ALCOHOL, DRUG ADDICTION, AND MENTAL HEALTH BOARDS OF OHIO The Value of Ohio s Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Boards Providing hope and helping local communities thrive ++--------- LOCAL NEEDS LOCAL DECISI NS LOCAL BOARDS As a voice for many citizens across the state, Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health (ADAMH) Boards empower community action through local partnerships on issues around mental illness and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. For many ADAMH Boards, their importance rests in the vitality of community businesses, the homes of many Ohio families, and even the hallways of our schools. By working to bring community engagement to the forefront, Boards are positioned to create local synergy around issues to solve local problems and help local communities thrive. This comprehensive approach to issues ensures that Boards provide the best alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services to all Ohioans.
Powers and Duties of Local ADAMH Boards Ohio s ADAMH Boards are statutorily empowered to establish, to the extent resources are available, a community support system, which provides for prevention, treatment, support, and rehabilitation services and opportunities. Essential elements of the system include, but are not limited to, the following: Locating persons in need of addiction or mental health services to inform them of available services and benefits; Assistance for clients to obtain services necessary to meet basic human needs for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, personal safety, and income; Addiction and mental health services, including, but not limited to, outpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, and, where appropriate, inpatient care; Emergency services and crisis intervention; Assistance for clients to obtain vocational services and opportunities for employment; Provision of services designed to develop social, community, and personal living skills; Access to a wide range of housing and the provision of residential treatment and supports; Support, assistance, consultation, and education for families, friends, clients receiving or seeking addiction and/or mental health services, and others; Recognition and encouragement of families, friends, neighborhood networks (especially networks that include racial and ethnic minorities), churches, community organizations, and community employment as natural supports for clients receiving or seeking addiction and/or mental health services; Grievance procedures and protection of the rights of clients receiving or seeking addiction and/or mental health services; and case management, which includes continual individualized assistance and advocacy to ensure that needed services are offered and procured. Through the development of a local system of care, defined by local residents to meet local needs, Boards work to ensure that individuals with mental illness and/or addiction in communities throughout Ohio receive the services and supports they need to achieve recovery. Ohio s ADAMH Boards Assess Plan Collaborate Empower Fund Monitor Evaluate Convene Treatment and Recovery Providers Education Criminal/Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Local Communities ADAMH BOARDS Local Businesses Other Social Services Healthcare/Hospitals
Assess Community Needs Boards assess community needs in order to set priorities and determine the types of services, programs, and facilities necessary to provide an integrated continuum of care for their Board area, based on local evaluation and community input. Plan for a Unified System of Care Boards plan for a unified system of care by working with consumers, family members, providers, and the public to identify the components necessary to ensure that high quality, cost effective, and culturally competent services are available to meet the needs of the community. Collaborate With Community Partners Boards collaborate with community housing, schools, child welfare, the developmental disabilities system, Job and Family Services, the courts, law enforcement, and physical health care, as well as vocational and employment services to ensure that they are providing the most effective prevention, treatment, and recovery support services to meet the needs of local residents. Empowering Consumers Boards work to ensure that consumer and family voices are heard and considered as they plan for and develop the local continuum of care. They start by ensuring their representation on the local Board, and by providing other opportunities such as blogs, websites, focus groups, consumer forums, etc. to be heard. By helping consumers have a voice in the system, treatment becomes consumer driven, thus empowering individuals to direct their own recovery. Fund and Promote Local Support Boards fund and promote local support through levies, grants, and partnerships. Ohioans are committed to the notion of local control, which is why more communities willingly approve levies to support mental illness and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. In addition to the federal, state, and local funds utilized for services, Boards also garner grant funding and community partnerships to support their local continuum of care.
Monitor and Ensure Quality Services Evaluate Cost Effectiveness Convening Local Partners ADAMH Boards review and audit the delivery of services through programmatic and fiscal monitoring. As a result, Boards ensure that public resources are utilized to provide quality services in the most effective manner to serve as many citizens as possible, while meeting locally identified needs. Boards contract with local providers for the provision of services. Boards assess and evaluate the services provided, in order to confirm that these services are cost effective and efficient, while providing the appropriate level of care. Through this process, Boards work to ensure the most efficient use of scarce resources by directing them to meet local priorities. Due to the nature of mental illness and addiction, Boards have built relationships with local law enforcement, court systems, businesses, social services, schools and higher education, physical health care providers and behavioral health care providers. As a result, when local issues or problems arise, ADAMH Boards are in the unique position to convene all necessary local partners to develop a workable solution and address the concerns within their local communities. Boards are CONSUMER advocates and COMMUNITY advocates.
How ADAMH Boards Work with Criminal Justice Research shows that behavioral health is vital to justice reinvestment success for many individuals occupying Ohio s jails and prisons. Collaborative relationships between Boards and the criminal justice system are critical to diversion and recidivism avoidance. Boards partner with community justice systems and Ohio s prison systems to remove barriers and identify solutions that can save lives and resources. While resources vary, examples of the collaborative relationships Boards have with courts and corrections include: partnering to implement crisis intervention training to improve the safety of law enforcement and mentally ill Ohioans, diversion services, behavioral health liaison services, forensic monitoring, and serving on re-entry coalitions. How ADAMH Boards Work with Hospitals Inpatient care is a critical part of the local behavioral health continuum of care. Depending on a number of factors including severity of illness, access, funding, and insurance, Boards use both state operated psychiatric hospitals and private hospitals to provide inpatient care. In some cases, Boards may choose to use a lesser level of care when clinically appropriate, such as a crisis stabilization unit. Boards are responsible for the screening and authorization of admissions for all clients accessing the state hospital, for both voluntary and involuntary commitments. Boards are also involved with discharge planning for clients leaving both State and private hospitals, and coordinating services within the continuum. How ADAMH Boards Work with Business Partners Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Boards are uniquely positioned to work with local business partners and to implement education and prevention campaigns about what a drug-free workplace is and the potential consequences for testing positive for drugs. Boards would like to expand the array of services they provide to help get people back to work, such as supportive employment, specific job training, life skills and case management. By working with local businesses to gain access to a ready pool of applicants, Boards help businesses and communities thrive. How ADAMH Boards Work with Local Communities For many of Ohio s children and adults, Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Boards are uniquely positioned to serve as a convener on issues prevalent within local communities. ADAMH Boards assist in providing not just mental health and substance abuse assessment services for children, adolescents, and adults, but also prevention, education, housing, and counseling services. Boards also work in communities to expand the capacity of non- Medicaid services to prevent and manage chronic diseases from the start, using the latest evidence-based research.
Ohio s ADAMH Boards To learn more about your local Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Board, visit the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities at www.oacbha.org or scan the QR code below to be directed to the county board directory. Be sure to click on your county board to get more information. TREATMENT WORKS... PEOPLE RECOVER RECOVERING PEOPLE WORK WORKING PEOPLE PAY TAXES Support local alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities 33 North High Street, Suite 500, Columbus, Ohio 43215 (614) 224-1111 www.oacbha.org