By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board and staff completed its exhaustive process for determining the services and amounts it will fund when the new fiscal year starts in July.
Programs that were approved for System of Care funding based on the board’s strategic plan are:
Children’s Resource Center: $3,078,343
Fee for Service—$1,197,240
Residential Unit—$1,725,025
Crisis After Hours—$156,077
Harbor: $2,788,407
Fee for Service—$695,000
Forensic/Adult Care Facility Monitor—$28,100
Individual Placement and Support—$246,645
Connection Center—$537,967
Housing Assistance Program—$121,205.32
Class 2 Residential (Community Residential)—$670,070
Transition to Independence (TIP)—$215,000
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—$73,426
Semi-Independent—$200,991
Unison: $2,349,011
Fee for Service—$710,000
Hospital Liaison—$112,759
Crisis Services—$626,251
Crisis Stabilization Center—$900,000
Wood County Educational Services Center: $1,263,490
Community Learning Centers Prevention—$190,787
Diversion Prevention—$204,255
Prevention Coalition Prevention—$6,371
Substance Abuse Prevention—$431,038
Suicide Prevention—$431,038
WCADAMHS Board Budget: $1,088,653
OhioGuidestone: $253,829
Fee for Service—$90,000
Criminal Justice Liaison—$64,324
Criminal Justice Screener—$86,504
Community Transition Reimbursement—$8,000
Expressive Arts—$5,000
The Cocoon: $426,200
Shelter Program—$426,200
NAMI Wood County: $230,349
Peer-to-Peer—$9,826
Wellness Recovery Action Plan—$11,156
Family-to-Family—$8,746
NAMI Basics—$8,255
Connection Recovery Support Group—$12,792
Family Support Group—$9,538
Education Series—$23,589
Mental Health First Aid—$18,964
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)—$32,333
Ending the Silence—$9,107
KidShop—$9,173
Advocacy Program—$76,865
Special Projects/System of Care Supports:
Marketing—$25,000
Mini Grants—$5,000
Workforce Development—$25,000
Disaster Response—$25,000
Addiction Task Force—$9,200
Overdose Awareness (Grant)—$14,500
Gongwer Legislative Updates—$4,000
Transportation—$60,000
Probate/Legal Fees—$1,500
Bed Days/Adult Care Facilities—$350,000
Family and Children’s First Council Dues—$20,000
Assisted Outpatient Treatment—$4,000
Guardian Services Board—$32,121
George Mason—$10,000
Access to Wellness Funds—$25,000
Psychotropic Drug Reimbursement (Flow-Through-Jail)—$42,000
Community Transition Program—$5,000
Crisis Flex Funds—$15,000
Gambling Prevention—$42,076
Harm Reduction—$32,000
Targeted Violence and Threat Prevention (Grant)—(TBD)
Bipartisan Safer Community Act (Grant)—$75,000
System Navigator—$117,835
Executive Director Discretionary—$10,000
Suicide Prevention Coalition (NAMI WC Fiscal Agent)—$40,000
Zepf Center: $140,000
Fee for Service—$140,000
H.O.P.E in Fostoria: $13,755
With expenditures estimated at $12,621,872 to support mental health and addiction services in Wood County and anticipated revenues of $11,288,109, WCADAMHS Executive Director Amanda Kern explained that the agency would need to use more than $1.33 million from the agency’s fund balance to cover the approved services.
The bulk of the revenue—$8,766,505—comes from the local levy, which causes concern if the proposed ban on property taxes becomes a ballot issue in Ohio.
State grants and funding totaling $1.8843 million comes from criminal justice state block grants for criminal justice ($52,267), prevention ($36,421), recovery supports ($233,837), mental health ($1,119,881), substance use disorder ($109,192), crisis services ($170,186), pilot funding for adult mobile crisis ($121,046), substance use disorder gambling addiction prevention ($42,076) allocation and behavioral health drug reimbursement ($42,000).
Federal revenues total $585,697 including Title XX Mental Health ($60,000), Mental Health Federal Block Grant ($54,136), Prevention Federal Block Grant ($120,211), Substance Use Disorder Federal Block Grant ($201,850),Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention for behavior intervention and prevention ($60,000), Bipartisan Safe Community Act ($75,000) and Overdose Awareness Grant ($14,500O).
Additionally, $1,000 is anticipated in memorial donations and $8,000 in other reimbursements/receipts.
Kern said $215,000 for transition to independence housing was added to the budget “at the 11th hour.” The program offers an evidence-based model that provides intensive case management, support groups and daily living assistance for young adults with behavioral health challenges.
The additional budget item was included to ensure “enough funding to sustain programming for another few months with a reduced model and then bring it back to the board for further action,” she said. They are looking for additional funding sources before any final decisions are made. “Even if the program doesn’t continue, we want to have funding to be able to wind down services.”
An additional change in the budget from previous drafts included “a slight adjustment” for NAMI Wood County, Kern said. The additional $15,000 (from $215,000 to $230,000) was adjusted to “make sure that it keeps NAMI whole” despite losing a staff member.
“We sat down and negotiated because I still want them to provide some education and do some of our strategic plan initiatives with us,” Kern said.
An adjustment was also made to the System of Care Supports budget line that funds bed days in adult care facilities. “We wanted to make sure that for everyone we currently had in placement, we had enough funds available to cover an entire year’s worth of their stays,” Kern explained. “We have quite a few individuals with a partner project in Hancock County that is an adult care facility that provides 24-hour staffing.”
The system navigator position, which was added to the System of Care budget, will also be working with the individuals in housing to make sure they are trying to apply for benefits and house supports to help offset the board’s costs.
“We’re trying to contain that cost, but between ths hospitalization and all the adult care facility bed days, it’s a growing cost and something that we will pay attention to in the fiscal year,” she said.
The board also approved contracts for each of the agencies in a resolution that included all the contracts in one vote.
Frank McLaughlin noted that he would have preferred that the contracts be voted on individually, as had been done in the past. Individual contracts would have allowed board members an opportunity to comment on individual discussion about contracts that I think has always been beneficial. It also would have allowed any board member who has a professional or personal dealing with any of the vendors to abstain from voting on the contract.
“I have no concerns about the contact of the contracts,” he said. “I’m uneasy with the process.”
The board agreed to proceed with the single vote for all the contracts but suggested reviewing the process before next year’s allocation process.
Posted by: Julie Carle on May 30, 2026.