NELSONVILLE — At the annual meeting last Monday of the Athens-Hocking-Vinton Alcohol, DrugAddiction and Mental Health Services (317) Board, the board recognized six individuals and organizations for providing lifelines of hope and support to residents of the three counties it serves.
Award recipients from Athens County included Common Pleas Judge George McCarthy; the staff of the Gathering Place in Athens; social workers Lori Brown and Jane Riley of Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare; and Dan Brozak, hospital liaison for Hopewell Health Centers. The meeting took place at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville.
Judge McCarthy was recognized with the Valeria “Taffy” Marks Substance Abuse Prevention Advocacy Award for his work with the Athens County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), whose creation he spearheaded nine years ago.
First certified by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2015, the court aims to help veterans who are involved in the criminal justice system to get treatment for mental health and substance abuse issues, stay sober and law-abiding, and regain control of their lives.
Ellen Martin, executive director of Health Recovery Services, Inc., in Athens recalled how McCarthy first approached HRS “about being one of the original partners on this fantastic, innovative project that he had in mind.
Noting that the program has so far graduated 19 veterans, Martin praised McCarthy as “a champion of the philosophy that prioritizes treatment in order to establish the well-known and respected hallmark of his court, which is, ‘Not a handout — we give a hand up.’
Veteran and VTC volunteer Jayne Darling said she’s amazed by the personal bond McCarthy makes with the veterans who pass through the court.
“The connection that he builds with our veterans has saved lives, I’m certain of it,” Darling said. “He knows about their families, he asks about their families… He knows these guys personally. And with the inconsistency of the veterans’ treatment that’s available in this country, there is nothing inconsistent about Judge McCarthy and his veterans’ treatment court, and I am so honored to be part of it.”
McCarthy himself had to pause a couple of times during his own remarks, clearly almost overcome with emotion. (“I don’t know why I’m so choked up, I really don’t,” he said at one point.) He praised the cohesiveness and mutual support of the local community, which he suggested is the secret ingredient in the court’s success.
“The reason we’re able to do something like this that is special, is because people like the ones in this room get together and make it possible,” he said.
The Gathering Place is a member-operated peer recovery organization that according to its website serves adults with mental health issues or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, offering them peer support, linkage services, advocacy, mental health education, recreational and wellness activities, opportunities to affordable housing, access to healthy food, and community integration opportunities, all in a welcoming home-like environment. The organization’s staff — Ginger Schmalenberg, Sara Brooks, Daniel West, Catrina Tolley and Madalyn Shiplett — were recognized with the Rita Gillick Mental Health Advocacy Award.
Gathering Place Executive Director Schmalenberg praised her staff as “such incredible individuals to work with every day.” She noted that the organization, which has been around for nearly half a century, prides itself on being truly peer-run.
“It’s really all about love,” she said. “And it’s all about peer support.”
Brown and Riley jointly received a county-specific Behavioral Health Advocate Award. In addition to their duties as social workers, also volunteer with the Athens County Suicide Prevention Coalition and LOSS Team.
Amanda Conrath, fiscal director for the 317 Board, said that when her father committed suicide earlier this year, volunteers like Brown and Riley were a godsend.
“Their presence was calming and so reassuring to my family,” she recounted. “They were our outlet for the despair, grief and shock we were all feeling that day… They listened, provided support, made sure we ate, directed traffic in the driveway, and helped greet our friends and family as if they were their own. They went above and beyond what anyone could expect.”
Brozak won Athens County’s second Behavioral Health Advocate Award. Sherri Tyree, 317 Board quality and planning director, said Brozak goes the extra mile in his work as a hospital liaison.
“He builds bridges with community partners, and is the can-do guy for physicians, case managers, and agencies all across our county,” she said. “He is truly extraordinary. In fact, we call him Superman.”
Other award recipients recognized at the event were Beth Kluding who serves as chief nursing officer for Hocking Valley Community Hospital and board chair for the Hocking Hills Inspire Shelter. She received a Behavioral Health Advocate Award for Hocking County.
Recognized with a Behavioral Health Advocate Award for Vinton County was the board of the C.A.R.E. Outreach Team: Seth Fannin, Greg Burke, David Boothe, Marilyn Braden, David Graham, Shirley Graham, Debbie McNally, John Hawk, Brande Minton, Marilyn Prater, George Reaser, Naomi Wallace and Jean-Ann Webster.
Diane Pfaff, 317 Board executive director, summed up the evening with a tribute to the healing power of connectedness and community.
“Trauma in life is going to happen, but we can have an impact on community and culture and beyond,” she said. “This is the work that we heard about tonight, and that all of you are doing every day… We all are in the business of making connections, and it makes a difference.”
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