March 16, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Avita Health System will host the first “SOAR Community Conversation” about mental health, substance use and resilience on March 17 at 5:30 PM at Avita’s Ontario Hospital, 715 Ontario Center, Ontario, OH, 44906.
- The event is part of the SOAR Study, a statewide coalition $20 million research project led by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center exploring mental wellness and emotional challenges in Ohio.
- Researchers will share their findings and talk with community members and study participants about mental health, substance use, distress and resilience, offering helpful information and support.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Avita Health System will host the first “SOAR Community Conversation” presented by researchers with the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience (SOAR Study), a $20 million state-funded study exploring mental health and resilience of Ohioans.
The Community Conversation event will feature researchers sharing discoveries SOAR has made about well-being and mental health among Ohioans. Researchers will share data findings and resources while having a two-way conversation about mental health with community members and study participants.
What is SOAR?
This statewide coalition 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 that revolutionized heart research, the SOAR Study explores not only mental illness and addiction but also modifiable pathways to resilience and mental wellness.
An initial $20 million grant from the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health funded the study that began in 2023. In 2024, Avita Health System stepped up as the first hospital system to collaborate with the research team to enroll participants in the SOAR study.
The study features government, academia and the private sector working together in this innovative mental health research effort that 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 1,600 families at rural, suburban and urban sites across Ohio
Media are invited to the event that will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 17 in Avita Health System’s atrium B5 into 715 Ontario Center, Ontario, OH, 44906.
Media who plan to attend should contact Avita Health System Media Relations contact listed above.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS
Eileen Scahill |The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu | 614-293-2092
Kim Winkle | Avita Health System
kwinkle@avitahs.org | 419-468-0507