Both frontrunners for governor want to improve Ohio's mental health care system, and each has a vision for a better state, but neither outlined detailed plans for how they would accomplish these goals.At the states National Alli ance on Mental Illness (NAMI) conference, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Dr. Amy Acton tried to take nonpartisan approaches to tackling the mental health crisis."A great ethical opportunity to do what is actually right and to set a positive example that brings us together across demographic and party lines to address a problem that knows no demographic," Ramaswamy said.Several hours later, COVID-era health director Acton spoke to the NAMI members."As governor, that is my job to be able to create the conditions and give the most resources I can, and, quite frankly, to the most community level I can," Acton said.Acton is the presumptive nominee, since she doesn't have a primary opponent. Ramaswamy, who has the party's backing and millions of dollars raised, is facing off on May 5 against candidate Casey Putsch.Until last week, there was another GOP challenger named Heather Hill. Due to her running mate dropping out, all votes for her are now void.Ramaswamy's visionRamaswamy explained his background on the business side of the biotech industry to open up his remarks, adding that both his wife and his mother are doctors."Ensure that every patient who does suffer from a mental health condition is able to access treatment," Ramaswamy said.He believes that spending more up front on mental health resources could help lower total costs and prevent crises. "We actually bear greater costs if we fail to address upfront," Ramaswamy said, adding that early intervention would be a great "ROI," return on investment, in the long run.He didnt specify what kind of intervention services he would provide, but one of his outlined plans was to rebuild "psychiatric" facilities. "Our jail will no longer be expected or put in the unfortunate position of having to take care of mentally ill people where they're not equipped to take care of," Ramaswamy said.Ohio has six state-run "psychiatric hospitals" that specialize in inpatient treatment, but they are short-term facilities, with average stays of about two weeks in acute care units, according to the Department of Behavioral Health.Each of the long-term facilities, such as the "Athens Lunatic Asylum," was shut down by the mid-1990s due to the "de-institutionalization movement," according to Ohio University, which owns the former hospital's property. In some cases, treatment facilities took over the land where the former "asylums" were.Ramaswamy did not explain how much money these new buildings would cost, but did have an idea on how to staff them amid the mental healthcare provider shortage."I think it needs to be an attractive profession that is compensated appropriately for the value that is actually being delivered," he said.He said that he wants to meaningfully raise the median and mean pay of providers in the state.He also wanted to see more results from OSU's State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience studies to best create a plan to tackle mental illness.The Republican expressed his desire to figure out how to change Ohio's Medicaid system so that mental health is addressed and the system "delivers superior outcomes," but also "pays less in the process.""We're actually focusing on the outcome rather than quantity of intervention delivered," Ramaswamy said.He also wanted to figure out how to better help providers get reimbursement.Ramaswamy made a couple of quips about Acton's responsibility in helping to "shut down" the state, leading to an increase in mental health concerns.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has consistently and emphatically defended Acton against these claims, saying he is the one who should be held responsible for all COVID-19 policy.Acton's visionDr. Acton started her speech by discussing her upbringing and love of public health, including the work she has already done in the state with previous leaders, such as DeWine and Govs. John Kasich and Bob Taft."I worked with him on an opiate settlement, where we learned from the tobacco settlement, [that money...] did not come to our communities or treat addiction," Acton said. "Most of it filled potholes."When working on RecoveryOhio, she helped make sure local officials were able to get money from the lawsuit. She explained that she would increase funding for local programs since they know their communities the best."Helping the continuum of care locally is very dependent on the flexibility of funding and programs that we can help you thread the needle on at the state level," she said.She acknowledged the struggles that especially rural areas face in the lack of providers or even hospitals, noting that due to the federal government, multiple rural facilities are at risk of collapse under budget cuts."We know a state can't solve everything that happens federally, but governors and attorneys general can certainly be pushing back," Acton said.Sharing her own personal experience of growing up in poverty, living in a tent in Youngstown and being sexually abused as a child, she knows how much stigma hurts people. This is why mental health intervention needs to start early, she added."Create preventive systems where we teach in our schools the skill sets that help us be resilient and have good mental health, and know how to ask for help and help families," the doctor said.Acton also emphasized the importance of protecting access to Medicaid."We know that a lot of children rely on it for their health care services, and this is something we absolutely need a governor to make sure that we keep working to keep everyone insured," she said.She took some time to criticize the Statehouse leaders, minus DeWine, and her likely opponent, Ramaswamy."I believe it's time for a change in Ohio," Acton said, to applause.Several times during her remarks, she was given rounds of applause from the audience.Unanswered questionsBoth candidates went in and out of the event through a door next to the stage. Each left the event without taking questions from the press to clarify their positions, including how they would accomplish their goals.Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. ...read more read less