Paint Valley ADAMH awarded over $750K to prevent substance use among youth

Chillicothe — The Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board (ADAMH) was awarded $750,776.40 in grant funding to support prevention efforts for local youth.

“The grant from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation will expand current prevention efforts across our five counties to include positive alternatives designed to curb the impact the opioid crisis has on youth and families in our region,” said Melanie Swisher, Executive Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board. “Prevention programming creates positive alternatives and education to increase childhood protective factors and decrease the likelihood of future substance use disorder in our youth.”

The funding will support prevention efforts of several service providers including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Central Ohio, The Recovery Council, Pickaway Area Recovery Services, and the Community Action Commission of Fayette County.

“Our children deserve the absolute best in prevention services,” Swisher said. “We must continue to work upstream to give our children the skills they need to live healthy lives. The Paint Valley ADAMH Board continues to assess, evaluate, and plan for needed services within our board region, and this grant will help us address some of those needs identified by expanding prevention beyond the classroom.”

The grant is part of an inaugural round of about $51 million made available by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to combat the opioid epidemic by supporting prevention, treatment and recovery programs and services provided by organizations on the frontlines of the addiction epidemic in our communities.

The grant was funded with 55% of settlement funds Ohio is receiving from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic. Across Ohio, organizations like the Paint Valley ADAMH Board are working day in and day out to strengthen their communities impacted by the opioid epidemic, said Alisha Nelson, Executive Director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.

“We’re pleased to partner with the Paint Valley ADAMH Board to support their efforts to save lives, rebuild families affected by addiction, and foster strong and resilient places to live,” Nelson said.

The foundation received an overwhelming, robust response to the grant with requests comprising more than a half-billion dollars. The foundation completed a robust review of grant applicants which included evaluation by the OneOhio Regional Board, the OneOhio Expert Panel and the OneOhio Board of Directors.

Grant recipients:

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing the opioid crisis.

• Use evidenced-based prevention strategies that align with Ohio’s approved abatement strategies, including prevention, recovery supports, services for impacted families and children, and many more.

A complete list of recipients can be found at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards.

Organizations and leaders seeking to submit applications in the future can sign up on the Foundation’s website to receive updates.