LAKE ADAMHS BOARD BEGINS 2020 FISCAL YEAR WITH NEW OFFICERS, NEW BUDGET, ANNUAL AWARDS

Painesville, OH — The Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board officially transitioned to a new fiscal year Monday evening during its annual meeting and dinner at Quail Hollow in Concord Township.

Established by Ohio Statute, the ADAMHS Board is responsible for planning, funding, monitoring, and evaluating Lake County’s community-based mental health and addiction recovery services. Board members, all Lake County residents who serve without compensation, include mental health and recovery experts, consumers (people who need and use services), relatives of consumers, community leaders, and business professionals.

The board approved $11.6 million in ongoing non-Medicaid funding for its 2020 fiscal year. Those funds will provide services for local individuals and families dealing with mental illness and/or substance-use disorders.

The ADAMHS FY2020 network of providers includes Bridges, Catholic Charities, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Crossroads Health, Extended Housing, Lake County Sheriff’s Jail Treatment Program, Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers, Lake Health (behavioral health crisis/emergency services), the Lake County Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Lifeline, Northcoast Behavioral Healthcare/Community Services Network, Signature Health, Torchlight Youth Mentoring Alliance, Windsor-Laurelwood Center for Behavioral Medicine, and WomenSafe.

During the meeting the ADAMHS Board elected new officers for its new fiscal-year. The slate includes Chair Les Beck, Vice-Chair David Enzerra, Treasurer Andy Meinhold, Secretary Matt Sabo, and Past Chair Dione DeMitro. Other fiscal-year 2020 board members include Nancy Brown, Roberta Kalb, Jim McBride, Julia McGruder, and Karen Sippola.

Following the formal board meeting, board members, staff and guests shared dinner and a program themed “You. Me. Us”. Executive Director Kim Fraser introduced five people who work in the ADAMHS system, each of whom told a story about someone whose life was impacted by ADAMHS-supported services and initiatives.

Three retiring ADAMHS Board members were honored. Troy Hager served as board vice chair, secretary, and treasurer. He also served on the Program, Long-Range Planning, Alcohol/Drug Addiction, Allocation, and Evaluation/Quality Improvement Committees.  Doug Klier served as board secretary and treasurer, and also served on the Program, Alcohol/Drug Addiction, Evaluation/Quality Improvement, Long-Range Planning, and Allocation Committees. Frank Sarosy served on the board’s Program, Long Range Planning, Allocation, Mental Health, Alcohol/Drug Addiction, and Evaluation/Quality Improvement committees.

The ADAMHS Board bestowed its three annual system-wide awards at the event. The Consumer Achievement Award recognizes a client who has been especially successful in working toward and achieving important goals. This year’s award was given to Vicki Drake. The Unsung Hero Award salutes a staff member at an ADAMHS funded service provider. This year’s award went to Anna Marie Palmer of Torchlight Youth Mentoring Alliance. The ADAMHS Advocate Award recognizes someone who has contributed significantly to the system’s missions. The award was presented to Pam Morse.

Award-winners and the retiring board member were presented framed pieces of art from the system’s annual Expressions of Recovery consumer art show.