Mary Alice Reporting –
A grant totaling more than $291,000 will primarily be used to open a physical and behavioral health urgent care center.
The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, Mental health Services (ADAMH) Board of Tuscarawas and Carroll Counties was the recipient of the dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Director Natalie Bollon explains they have been working with SpringVale to develop the urgent care facility, anticipated to open this fall.
“The goal of this is first to prevent crisis from happening, so if individuals can’t get into a provider very quickly they can go to urgent care to touch base and get some support until they’re able to get into that provider. The other thing, they’ll be able to do some crisis intervention services there as well.”
Meanwhile, a portion of the funding has been allocated to revise a section in the Tuscarawas County Jail.
“We have a reentry coordinator who’s doing a tremendous job transitioning inmates from incarceration back to the community, so we included funding to develop a behavioral health service options there in the jail.”
Bollon adds that some funding will also be directed toward helping local first responders related to their mental health.
“We will be training a group of first responders and potentially behavioral health responders to be that confidential and quiet, touch base and source of support for our first responders.”
Another portion of this will train a local crisis response and stress management team, who would respond to a workplace, school, or community to provide support to individuals involved in a catastrophic or traumatizing event.
For more information on mental crisis resources, visit www.adamhtc.org.
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