ADAMH Board of Franklin County

This Mental Health Awareness Month, staff participated in and facilitated two trainings focused on strengthening response skills.

Thank you to Youssef Kasheer and Candace Carter for leading Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) training. QPR is an evidence-based su***de prevention approach designed to help individuals recognize and respond to warning signs of su***de.

Thank you to Colleen Hendon for facilitating a Youth Mental Health First Aid training, where staff learned how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use among young people.

ADAMH is grateful for opportunities to invest in staff development and continue equipping employees with tools and knowledge that help strengthen and support the well-being of our community.

The ADAMH office will be closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.

If you or someone you love is struggling or in crisis, call, text or chat 988, or go to the Franklin County Crisis Care Center at 465 Harmon Ave.

Thank you to the Dublin ACT Coalition - Dublin, OH for inviting Monica Cerrezuela, ADAMH’s Senior Director of Government Affairs and Special Initiatives, back to present to their group.

Monica's presentation focused on ADAMH’s role in the community as well as emerging policy and public health trends related to ma*****na legalization, kratom and psychedelic-assisted treatments.

ADAMH CEO Erika Clark Jones was honored to speak at the grand opening and ribbon cutting for Community For New Direction’s (CND) second building on Livingston Avenue, marking an important expansion of the agency’s impact in the community.

CND continues to make a meaningful difference through its work, and this new space will help the organization reach and support even more individuals and families in need. Congratulations to CND on this exciting milestone.

Mental Health America of Ohio, alongside ADAMH and several provider partners, recently hosted the fifth annual Peer Recovery Supporter Community Event and Job Fair. The event brought together individuals in recovery, certified peer supporters and community organizations for a day focused on connection, opportunity and growth.

Attendees had the chance to learn more about becoming a certified peer recovery supporter, connect with employers, explore career opportunities and build relationships within the recovery community.

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated and helped make this year’s event a success.

As Mental Health Awareness Month continues, ADAMH is also recognizing Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI). In observance, ADAMH is highlighting mental health and substance use statistics among Franklin County’s and Ohio’s Asian population using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the 2023 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey.

The data offers a closer look at the experiences and needs within AAPI communities across Franklin County and Ohio and helps inform conversations around behavioral health, access to care and community well-being. ADAMH remains committed to helping ensure all residents feel seen, supported and connected to services.

The 2026 Help Handbook is now available thanks to a sponsorship from ADAMH.

This updated resource connects individuals and families across Franklin County to important services including housing support, food assistance, health resources and emergency contacts. Organized and easy to navigate, the handbook is designed to help community members find support and access resources when they need them most.

Access the handbook by visiting this link: https://thehelphandbookonline.com/

ADAMH's Thomas Savage recently attended Youth Advocacy Day in downtown Columbus, where youth from across Ohio came together for a morning centered on leadership, advocacy and connection hosted by NAMI Ohio.

Later that day, Thomas and Nettie Ferguson attended State of the Child, hosted by Directions for Youth & Families, an ADAMH provider partner. Through musical and dance performances, the event showcased the creativity, talent and impact of youth involved in DFYF’s after-school programming.

ADAMH is grateful or opportunities to support and celebrate young people across our community and to engage in spaces that uplift youth voices and experiences.