Save the Date: International Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31

The Lorain County Opioid Action Team is hosting a vigil in memory of the 143 lives lost to accidental overdose in Lorain County in 2021. Community partners will be there with resource tables for prevention, treatment, recovery support. Free Narcan kits and more will be available. Those in recovery and the families of those who have struggled with addiction will share their stories.

WHERE: Spitzer Conference Center at Lorain County Community College, 1005 Abbe Rd. N., Elyria, OH 44035

WHEN: Aug. 31 from 5-8 p.m.

Questions? Email Jinx Mastney at jmastney@mharslc.org.

MHARS Board of Lorain County Announces New Board Officers

The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County’s Board of Directors voted at its June 28 meeting on new officers for the 2023 Fiscal Year.

The officers for this one-year term will include:

• Dan Urbin, who will continue to serve as Chair
• James Schaeper, Vice Chair
• Hope Moon, Chair of Governance
• Sandra Premura, Treasurer

“With several important priorities ahead, one of the most notable of which is the construction of the Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center, the Board has been tasked with some of the biggest improvements to crisis care in Lorain County since its merger in 2019,” said Urbin. “I look forward to continuing to serve as the Board Chair and working with my fellow Board members, the Lorain County Commissioners, community leaders and residents.”

Under Ohio Revised Code 340, the volunteer Board of Directors has the legal responsibility for the planning, funding and monitoring of community mental health and alcohol and other addiction treatment services in Lorain County.

The Board of Directors also bid farewell to two retiring longtime Board members, Dr. Denise Eacott and Karen Sutera.

“It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Denise Eacott and Karen Sutera,” said MHARS Board Executive Director Michael Doud. “I thank them for years of invaluable service to the Board and dedication to improving mental health, addiction and recovery services for those in need and their loved ones in Lorain County.”

There are currently two Board of Directors vacancies that must be filled. Board members are not compensated and must complete an application and interview process before being appointed by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners or Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services. Applications can be found on our website by clicking here. Submit completed applications to Patrice McKinney at pmckinney@mharslc.org.

Prospective Board members must be residents of Lorain County and have an interest in mental health and/or addiction. In addition, a board member may not be related to any Lorain County Commissioner. A board member may not serve on the Board of any agency under contract with the Board or be employed by any such agency. A board member may not be employed by or be related to anyone employed by the MHARS Board. To learn more, visit our website.

MHARS Board Observes June as Pride Month

June marks Pride Month in the United States. The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County supports access to services for all community members and understands the impact that support, inclusion and empathy can have. The celebration of Pride symbolizes the recognition, inclusion and vitality of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

To highlight the importance of access to mental health care, affirming services and life-saving support, last year’s National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021 found that:

• 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
• 12% of white youth attempted suicide compared to 31% of Native/Indigenous youth, 21% of Black youth, 21% of multiracial youth, 18% of Latinx youth, and 12% of Asian/Pacific Islander youth.
• 94% of LGBTQ youth reported that recent politics negatively impacted their mental health.
• More than 80% of LGBTQ youth stated that COVID-19 made their living situation more stressful — and only 1 in 3 LGBTQ youth found their home to be LGBTQ-affirming.
• 70% of LGBTQ youth stated that their mental health was “poor” most of the time or always during COVID-19.
• 48% of LGBTQ youth reported they wanted counseling from a mental health professional but were unable to receive it in the past year.
• 30% of LGBTQ youth experienced food insecurity in the past month, including half of all Native/Indigenous LGBTQ youth. 75% of LGBTQ youth reported that they had experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity at least once in their lifetime.
• Half of all LGBTQ youth of color reported discrimination based on their race/ethnicity in the past year, including 67% of Black LGBTQ youth and 60% of Asian/Pacific Islander LGBTQ youth.
• 13% of LGBTQ youth reported being subjected to conversion therapy, with 83% reporting it occurred when they were under age 18.
• Transgender and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all of the people they lived with attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected by anyone with whom they lived.
• Transgender and nonbinary youth who were able to change their name and/or gender marker on legal documents, such as driver’s licenses and birth certificates, reported lower rates of attempting suicide.
• LGBTQ youth who had access to spaces that affirmed their sexual orientation and gender identity reported lower rates of attempting suicide.

Check out The Trevor Project National Survey to view interactive survey results and to learn more about the relationship between mental health, support and access to affirming services.

20 Law Enforcement Officers Complete Crisis Training

Twenty law enforcement officers participated in Lorain County Crisis Intervention Team Training April 4-8.

Training consisted of presentations from several Lorain County agencies that work with those struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders. The officers also heard from individuals and families with lived experience to understand how to better help when in crisis. In addition, they learned how to properly engage with someone experiencing a mental health crisis including de-escalation skills and even learned about QPR training for persons who may be suicidal. 

The officers learned about the many resources in the Lorain County aimed at getting the assistance they need to prevent, among other things, unnecessary incarcerations.

