Dayton, Ohio – A new online system is helping behavioral health organizations across Montgomery County work more closely together and connect residents with services and support that match their needs.
The SafetyNet Portal was created to improve coordination among organizations that may be helping the same person. When a resident receives services from several providers, authorized users can use the portal to gain a clearer understanding of the support already being provided. The goal is to reduce unnecessary duplication while helping providers identify additional resources that could benefit the individual.
“We know that residents experiencing behavioral health challenges often need support from more than one organization,” Commission President Carolyn Rice said. “Our goal is to make those connections stronger so residents don’t have to navigate a complicated system on their own. The SafetyNet Portal strengthens coordination across our behavioral health system so the organizations serving our residents can work together and connect people with the care and support they need.”
Portal grew from county behavioral health task force
The idea developed through the Montgomery County Behavioral Health Task Force, which the county formed with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association in 2023.
The task force brought together people from health care, law enforcement, the judicial system and the wider community. Participants examined problems within the behavioral health system and looked for ways to improve services for residents.
Ascend Innovations worked with Montgomery County and GDAHA to develop and put the SafetyNet Portal into operation.
Montgomery County invested $1.3 million from opioid settlement funds in the project. Kettering Health and Premier Health each provided another $100,000. Ascend Innovations also received $260,000 through OneOhio Region 8 to support further development, improvements and expansion.
“The opioid epidemic hit our community hard, and we continue to see its effects on behavioral health today,” Commissioner Judy Dodge said. “Investing opioid settlement funds in the SafetyNet Portal gives our community another way to strengthen how the behavioral health system works together and support residents for years to come.”
Privacy and security were important parts of the project from its beginning. The SafetyNet Portal is not available to the general public. Access is limited to authorized users at organizations participating in the network.
Organizations that provide information through the system continue to control their own data, while Ascend Innovations operates the portal for them.
Residents must also give authorization before certain protected information involving health, substance use disorder and housing can be shared through the system. Only authorized people who require the information to help coordinate care are allowed to access it.
The portal is intended to give organizations already working with residents a better understanding of available services and resources.
“When we connect people with the right care and support earlier, we have a better opportunity to help them stay healthy and avoid reaching a crisis point,” Commissioner Mary A. McDonald said. “That means looking for ways to connect people with behavioral health services and other support before they become involved in the criminal justice system. The SafetyNet Portal strengthens those connections and gives the organizations serving our residents another way to work together.”
Network expected to expand
County officials expect the portal to grow as additional behavioral health providers become part of the network. A larger network could give participating organizations more opportunities to coordinate services and cooperate when assisting residents.
“People don’t experience a behavioral health crisis by planning ahead to connect their care plans, assessments or prescriptions. They move between hospitals, providers and community services based on their needs and urgency,” said Sarah Hackenbracht, president and CEO of GDAHA. “Our hospitals understand the value of having accurate and timely information available to providers and caregivers when it is needed. The SafetyNet Portal gives us an opportunity to look beyond our individual organizations and work together to care for the behavioral health needs of the people we all serve.”
The portal is one part of Montgomery County’s wider effort to improve behavioral health care and make services easier to access.
The county is also moving ahead with plans for a new Behavioral Health Unit at the Montgomery County Jail. That project is expected to be completed by mid 2027. Separately, the state is planning a new behavioral health hospital at the former Hara Arena site.
Montgomery County has also been using opioid settlement money to address addiction and substance use disorder. Its recently released Direct Opioid Settlement Funding Opportunity Community Impact Report details some of those investments. So far, more than $2 million has been awarded to 13 local nonprofit organizations working in prevention, treatment and recovery.
The launch of the SafetyNet Portal represents another stage in that broader effort. Montgomery County and its partners plan to continue bringing more organizations into the system while improving the portal as community needs change.
“Better outcomes become possible when the organizations providing behavioral health services have a more complete understanding of an individual’s journey,” said Josh Gratsch, President and CEO of Ascend Innovations. “The SafetyNet Portal turns fragmented information into shared understanding, giving providers greater context to coordinate around the needs of the people they serve. That’s the heart of our mission at Ascend—leveraging data and technology to help communities establish more connected systems of care.”
