CareSource Announces Exhibition Games for Mental Health

CareSource joins Cincinnati, Ohio State Men’s Basketball Teams to Support Mental Health

CINCINNATI, Ohio (CARESOURCE) – CareSource, the University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University are excited to announce an exhibition basketball game on Friday, Oct. 18, to be held at Fifth Third Arena.

Game time and ticket information will be announced soon.

The game is part of a series of exhibition matchups that will support adolescent and young adult mental health and suicide prevention initiatives, including Jay’s Light and other mental health organizations.

"When CareSource saw the power and impact of the inaugural game and events in Dayton last year, we immediately felt more people should hear the life-changing messages around mental health and breaking the stigma," said Scott Markovich, executive vice president, markets and products at CareSource. "Whole-person wellness is a core part of CareSource's mission, and it's an honor to support our communities' health and wellbeing by expanding awareness and resources through these games. We work to make a real, meaningful impact on the communities and members we serve, and our work with Jay’s Light is another way we are doing that.”

The inaugural game was played in 2023 when Dayton hosted Ohio State in a sold-out charity benefit game. The game and events surrounding it raised approximately $500,000 to benefit mental health. A recap of last year's event can be found here.

It was previously announced that Dayton will host Xavier as part of the exhibition series on October 20th.

All net proceeds from ticket sales will benefit mental health providers and charities within each school's footprint, along with Jay's Light, a fund started by Dayton Coach Anthony Grant and wife Chris to help mothers, fathers, teens and young adults find the resources to help with mental health struggles. Their daughter Jay died in 2022 at the age of 20, as a result of mental illness.

"Chris and I continue to be inspired by generosity and support from others who want to join us in helping raise awareness, generate conversation and increase access to mental health services in all communities,” Coach Grant said. “We are grateful for CareSource, the other head coaches and all the partners who have joined this important effort. We can make a difference together with our collective visibility."

Quotes from Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller and Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler on the exhibition:

“We are thrilled to participate in this exhibition with Ohio State and raise awareness for mental health initiatives,” Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller said. “This game will be a great showcase for Fifth Third Arena and serve as a preview for our fans for what’s in store for our 2024-25 team.

“We're grateful to CareSource and thrilled to join Coach Grant and others in this important effort,” Miller said. “Under (Director of Athletics) John Cunningham's leadership, the health and wellness of our student-athletes has become a top priority for our department. Ensuring that our players have the resources they need to overcome any challenges on and off the court is important to us. We work closely every day with our sports psychology and wellness team, led by Dr. Lenecia Nickell, to make this a reality.”

“We’re excited to partner with Cincinnati and CareSource this preseason for such a tremendous cause,” Ohio State Coach Diebler said. “The opportunity to raise awareness, specifically in our great state, was important to our program and university. The overall wellness and mental health of our student-athletes has long been a priority for our athletic department, and we are blessed to have incredible resources here at Ohio State. Being able to join coach Grant, along with coach Miller and his program, is important for our state as we continue to work to have a real impact in our communities.”