Graduates were from the following departments:

• Amherst Police Department
• Avon Police Department
• Elyria Police Department
• Grafton Police Department
• Lorain County Adult Probation
• Lorain County Sheriff’s Office
• Lorain Police Department
• Sheffield Village Police Department
• Vermilion Police Department

Check out images from the CIT below.

$1.5 Million Awarded by US Congress to Fund Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center 

From Joint Release with The Nord Center:

The Nord Center applied for and was awarded $1.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending. This request was made through United States Senator Sherrod Brown who worked to make this funding a reality.

This earmarked federal funding underlines of The Nord Center’s commitment to being an active and meaningful participant in the new Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center. The federal funds awarded to this project in combination with the funding received already from the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County , the Lorain County Commissioners, the Nord Family Foundation, and the Bass Family, set the stage in Lorain County for breakthrough behavioral health and substance use disorder crisis care.

This center, based on a best practice model used successfully elsewhere in the country, will expand the County’s capacity to provide inpatient detoxification services and revolutionize the care continuum for behavioral health and substance use disorder in Lorain County.  

“The Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center project has been the culmination of many years’ work and support from countless members of our community. They include civic leadership, healthcare, schools, law enforcement, courts, both state and federal legislators, philanthropic organizations and private business owners,” said Don Schiffbauer, Nord Center CEO. “Our local emergency rooms and law enforcement agencies are currently the treatment choice options for those in crisis. This center will provide a therapeutic, warm and welcoming setting in which to facilitate recovery by providing help through medication stabilization, access to case management, counseling services and appropriate assessment. Providers can also triage on-site for the right level of care, making seamless connections to community resources that will facilitate the recovery and healing process.”

The planned Crisis Receiving Center is an alternative and much improved vision for how Lorain County provides behavioral health and substance use disorder care. The project will enhance the crisis continuum in Lorain County with a first-of-its-kind facility to treat those experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis. The project owner will be the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County in partnership with The Nord Center, The LCADA Way and many other valuable community partners. 

Currently, residents of Lorain County, experiencing a behavioral health crisis or substance use disorder emergency, primarily have two options: go to an emergency department at potentially great expense to the patient and to the community; or be taken to jail, which can overburden local law-enforcement agencies. 

In the Crisis Receiving Center model, people can receive rapid counseling, medication stabilization and assessment with immediate access to an appropriate level of care in a setting that is warm, inviting and therapeutic to both clients and their families and friends.  

In addition to significantly benefitting clients and their families, a Crisis Receiving Center also benefits the community by reducing crowding in emergency rooms and decreasing the use of law enforcement personnel for crisis management. This because, at a Crisis Receiving Center, law enforcement can drop a client off in a matter of minutes rather than potentially spending hours waiting with them at an emergency department.

“We thank you, Senator Brown, for this critically important investment in strengthening the crisis continuum in Lorain County,” said Michael Doud, Executive Director of the MHARS Board of Lorain County. “This funding will help bring this first-of-its-kind facility closer to opening its doors to anyone in our county experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis.”

LCOAT Family Support Branch Debuts Resource Guide

The Lorain County Opioid Action Team’s (LCOAT) Family Support Branch has created a new resource guide for families affected by substance use disorder.

When a loved one struggles with addiction, we may not know how to help. This guide is designed by family members of those struggling with substance use disorder to make the process of finding help a little easier.

Click here to download the printable It’s OK to Talk About It guide.

4,381.6 Pounds of Drugs Collected During Lorain County Drug Take Back Day

The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County partnered with local law enforcement and various community organizations to collect 4,381.6 pounds of drugs, including opioids, at National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on October 23. The Fall 2021 total surpasses the 3,883.7 pounds collected at the last Lorain County Drug Take Back event in April 2021.

“Lorain County continues to see the adverse effects of improper opioid use that lead to addiction,” said Michael Doud, MHARS Board Executive Director. “We can all do our part to curb substance use disorder by safely disposing of prescription drugs that could potentially be abused. I thank the many residents, volunteers and public safety personnel who made this event a success.”

Here is a breakdown of how much was collected throughout Lorain County by location:

Residents who were unable to drop off on Drug Take Back Day may still bring their unused prescriptions for safe disposal to local police departments. All Lorain County police departments have receptacles for drop-off in their lobbies.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day addresses a crucial public safety and public health issue. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.7 million people misused prescription pain relievers, 4.9 million people misused prescription stimulants, and 5.9 million people misused prescription tranquilizers or sedatives in 2019. The survey also showed that a majority of misused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is led nationally by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

For more information about addiction, treatment and recovery, visit www.mharslc.org/recovery.

MHARS Board Offices to Close Oct. 29 for Staff Training

Our offices will be closed on October 29, 2021 for an off-site staff training.

It is possible that some messages and voicemails may not be returned by staff until Monday, November 1.

Thanks!

RFQ Questions Answered

Below are the questions submitted as part of the RFQ for a project manager/owner representative for the Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center. The questions, as they were sent, are listed below in a bolded font.