By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services is working to improve the process for allocating funds to mental health and substance use disorder providers in the county.
At a hybrid meeting of the board on Monday, Executive Director Amanda Kern explained they will use a new, more rigorous scoring metric and application process to ensure funding decisions are objective, transparent and aligned with WCADAMHS’s strategic mandates.
The process will move from a historical method to a new, more structured, collaborative and defensible system for funding local providers, she said. The goal is to be more objective and less ambiguous.
“Here’s everything we’re thinking. Let us show you what we’re thinking and make sure you are okay if this is the direction we move in,” she said to the board members.
There will be a two-phase exclusionary system. Providers interested in being considered for funds appropriated through the WCADAMHS must first provide essential credentials that they are certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (Now named Ohio Department of Behavioral Health) to provide mental health or substance use disorder services.
“It’s pass/fail. If you’re not OMHAS certified and you submit an application to us, we’re not going to consider your application,” she said.
Board member Erica Parish suggested that information be front and center before applicants get too far into the process.
“That information needs to be the very first sentence in the packet. If you don’t meet this, then don’t even continue forward. They shouldn’t be digging into it to get that far to be told you don’t qualify,” Parish said.
The information is included in the introductory letter, and can be added to the top of the application in an overview, Kern said.
The next step considers the provider’s alignment with funder priorities, mandates, missions and risks. “If you score less than seven on the alignment, we will automatically stop because you have not met any of the thresholds to be rising in the application process,” she said.
Once the applications are submitted, the staff will conduct an initial scoring and members of the Operations and Administration Committee will also review to check work and provide “an objective second look,” Kern said.
As part of the discussion, Kern emphasized that clarity and transparency are vital to the process.
The agency’s Request for Proposals will be widely publicized to ensure area providers are aware of the application process. The application will be provided in an all-inclusive electronic form.
In addition to approving the new process, the board agreed to hire an external consultant to review and “redline” the document for an objective, third-party perspective.
Posted by: Julie Carle on January 7, 2026.