Four County ADAMhs Board CEO Rob Giesige told board members during a virtual meeting on Thursday (December 10) that he should know by the end of the month if the board’s application for a federally funded grant totaling nearly $1.4 million has been approved.
The grant, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is intended to expand addiction and mental health services and can be spent over a two year period.
Giesige explained that a number of needs were identified in the four county application, including funding to begin a school-based mental health first aid program for teens, equipment to expand providers’ ability to offer telehealth services to more people, and the purchase of handicapped accessible vans for healthcare providers funded by the ADAMhs Board.
Giesige noted that transportation has always been an issue for rural areas that lack public transportation options. Many times, this can be a barrier to services or make it difficult for clients to fulfill basic needs such as grocery shopping and keeping medical appointments. “If approved, the grant would really help us make progress on the transportation issue,” he said.
Otherwise, the board meeting agenda was fairly light. A $5,000 agreement was approved with Secure Telehealth to provide a low cost, personal computer-based video conferencing service that psychiatrists and behavioral health organizations can use for telepsychiatry and therapy.
A contract amendment for Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio was also approved for $8,670 to provide group home services for one client who is served by the agency.