05/27/2026
Ohio's Certified Mental Health Assistant Program Moves Through Review Process
In July 2025, the State Medical Board of Ohio Advisory Committee on Certified Mental Health Assistant (CMHA) Programs convened under Ohio Revised Code Section 4772.05. The five-member committee reviewed the proposed curriculum at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) during public meetings using Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) benchmarks to evaluate the adequacy of training and supervision for the new credential. Stakeholders included representatives from the Ohio State Medical Association, NEOMED, and the State Medical Board of Ohio (SMBO). A final committee report was submitted to the SMBO in February 2026.
While recognizing the potential workforce value of a well-structured CMHA role in Ohio’s behavioral health system, the Committee stressed that strong educational safeguards and curriculum standards are necessary to ensure graduates can safely and effectively provide evidence-based psychiatric and addiction care to complex patient populations. The Committee emphasized the importance of rigorous didactic and clinical training with competency-based supervision for the CMHA profession. The Committee acknowledged strengths within the curriculum, including development of foundational psychiatric knowledge, clinical reasoning communication skills, ethical practice, evidence-based medicine, and exposure to a range of behavioral health treatment settings.
However, the Committee concluded that the proposed curriculum lacks sufficient clarity, depth, and structural safeguards to ensure consistent preparation for safe and effective clinical practice. The report emphasized that, because CMHAs will not have a national accrediting body, certification examination, or external competency validation process, the burden of ensuring graduate readiness falls almost entirely on the educational program itself.
Key concerns identified by the Committee included:
- Insufficiently defined program competencies and measurable outcome standards
- Gaps in foundational medical sciences and organ system education relevant to behavioral health care
- Limited formalized assessment strategies, including standardized knowledge and clinical skills evaluations
- Lack of detailed clinical site selection criteria, preceptor qualifications, and oversight mechanisms
- Concerns regarding consistency and equivalency of clinical training experiences across sites
- Insufficient integration of telehealth and telemedicine training
- Limited education in healthcare systems, public health, and administrative/operational competencies
- Absence of formalized site agreements and designated clinical leadership structures
- Increased concern due to the lack of a national accrediting body or standardized licensure examination for CMHAs
The Committee ultimately recommended that program approval be contingent upon targeted revisions and clarification of identified deficiencies. As a result, the SMBO approved the recommendations of the Committee and affirmed concerns about deficiencies in the proposed curriculum submitted by NEOMED. In a letter to the Chancellor of the University, the Board emphasized that the absence of a national accrediting body or certification exam places full responsibility for competency validation on NEOMED and requires clearly defined competencies, rigorous assessment methods, and demonstrable clinical readiness. The Board further summarized that any new license entering clinical practice must include the training, structure, and safeguards necessary to protect patients and the public, and concluded that the proposed curriculum does not yet provide that level of assurance in its current form. While they recognize the value of workforce expansion, the Board stressed that expanding access to care must not come at the expense of supervision, training quality, or patient safety.
At this time, public comment is being sought on the proposed language for the CMHA profession. The SMBO seeks public input at multiple stages of the rule-making process and comments may result in proposed amendments, rescissions, new rules, or no changes, and may lead to revisions before rules advance further in the approval process. The rules can be viewed here on the Board’s website and the period for public comment is open until June 5, 2026.
OAPA extends deep gratitude to Michell McDiffett, DMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA for her outstanding service on the CMHA Advisory Committee.
Her extensive expertise in psychiatry, combined with her longstanding dedication as an OAPA member and leader, made her an invaluable advocate at the table to champion the interests of Ohio PAs and the patients they serve.