AExplanation
BACKGROUND
This legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Development to enter into a Grant Agreement with the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH), in an amount not to exceed $4,500,000.00, in support of the Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Care Center project.
Ranked 38th in the nation, Ohio is among the states where adults have a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit that focuses on mental illness and mental health. Officials estimate that 21% of Franklin County's 1.3 million residents have a mental health emergency annually. About 10% abuse or are dependent on drugs or alcohol. On average in Franklin County, there are 30,000 mental health episodes each year requiring treatment, 21,800 of which include a visit to a hospital emergency room.
There is a demonstrable need and demand for a new center dedicated to mental health crisis and addiction treatment. The Crisis Care Center is a $60 million project that will include an observation unit, short-term inpatient unit, and a walk-in clinic. Upon completion, it will serve as the primary location for first responders to take patients in need of addiction or psychiatric care. The facility will help destigmatize mental illness, lessen the load on emergency rooms and fill a hole in the community's crisis care continuum.
Emergency action is requested in order to provide ADAMH with the resources necessary to continue and complete construction on the Crisis Care Center without delay.
FISCAL IMPACTS
Funding in the amount of $4,500,000.00 is available through the Department of Development’s 2023 Capital Improvement Budget within the Northland and Other Acquisitions Bond Fund 7735. It is necessary to certify the requisite funds in the amount of $1,000,000.00 against the Special Income Tax Fund. The funding will need to be authorized for expenditure from Fund 7735.
CONTRACT COMPLI...
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