Ohio Problem Gambling Treatment & Telehealth Service Expansion for DBH

In an MBE set-aside solicitation, only those bidders/suppliers with an active MBE certification at the time the solicitation closes can submit a response

SRC0000035324

12/2/2025 2:00:00 PM

1. MISSION & GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The mission of the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is to provide statewide leadership of a high-quality mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery system that is effective and valued by all Ohioans. DBH strives to be a national leader in implementing a comprehensive, accessible, and quality-focused system of addiction and mental health care and wellness for all Ohio citizens.

1. PURPOSE

The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is seeking proposals from qualified contractors to further develop a statewide problem gambling system of care using an administrator and regional hub model that directly supports regional providers by building their capacity to increase access to gambling treatment and recovery support services and by enabling them to integrate telehealth as an option when clinically appropriate or when local access barriers exist.

The proposed statewide telehealth addiction system includes two complimentary components:
1.         A lead organization that will develop and provide training, technical assistance to the identified regional hub behavioral health organizations.
2.         Five Region Behavioral Health Problem Gambling Hubs that will provide comprehensive problem gambling treatment and recovery services including telehealth.  Hubs will also provide support to other behavioral health organizations in their regions as they develop their internal capacity.

This structure ensures statewide consistency, local responsiveness, and access to high-quality clinical care for problem gambling.

1. BACKGROUND

(Problem gambling is a growing public health concern across the state, yet the service delivery system remains severely under-capacitated.  Current data demonstrates that there are only 91 certified providers (June 2025) with an estimated 120 individuals who are clinically competent to deliver specialized gambling disorder treatment.  This represents a fraction of the need particularly in rural, underserved, and high demand-communities where individuals face substantial barriers to timely care.
Access limitations are compounded by affordability concerns and insurance coverage gaps.  No-cost or sliding-fee scale gambling services are increasingly scarce, and only a portion of existing providers must either forgo treatment or travel long distances to obtain specialized care.  These pressures disproportionately impact residents with limited financial means, transportation challenges, or co-occurring conditions requiring integrated care.

1. SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

( The Lead Organization
The administrator will serve as the convenor of the system(s), providing the organizational, training, and quality assurances functions necessary to sustain and strengthen the network.  This vendor does not provide direct treatment services but instead builds the infrastructure and capacity of the regional agencies.
Lead Organization Core Deliverables Base Stipend $5,000.00 annually is guaranteed if hub meets baseline deliverables. Performance Incentive additional $2,500.00 annually awarded if hub demonstrates measurable impact by: Excellence Bonus additional $2,500.00 annually awarded if hub exceeded expectations such as: Documenting partnerships that leverage non-problem gambling funding sources (e.g. local coalitions, healthcare systems, philanthropy).

If the lead agency is also a certified provider of gambling disorder treatment services, the lead agency may, cover any shortfall in care, deliver direct clinical care to individuals seeking telehealth services.  Such instances shall occur only when (a) no other qualified provider within the regional network is available to accept the referral, or (b) the client specifically requests to receive care from the lead agency's certified clinicians.  The lead agency must demonstrate a good faith effort to connect the client with a regional hub provider prior to assuming direct care responsibilities.  Documentation of these efforts, including contact attempts, provider availability, and client preference statements must be maintained and available for review.  This documentation should reflect that all reasonable options for referral were exhausted before the lead agency-initiated treatment services.

1. Statewide Training for Regional Hubs Months 1-3 Training will include modules on peer support, financial education and counseling. 2. Train-the-trainer Program 3. Learning Collaboratives (months 2-18, bi-monthly) 4. Regional Hub Coaching and Mentoring (monthly, months 3-18) 5. Best Practice Guide for Problem Gambling Treatment 6. Monthly and Quarterly Status Reports (months 1-18) 7. State-Level Aggregate Metrics (quarterly, months 3-18) 8. Liaison Between Hubs and DBH (ongoing months 1-18) 9. Year-End Report (month 6 and 18) Data collection and reporting: System coordination:
Regional Hub Behavioral Health Providers
Regional Spokes are geographically distributed service providers throughout the state that deliver direct clinical care for gambling disorder and other addiction treatment needs.  These agencies will benefit from the administrators statewide training, technical assistance, while tailoring services to meet local needs. Hub Core Responsibilities:
Direct Clinical Care and Supports: Workforce Development:

Data Collection: Overall Anticipated Objectives and Outcomes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): The lead organization will measure and report on the following KPIs
The first phase (FY26) will act as a baseline and the second phase (SF27) will act as the comparative value for metric evaluation.

1. Workforce Capacity

1. Client Engagement & Outcomes

1. Geographic Coverage

1. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OF CONTRACTOR

(A recipient of the proposal must hold certification as a community behavioral health center. Agencies must have a comprehensive knowledge of Ohio’s behavioral health system.  Any sub-contracted agency will be held to the same standards as the recipient. Documentation of certification must be submitted as an appendix in the proposal for all agencies providing telehealth services.
-Extensive experience working with clients who have a diagnosis of gambling disorder/pathological gambling.
-Documentation verifying the use of HIPAA-compliant technology in the delivery of telehealth services.
-Clinical professionals who treat clients with gambling disorder/pathological gambling via telehealth must possess the minimum qualifications as outlined by the Ohio licensure boards listed below. The following is a list of clinicians who can provide telehealth services with appropriate training:
Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board
•           An active LCDCII-GAMB under proper supervision
•           An active LCDCIII-GAMB under proper supervision
•           An active LICDC-GAMB
Ohio Counselor, Social Worker Marriage and Family Therapist Board
•           An active LSW with demonstrated competency* under proper supervision
•           An active LPC with demonstrated competency* under proper supervision
•           An active MFT with demonstrated competency* under proper supervision
•           An active LISW with demonstrated competency*
•           An active LPCC with demonstrated competency*
•           An active IMFT with demonstrated competency*
Ohio Board of Psychology
An active clinical psychologist with demonstrated competency
International Gambling Counselor Certification Board
An active ICGC-I
An active ICGC-II

Applicants must provide a list of clinicians who are qualified to provide therapeutic services for their agency for disordered gambling as an attachment in their proposal.

Contractor shall not be subject to an “unresolved” finding for recovery under Section 9.24 of Ohio Revised Code.

PART FOUR: EVALUATION OF PROPOSALS

1. Evaluation Process

OhioMHAS’s evaluation process of responses submitted to this request may consist of up to four distinct phases:

1. OhioMHAS’s initial review of all proposals for timely submission;
2. An evaluation committee review of the proposals for defects and scoring;
3. OhioMHAS’s request for more information (clarifications, interviews, presentations, and/or demonstrations); and,
4. Negotiations or best offer requests.

At its sole discretion, OhioMHAS will determine whether phases three and/or four are necessary under this RFP, reserving for itself the ability to eliminate or add phases three or four at any time during the evaluation process. OhioMHAS may add or remove sub-phases to phases 2 through 4 at any time if MHAS believes doing so will improve the evaluation process.

1. Proposal Evaluation Criteria

In the proposal evaluation phase, OhioMHAS staff or reviewers selected by OhioMHAS (the committee) will rate the proposals submitted in response to this RFP based on the following criteria and weight assigned to each criterion.