Issue 9, the Lorain County Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Renewal Levy Passes with Overwhelming Support from Voters

Voters approved – with 72.42% support in all but one precinct reporting as of 9:30 p.m. – a renewal of a five-year Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Levy in Lorain County to ensure that families continue to have access to mental health crisis options in emergencies, treatment and prevention programs for children and adults, and addiction recovery services.

“We would like to thank all residents in Lorain County for showing their support of evidenced based prevention and treatment services,” said Michael Doud, Executive Director. “The passage of this levy allows the Board to reinforce a strategic plan to best utilize service delivery today and provides hope for tomorrow. We are committed to meeting the recovery needs of our service area with evidence-based programming that will strengthen our community and individuals in need of mental health care. This YES vote allows us to better provide for those in need.” The Board would like to thank our coalition of providers, our partners, and community volunteers. On behalf of the nearly 16,000 Lorain County residents who receive mental health and recovery services across our health network, we would especially like to thank the voters for their continued support.

“The Board and staff are very grateful to the community for their belief in the work and services the Mental Health, Addiction & Recovery Services Board does in Lorain County,” said Board Chair Dan Urbin.

About the Levy:
The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services levy was a renewal of a $3.9 million, 0.6- mill, 5-year levy on the November 8, 2022, ballot. It is less than $1.25/month ($14.95/year) per $100,000 of property value. This levy, which won’t raise taxes, is one of the smallest in Lorain
County. State and federal funding for mental health and addiction treatment has remained relatively flat. In Lorain County, local support typically provides 59% of the annual operating budget that makes services possible. Passage of the renewal levy continues valued mental health and
addiction services to sustain a safe, vibrant community.

PHOTOS: Friends of the MHARS Board Open House

The Friends of the MHARS Board hosted an open house at the Amy Levin Center at the MHARS Board offices Sept. 19, providing attendees with an opportunity to learn more about what we do, meet members of our board and staff, and learn about volunteer opportunities.

We thank the approximately 100 people who attended. If you are interested in supporting the campaign but were unable to attend, click here to sign up for various options to support us in getting this critical levy renewal, Issue 9, passed on Nov. 8. Issue 9 is a five-year renewal of the existing levy funding the MHARS Board, and is not a tax increase. Learn more about Issue 9 at voteforissue9.com.

Check out scenes from the event below, and find out how you can help support the critical work of the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County by voting for Issue 9. 

PHOTOS: First Responders Week of Appreciation

In support of those on the front lines of the opioid crisis, the Mental Health, Addiction & Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County and volunteers showed their gratitude for First Responders Week of Appreciation. Volunteers took thank you baskets to law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, children’s service workers, 911 dispatchers, behavioral health workers, and others helping to save lives in Lorain County.

Thank you, first responders, for all you do! Here are some scenes from deliveries throughout Lorain County.

Proposals Now Accepted for the Frederick P. Slanina Foundation Fund

We are pleased to announce that proposals are now being accepted for the Frederick P. Slanina Foundation Fund. Currently, there is approximately $12,000 in the fund. 

The deadline submission is December 15, 2023.

HISTORY

In 1996, the former Lorain County Board of Mental Health (LCBMH) and the Mental Health Network agencies identified the need to support staff development within the Network.  Ten agency Executive Directors presented a signed request to the LCBMH.  This request put into motion the Frederick P. Slanina Foundation Fund, named after the LCBMH’s Executive Director who was retiring after 20 years of service with the Board and a total of 30 years in the mental health field.  At their February 20, 1997 meeting, the Board of Directors of the LCBMH adopted a resolution to officially establish the fund.  

Listed below are the fund’s priorities as determined in 1998, and attached are guidelines for individual applicants and for joint workshops.

PRIORITIES

1. Scholarships to assist Network staff in obtaining undergraduate or graduate education required for certification.

1. A grant to support a joint workshop for professional development in Lorain County.

SLANINA FOUNDATION FUND

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR INDIVIDUALS

• Scholarships will be granted for use during the 2023/2024 academic years.

• Scholarships must be for courses at an accredited institution and can be for an undergraduate or graduate degree.

• The individual must be an employee of a contract agency of the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County during the entire fiscal year for which the money is awarded.

• The individual must have successfully completed a semester or quarter to be able to receive scholarship funds.

• Individual requests must come through the Director of the Agency of employment with a recommendation from the direct supervisor.

• Scholarship funds will be disbursed to the agency or educational institution, not the individual.

INSTRUCTIONS

Please provide the following information:

• Name, Address, Phone, Position, Employing Agency.

• Amount and purpose of the grant, and a simple budget.

• Name of educational institution, length of time anticipated to complete a degree, and degree sought.

• Rationale regarding how the grant will help the individual’s professional development, and how it will help the agency.

• Length of service and professional goals.

• Commitment to provide service in the Mental Health Network throughout the fiscal year.

• Agency Director’s review and letter of recommendation.

• Date when the grant is needed.

• Please indicate if you have applied for or are receiving funding from other sources, i.e., grants, loans, and/or scholarships.
• A recent copy of your student transcripts.

Regarding distribution of funds, preference will first be given to courses leading to a degree from an accredited college or university, or for licensure, then consideration will be given to alternate methods or creative learning opportunities.

