ADAMH hopes to foster more mental-health, addiction support after election results
Franklin County voters overwhelmingly approved a tax levy Tuesday to help fund soaring demand for mental-health services and addiction treatment.
The issue on the ballot was a renewal of the existing five-year, 2.2-mill levy for the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County, also known simply as ADAMH. It passed with 70.4% of the vote, according to official returns.
Until Tuesday night's approval, the levy hasn't been raised in nearly 15 years, according to ADAHM's Chief Executive Officer Erika Clark Jones.
In that time, central Ohio and that nation has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic, she said. This year's COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted gaps in supporting people suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues.
But Tuesday's results shows community's commitment to providing a safety net for residents in need, Jones said.
"They recognize we need this behavioral health safety net, and they have confidence in us (ADAMH) to be good stewards of the resources that are entrusted to us," she said. "I think it's a win for our entire community."
The approval signals a renewal of the existing levy, plus an additional 0.65 mills. Combined, the 2.85 mills would generate about $81 million annually and cost homeowners about $83 annually per $100,000 of home value — $60 for the current levy and $23 for the new millage. The existing property tax expires at the end of December 2021.
Jones said the levy is crucial to maintain service levels and provide expansion options for the Columbus area.
Between 80% and 85% of the new millage will go toward strengthening ADAMH's current services, she said. Additional millage will be used to establish new investments in medically-assisted treatment programs for those struggling with recovery, suicide prevention efforts, mental health housing and other-related services.
"The best way to really address substance abuse and mental health issues is to get in front of it," Jones said."
Jones said these efforts will join other actions already taken by the board.
Last year, the board bought property and plans to open a mental health and addiction crisis center to help people in immediate need of care. Right now, the majority of those front-door services are provided by hospitals when people show up in emergency rooms, and by Netcare Access, a crisis mental health service, on the West Side.
With an annual budget of about $111 million, ADAMH provides funding to dozens of behavioral-health organizations and programs that serve Franklin County residents. Three years ago, the agency invested nearly $7 million in Maryhaven's Addiction Stabilization Center, a 55-bed facility on the South Side.
The center opened in 2018 to provide immediate care and addiction treatment to overdose victims and has treated more than 6,400 patients. Maryhaven also added an intake option in August that allows people to walk in rather than arrive by emergency medical transport.
The new process drew approximately 300 people during the first few weeks. And although overdose deaths have declined in many areas around the state, numbers have skyrocketed in Franklin County.
From January to June of this year, the Franklin County coroner's office reported 437 deaths from overdoses, a grim increase of 73% from the same period in 2019. Fentanyl and heroin-related deaths accounted for 90% of the total, with cocaine and methamphetamine remaining contributing factors, according to Franklin County Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola.
With these numbers, Jones said residents are seeing the importance of these services, resulting in an increase in voter turnout. An estimated 69% of eligible voters submitted their ballots for this year's renewal request compared to 36% in 2015.
"People are starting to see the challenges that come with being disconnected," Jones said. "I think it was on the top of people's minds how difficult it could be if we don't have the proper support."