS evening news regarding the decline in overdose deaths
Click here to watch the segment
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National Day/ Week of Deflection July 20 - 26 , 2025th th National Deflection Week is an initiative to raise awareness about deflection programs.
These programs aim to divert individuals away from the criminal justice system and towards treatment and support services.
if you or your team plans on taking part in National Deflection Week, please ket us know by taking our survey and tell us how you supported the cause!
Click here to take our survey