ADAMH director urges Ross County citizens to vote for levy renewal

CHILLICOTHE — Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Board Director Penny Dehner urges Southern Ohio residents to vote, as ADAMH goes for a levy renewal. 

To maintain funding, ADAMH must pass a majority vote in the region they cover, which includes the counties of Ross, Pike, Highland, Fayette, and Pickaway counties. 

In 2020, ADAMH brought in $10,220,113 in total revenue, with $4,771,746 generated by local levy funding. 

"Our biggest message right now, is if you support it, please vote," said Dehner. "Don't assume, 'oh heck, it's just a renewal, it'll pass.' We all know what assume means, and if you believe in who we are and what we do and want us to continue that job, please vote yes." 

The 1-mill, 10-year levy has been on the books for 50 years, the ADAMH Director said. 

ADAMH acts as the planner for services and prevention related to behavioral health. 

"Our job is to ensure, number one, that services are available for mental health treatment and prevention, along with substance use treatment and prevention," said Dehner. 

One of the core elements of ADAMH's sevices is to provide for crisis services, a wide umbrella including a crisis worker to respond to the jail, a general crisis hotline, crisis workers in schools, and psych evals in local emergency rooms.

"All those services are 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They are probably our most expensive services, but those are things tax dollars pay for, the state and federal government do not give us those dollars," she said.

Along with the services they are mandated to provide under the Ohio Revised Code, such as crisis services, substance use disorder treatment services, residential services for mental health and substance use disorder, and funding the crisis hotline, the program also partners with area organizations such as big brothers big sisters and the recovery council, along with funding local community action organizations, law enforcement organizations, and other community organizations such as the Ross County Suicide Prevention Coalition. 

The need for services over the last two years has only risen due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dehner, noting that Ross County has seen an increase in suicides and drug overdoses during the pandemic. 

In response, the ADAMH Board has worked to secure grant funding to make up for that need so as to not raise taxes. 

"Because of COVID, the loss of jobs, and the businesses that have closed, we couldn't go back to our communities and say, yeah, well, we need more money. We've done a great job applying for and getting grants — in Fiscal Year 2021, we have brought in over $4 million in grant funding." 

While grant funding is temporary, the director is hopeful that it will be enough to get the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While not everyone is affected by drug addiction or mental health, the service is important to the community, said the director. 

"You never know when a crisis can occur, within your family or to you. And having those services in the community makes a community more attractive — if you have people not in treatment willy-nilly down the street, that isn't attractive to business either. When you combine us with the treatment providers, the drug coalitions, the suicide prevention coalitions, we are actively working to improve our community." 

The ADAMH Board has received the endorsements of all five Boards of Commissioners in the counties covered by the organization, along with the Ross County Sheriff and Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce. 

"The Chamber notes ADAMH’s strong work to provide mental services for children and families that cannot afford to pay for treatment. The work of ADAMH in the areas of suicide prevention and supporting recovery helps our community," said Chamber President and CEO Mike Throne in a September news release. 

Dwight Garrett, president of the Ross County Board of Commissioners, called ADAMH "essential' to the community. 

"With the epidemic we have right now, especially with drugs, the great thing about ADAMH is they ensure the availability of alcohol, drug, and mental health services. It's something that is essential now," he said. "There are people who have problems and ADAMH is a group that tries to get them connected to the right people."  

The levy will continue disbursing throughout 2022. If the levy fails, it will have chances to appear again on the ballot in May and November of next year. 

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