$20 million mental health and resilience SOAR Study now enrolling in northeast Ohio

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The next phase of the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR Study) is now accepting participants at Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital in northeast Ohio. 

 

This research initiative led by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center seeks to identify the root causes of the ongoing epidemic of persistent emotional distress, suicide and drug overdose. 

 

Inspired by the pioneering longitudinal Framingham Heart Study, the SOAR Study will explore not only mental illness and addiction but also resilience and mental wellness. 

 

The SOAR Study features government, academia and the private sector working together in this innovative mental health research effort. The study will involve 1,200 multi-generational families across Ohio’s 88 counties.

 

“Mercy Health is honored to host SOAR on our St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital campus to gather valuable information from our region. This groundbreaking research may glean helpful insights into addiction, behavioral health and resilience. Mercy Health is committed to providing high quality, compassionate behavioral health care when and where patients need it. We are proud to play a role in helping make this research possible in the Mahoning Valley and its surrounding counties,” said John Luellen, MD, President, Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown. 

 

The statewide research project is funded by an initial $20 million grant from The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS). SOAR will study Ohioans in their local communities, using an integrated “bring science to the people” approach. 

 

The SOAR Mobile MRI unit now based at St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, 8401 Market Street in Youngstown, Ohio, is enrolling study participants ages 12 and up from these nine counties: Carroll, Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, Mentor, Portage, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas.  

The SOAR Study will investigate social, environmental, psychological, trauma-related, genetic, and biological factors that lead to – or protect from – the development of persistent distress, mental illness, substance use, overdose and suicide. 

 

“SOAR has the potential to transform how we understand and treat mental health, and ultimately save lives. SOAR’s large-scale study will reach families in urban, suburban and rural areas across Ohio. It’s important to meet people where they are, and the SOAR mobile MRI unit will bring science to the people, reaching patients who will be vital to the success of the project,” said Andrew Thomas, MD, chief clinical officer at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. 

 

The SOAR Study approach allows for an integrated analysis of individual, family, group, and community factors. By studying generations of families, investigators will identify patterns of intergenerational transmission of risk and resilience. This can allow families to “break the chain” of risk for mental illness, substance use and deaths related to persistent distress.

 

The SOAR Study has two parallel but connected projects: 

• Wellness Survey

A survey assessment of the mental health of 15,000 Ohioans in all 88 counties

 

• Brain Health Study

In-person visits with 1,200 families at rural, suburban and urban sites across Ohio

 

The SOAR Study is led by principal investigator K. Luan Phan, MD, in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Heath at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, in collaboration with the state and several of Ohio’s public universities, including Northeast Ohio Medical University, and a private institution of higher education.

 

“It is exciting that the SOAR project is collaborating with Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and other public universities and medical schools in Ohio,” said Northeast Ohio Medical University President John Langell, MD, PhD. “These strong partnerships throughout the state will help improve our understanding of factors that influence mental health and well-being.”

 

For more information or to register for the study, visit https://soarstudies.org/. 

 

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