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 OneOhio Recovery Foundation will expand current prevention efforts across our five counties to include positive options designed to curb the impact the opioid crisis is having on youth and families in our region,” said Melanie Swisher, executive director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board of Directors. “Prevention programming creates positive options and education to increase childhood protective factors and reduce the likelihood of future substance use disorders in our youth.”

The funding will support prevention efforts by 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 preventive 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 take address some of the needs identified by expanding prevention beyond the classroom.”

The grant is part of an approximately $51 million seed round made available by the OneOhio Recovery Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to fight the opioid epidemic by supporting prevention, treatment and recovery programs and services provided by organizations on the front lines of the addiction epidemic in our communities. The grant was funded with 55 percent of the decommissioning funds Ohio receives 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 affected by the opioid epidemic, said Alisha Nelson, executive director of the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.

“We are excited 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 totaling more than half a billion dollars. The Foundation completed a robust review of grant applicants that included evaluation by the OneOhio Regional Board, the OneOhio Expert Panel and the OneOhio Board of Directors.

Beneficiary:

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing the opioid crisis.

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

A complete list of recipients is available at OneOhioFoundation.com/GrantAwards.

Organizations and leaders wishing to submit applications in the future can register on the foundation’s website to receive updates.

About the Paint Valley ADAMH Board: The Paint Valley ADAMH Board was created in 1967 to ensure access to community-based alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services for the residents of Fayette, Highland, Pickaway, Pike and Ross Counties. Our mission is to improve the behavioral health care system for our communities, ensuring that individuals and families have access to person-centered, evidence-based treatment and support.

About OneOhio Recovery Foundation: The OneOhio Recovery Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created under the leadership of Governor Mike DeWine and Attorney General Dave Yost, and other state and local leaders, with the mission of advancing Ohio’s addiction prevention, treatment and recovery efforts. now and in the future. The foundation is governed by a 29-member board from across Ohio and is funded by 55 percent of the settlement funds Ohio receives from the pharmaceutical industry as a consequence of its role in the national opioid epidemic. Funds support local efforts to prevent and combat addiction and are also invested to support these efforts in the long term.

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