ADAMHS Board to use federal funds toward program

The Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board has received nearly $300,000 in federal funding it will use for its Opiate Recovery Transition Program.

The $297,808 in funding comes through the 21st Century CURES act passed by U.S. Congress in 2016. This year, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services distributed $26 million to ADAMHS Board and statewide initiatives.

“This is terrific news for Lake County, and these new funds will help the community’s efforts to combat the heroin and prescription drug epidemic gripping our state,” said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. “I was proud to help secure the opioid funding included in the CURES legislation, and I have seen firsthand how this law is making a difference across our state.”

This is the second straight year that Ohio has received opioid funding through the CURES act. Last year the Lake County ADAMHS Board received $314,000, which it used to expand the Opiate Recovery Transition Program.

The ADAMHS Board collaborates with Lake

Health, Windsor-Laurelwood Center for Behavioral Medicine, LakeGeauga Recovery Centers and Signature Health.

According to the ADAMHS Board, the road to the Opiate Recovery Transition Program begins when a person comes to either the Lake West or TriPoint emergency departments with symptoms of severe opiate use disorder as their primary clinical presentation. Clients (who must be Lake County residents) need to be willing to commit to medicationassisted treatment and 12 to 18 months of outpatient treatment.

Once the client is medically cleared by emergency department staff, the Lake Health Crisis Intervention Team will considering referring them to the program. ADAMHS system behavioral health liaison will then review the referral.

If approved, the client will be transferred to Windsor-Laurelwood for seven days of inpatient withdrawal management. During that time the behavioral

There have been 197 clients who have entered the program since its inception in March 2017, according to figures provided by the ADAMHS Board.

health liaison and the treatment team will recommend a plan for follow-up outpatient services.

There have been 197 clients who have entered the program since its inception in March 2017, according to figures provided by the ADAMHS Board.

Lake County ADAMHS Board director Kim Fraser has said there is no “one size fits all answer to addiction recovery and Opiate Recovery Transition Program is one available option. Other options can be explored by calling the Compass Line at 440-3502000 or 440-918-2000. Triage specialists help callers sort through their situations and connect them with the right resources, she said.