About ADAMHS

In 1988 Ohio passed the “Mental Health Act” which stressed the importance of community treatment rather than institutionalization. Community Mental Health Boards received even more authority to plan and develop local systems of care.

In 1989, Ohio recognized that a cabinet level department and local community control could best serve the recovery needs of Ohioans with alcohol and/or other drug addictions. Counties throughout Ohio reengineered their existing Community Mental Health Boards to also plan and oversee alcohol and other drug services.

Currently the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board for Montgomery County administrates the planning, development, funding, and evaluation of behavioral health services delivered by a network of nearly thirty (30) communities based organizations. In fiscal year 2010, this network provided service to more than 20,647 individuals at a system- wide cost of $64,008,719 million.

The Ohio Office of Health Transformation has been given a set of priorities that will impact the responsibilities and the role of the ADAMHS Board beginning July 1, 2011. These include:

• Improve Care Coordination
• Integrate Behavioral/Physical Health Care
• Rebalance Long-Term Care
• Modernize Reimbursement
• Balance the Budget

To ensure consistency with, and positioning to access future federal funds, the ADAMHS Board must realign its priorities with those identified as SAMHSA’s Eight Strategic Initiatives. These priorities are to focus SAMHSA in its use and allocation of its resources, thus allowing SAMHSA “to respond to national, state, territorial, tribal and local trends and support implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act and guide SAMHSA through 2014 to help people with mental and alcohol other drug disorders and their families”. The Eight Strategic Initiatives are:

- Prevention of Alcohol other drug and Mental Illness
- Trauma and Justice - Military Families
- Recovery Support
- Health Reform
- Health Information Technology
- Data, Outcomes and Quality
- Public Awareness and Support
 

Recent News


National Prevention Week is May 20-26

Earlier this year, SAMHSA announced its latest observance-based initiative to promote public awareness of substance abuse prevention – National Prevention Week. This prevention awareness project will be observed annually each May with local communities across the country hosting events, rallies, and celebrations. The first National Prevention Week will take place May 20-26 and is intended to raise awareness about substance use and abuse before it even occurs.  For more information, Click here  

Play Therapy Management for Anxiety in Children and Adolescents

Anxiety is a major problem for our children and teens today. In our practice we see many children, adolescents, and adults for anxiety concerns. Children and adolescents seem to learn techniques for reducing or managing anxiety best when they learn through activities and creative means. This workshop will help you learn some fun ways to help others, and maybe even yourself, reduce anxiety connected to everyday life as well as difficult life events.  More...

Best of Conference 2012 in Chicago 

Whether or not you were at healthcare’s most important specialty conference this year, here are some links that help you capture or relive the experience and the wealth of learnings. More ....