Franklin County Crisis Center receives $1 million from American Electric Power Foundation

The Franklin County Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Center capital campaign has gained a new charitable partnership with a $1 million dollar donation from the American Electric Power Foundation.

With this gift, the nearly $60 million dollar capital project has raised $55.62 million in the private and public sectors. The project will build a centralized destination of care for adults with mental health and addiction crisis needs.

Officials say this project, led by the Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH), reflects the community-wide investment to address the growing need for mental health care and addiction services.

According to the ADAMH, Franklin County is experiencing high fatal overdose and emergency hospitalization rates, and Central Ohio is estimated to see a 23 percent increase in mental health and addiction services in the next ten years.

“We are grateful for American Electric Power Foundation’s continued investment in our community and thankful for its leadership in addressing mental health and addiction challenges in Franklin County,” ADAMH CEO Erika Clark Jones said. “As this gift further demonstrates, enhancing the continuum of crisis care in Franklin County is a priority for the entire community.”

Other recent philanthropic donations include:

• $2.5 million from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations
• $1 million from the Robert F. Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation
• $1 million from the Nationwide Foundation,
• $500,000 from The Columbus Foundation
• $500,000 from the Columbus Medical Association Foundation
• $100,000 from CoverMyMeds
  

Additional investments to the project have been donated by the state government, county and city governments, and hospital systems in Franklin County including Mount Carmel, OhioHealth, and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Groundbreaking on the new crisis center is scheduled for later this year on land owned by ADAMH located south of Harmon Avenue, east of South Souder Avenue, and north of Buchanan Drive.

The project is expected to be completed by 2024, with the crisis center up and running to support the community.