By Kimberly Gasuras

Approximately 1.1 million adult Ohioans are addicted to alcohol or other drugs and the ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health) Board provides services to those people along with hope for a better future.

The board that serves both Crawford and Marion counties is asking for a 1-mill renewal levy Nov. 7.

“This is not new money. It is a levy that people have been paying for 10 years and we are asking for voters to approve its renewal,” said Bradley DeCamp, director of the Crawford-Marion ADAMH Board. “Homeowners have been supporting the 1-mill levy since 1987. The millage has not increased in 30 years.”

The cost of the levy for a homeowner of a property valued at $100,000 is $27.12 per year, which equates to 52 cents per week.

“In fiscal year 2017, ADAMH-funded agencies served more than 4,800 people. Our work affects over 10 percent of Crawford County residents,” DeCamp said.

The board provides funding and support to local agencies including Community Counseling Services, Inc., Maryhaven, Together We Hurt, Together We Heal, the local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Family and Children First.

The board also provides prevention services and education to local youth through the Teen Institute and Junior Teen Institute programming at local schools.

“Since the addition of on-site licensed counselors and social workers through Community Counseling Services, Inc., our district has seen a steady decline in the number of discipline referrals, suspensions and expulsions. CCSI has also provides the SOS education and screening program for our students, which seeks to identify and address any potential issues that could lead students to harm themselves,” said Kevin Kimmel, superintendent of Bucyrus City Schools.

ADAMH funds also are used to assist people who need psychiatric hospitalization, but lack insurance, including many who have jobs.

“The demand is greater than ever,” DeCamp said.

For more information about the ADAMH board, visit mcadamh.com or the Crawford Marion ADAMH Board Facebook page.