Please return requests and required documents by December 15, 2023 to:

Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County

ATTN:  Patrice McKinney

1173 North Ridge Road East, Suite 101

Lorain, OH  44055

pmckinney@mharslc.org

About the MHARS Renewal Levy 

About the MHARS Renewal Levy 

The Lorain County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to place a five-year renewal of the existing levy funding the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot. This renewal — which is not a tax increase — will be used to make sure that families have mental health crisis options in emergencies, treatment and prevention programs for children and adults, and addiction recovery services.

Mental illness and addiction are medical issues, not moral failings or character flaws. Recovery is possible, and your help passing this levy is crucial to help those struggling and their loved ones, not just now but into the future.

Here’s what you need to know about the renewal levy and how it will help the MHARS Board perform its essential services.

Just the Facts 

The MHARS levy is a renewal of a $3.9 million, 0.6-mill, 5-year levy on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot. It is less than $1.75/month ($21/year) per $100,000 of property value. This levy, which won’t raise taxes, is one of the smallest in Lorain County.

State and federal funding for mental health and addiction treatment has remained relatively flat. In Lorain County, local support typically provides 59% of the annual operating budget that makes services possible. Passage of the renewal levy will continue valued mental health and addiction services to sustain a safe, vibrant community.

The Purpose 

The residents of Lorain County have been essential partners in ensuring that families have mental health crisis options in emergencies, treatment and prevention programs for children and adults, and addiction recovery services. The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Renewal Levy is critical to ensure cost effective prevention and intervention programs continue. These include:

• Investing in heroin and opioid addiction recovery programs
• Providing mental health and recovery services for children and families who cannot afford to pay for them, have nowhere else to turn, and could go untreated
• Helping teachers identify and connect students to treatment
• Providing training that improves skills of clinicians, law enforcement, and community members

The Bottom Line 

1. Nearly 16,000 Lorain County residents received mental health and recovery services across our health network in 2021. This renewal contributes a significant amount to keeping those services available for families – 24% of the clients served in our network are children.
2. Good steward of taxpayer dollars. The Lorain County Commissioners regularly reviews the levy and voted unanimously to place it on November 2022 ballot for renewal. By providing intervention and prevention services, the levy helps significantly reduce the burden on county resources. When compared to other alternatives, interventions funded by the levy are efficient and effective investments.
3. The levy is one of thesmallest county-wide operating levy, $1.75/month, and if approved by voters, it would continue to maintain support services promoting stronger and more vibrant communities in Lorain County.
4. With this levy renewal, we will continue to promote stronger, safer communities by funding programs essential to effective mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Do Your Part – VOTE! 

You can help us build stronger communities in Lorain County and maintain these vital services by voting FOR the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services renewal levy on Nov. 8.

ARE YOU REGISTERED?

CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION:  Visit MYOHIOVOTE.COM to check your registration and where to vote.

GET REGISTERED:  If you have a valid driver’s license, visit MYOHIOVOTE.COM to get registered online. Deadline is Oct. 11.

VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT

If you are a registered voter, download an application form at MYOHIOVOTE.COM. Mail in the filled-out form and you will receive your ballot in the mail. Remember to mail back or drop off your ballot by Nov. 7 to:

Lorain County Board of Elections
1985 North Ridge Road East
Lorain, OH 44055
voteloraincountyohio.gov 

EARLY VOTE

You can also vote early, in person, by visiting the Board of Elections. Early voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 12 and runs through 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7.

VOTE ON ELECTION DAY

Polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8. Make sure to check your polling location with the Board of Elections.

The residents of Lorain County have been essential partners in ensuring that families have mental health crisis options in emergencies, treatment and prevention programs for children and adults, and addiction recovery services. The Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Renewal Levy is critical to ensure cost effective prevention and intervention programs continue. These include:

• Investing in heroin and opioid addiction recovery programs
• Providing mental health and recovery services for children and families who cannot afford to pay for them, have nowhere else to turn, and could go untreated
• Helping teachers identify and connect students to treatment
• Providing training that improves skills of clinicians, law enforcement, and community members

Renewal Levy for Lorain County MHARS Board Placed on November 2022 Ballot

LORAIN, OHIO – The Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to place a five-year renewal of an existing levy funding the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services (MHARS) Board of Lorain County on the November 2022 ballot.

Voters last approved, with 74 percent support, a five-year levy in 2018 to ensure that families have mental health crisis options in emergencies, treatment and prevention programs for children and adults, and addiction recovery services. The MHARS renewal levy is critical to ensure cost effective prevention and intervention programs continue.

The levy request on the November ballot, won’t raise taxes, but it will continue to promote stronger, safer communities by funding programs essential to effective mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

“Nearly 16,000 Lorain County residents received mental health and recovery services across our health network in 2020,” said Michael Doud, Executive Director. “The levy, which won’t raise taxes, continues to care for individuals in Lorain County and their families in times of crisis.”

With the construction of the new Lorain County Crisis Receiving Center – a 32-bed facility for those experiencing mental health and substance use disorder crises – the levy renewal will be an essential part of strengthening the crisis continuum in the county.

“This levy will not raise taxes,” said Dan Urbin, Chair of the MHARS Board of Directors. “In 2021, there were 147 overdose deaths. The number of overdoses from January to May 2022 has surpassed the number of overdoses from the same time period last year, January to May 2021. These dollars are essential to address mental health and the addiction epidemic in Lorain County.”

The levy will be assigned an issue number in September. The voter registration deadline for the November 8 election is October 11.