Back Row – Left to right: Michelle Black (TRC), Melanie Swisher (ADAMH), Bill Showman (ADAMH), Danette Miller (CAC Fayette County), Erin Allsop (BBBSSCO) Front Row – Left to right: Leah Raymer (PARS), Danielle Oates-Barrows (ADAMH), Brooke Truman (CAC Fayette County)

Chillicothe, OH — 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 here to receive updates.