Building Community Wellness

The Community Wellness Initiative (CWI) is a working and learning collaborative where researchers, students, practitioners and community partners develop practical workplace wellness solutions to address Ohio's workforce crises in health, safety and education — sectors that impact the entire community.

High intensity and high impact professions (such as 1st responders, health practitioners and educators) tend to be under-resourced and overworked. They also experience unique mental health challenges that span all 8 dimensions of wellness and require interdisciplinary support. CWI is a collaborative community working to develop training, resources and programs to support these vital professionals.



Student Involvement in Four Labs

First Responder Wellness

The First Responder Wellness Lab focuses on providing continuing education, resources and support to University of Dayton police officers to promote wellness on and off the job.

Resource Mapping

The Resource Mapping Lab provides resources to practitioners and providers through the continuing development of an active and expanding user guide to social, public and health resources.

Whole Family Wellness

The Whole Family Wellness Lab provides resources to allow each individual and family unit to experience health and wellness.

Recruitment and Retention

The Recruitment and Retention Lab hosts career fairs to educate school-aged children about possible careers int he mental health field.


Research Projects

Barriers and Facilitators to Job Retention in Mental Health Professions

The purpose of this thematic analysis is to develop a rich description of the barriers and facilitators to job retention for mental health professions in HRSA-defined high need and high demand regions. At this stage in the research, job retention will be generally defined as an organization's ability to prevent employee turnover and increase the number of people who continue to work for the organization.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Meredith Montgomery, University of Dayton, mmontgomery2@udayton.edu, 937-229-4709.

Effects of Interpersonal Education and Practice IPEP on Mental Health Prof Identity

The purpose of the project is to understand the effects of Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP) training on the development of professional identities in individuals studying in a mental health master's program. The results of this study will inform mental health educators' decision on incorporating IPEP in future training programs.

Experiences and Challenges of Parents in Southwest and Central Ohio

The purpose of this thematic analysis qualitative study is to understand the experiences of and challenges to parents living in Southwest and Central Ohio. Results of this study will in form social, public, and health service providers in this region on how to best serve parents. The study seeks to develop a rich and detailed description of the lived experiences of parents in this region.

Interested in Participating in This Research?

Read the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand,
before deciding whether or not to participate.

  • Your participation in this research is voluntary. You have the right not to answer any question and to
    stop participating at any time for any reason. Answering the questions will take about 90 minutes.
  • You will be compensated with a $20 Visa gift card.
  • All interviews will be audio- and video-recorded using Zoom on a password-protected laptop owned
    by a University of Dayton faculty member. Recordings and transcripts will be stored in a password-protected drive. Sessions will be held in a soundproof room. Group members participating in the
    session will be asked to keep anything said confidential. Only the research team will have access to
    the recording, which will be kept in a secure place.
  • I understand that I am ONLY eligible to participate if I am over the age of 18.
Survey link

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Meredith Montgomery, University of Dayton, mmontgomery2@udayton.edu, 937-229-4709.

If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or you have questions regarding your rights as a research
participant, contact IRB@udayton.edu or 937-229-3515.

Heavy Resource Utilization of Social, Public and Health Services in London, OH

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand heavy utilization patterns of social and public resources in London, OH. At this stage in the research, heavy resource utilization will be generally defined as a pattern of behavior where individuals return to the same social, public or health service at a rate that is higher than expected.

Interested in Participating in This Research?

Read the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand,
before deciding whether or not to participate.

  • Your participation in this research is voluntary. You have the right not to answer any question and to
    stop participating at any time for any reason. Answering the questions will take about 90 minutes.
  • You will be compensated with a $10 Visa gift card.
  • All of the information you share will be confidential.
  • This will be an audio and video-recorded interview, only the researchers will have access to the
    recording and it will kept in a secure place.
  • Interviews will be held in a private room. Every effort will be made in order to protect participant
    confidentiality.
  • I understand that I am ONLY eligible to participate if I am over the age of 18.
Survey links

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Meredith Montgomery, University of Dayton, mmontgomery2@udayton.edu, 937-229-4709.

If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or you have questions regarding your rights as a research
participant, contact IRB@udayton.edu or 937-229-3515.

Language Used to Describe Heavy Resource Utilization Patterns

This study seeks to understand the language used to describe the phenomenon of heavy resource utilization. Heavy resource utilization is a pattern of behavior where individuals return to the same social, public or health service at a rate that is higher than expected. While this phenomenon is common, language used to describe it is inconsistent across organizations and professions. Shared language is known to influence the effectiveness of team work and service provision.


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Become a Community Partner

Interested in getting involved with the Community Wellness Initiative? Please contact Meredith Montgomery at mmontgomery2@udayton.edu to learn more about how we can partner.

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BHWET: The foundation of the Community Wellness Initiative

The Community Wellness Initiative began as the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program — a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and American Rescue Plan-funded collaboration between UD’s mental health graduate programs (clinical mental health counseling, school psychology, school counseling) and community partners from health, public safety and education across 30 counties in Southwest and Central Ohio.

Mission, Vision and Purpose

  • Purpose: We believe workplace mental health is the foundation of community health.
  • Vision: A connected community where the wellbeing of High Intensity/High Impact (HI/HI) professionals is valued and empowers service to others.
  • Mission: CWI empowers HI/HI Professionals to flourish personally and professionally through community-driven research and practice, the development of powerful wellness tools and a supportive Catholic, Marianist framework.

Funding

This started as a four-year, $1.92M program and was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the American Rescue Plan.

Student Involvement

Students work alongside faculty in a lab structure. Each team of students is focused on developing sustainable solutions to systemic issues. Community partners have been instrumental in identifying areas of focus. Each team develops programming, conducts research and disseminates information across professions and communities.

Student Benefits

How this program benefits our students:

  • Ability to work with leaders in the community.
  • Interprofessional Education (IPE) training.
  • First-hand experience in a variety of community settings.
  • Ability to create change in our communities.

Professional Resource Library

The purpose of the PRL-MH is to increase the proficiency of mental health practitioners across the state of Ohio while also reducing the training burden on mental health supervisors and administrators. This library will be a shared resource for mental health practitioners from all disciplines: counselors, school counselors, school psychologists, clinical psychologists, social workers, peer supporters, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, case managers, and mental health technicians.




Contact Community Wellness Initiative 937-229-3465