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CEO Headliners
William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer
March 25, 2015
Volume 7 ♦ Issue 3
State Fiscal Year 16-17 Biennium Budget:
House Health & Human Services Sub-Committee Testimony
♦ Jeff K., a Recovery Advocate, and Terry Luria, Clinical Director for Stella Maris, joined me in Columbus on March 12 to
provide testimony before the House Health & Human Services Sub-Committee of the House Finance Committee. Our State Representative
Nickie J. Antonio (D) District 13, sits on this important committee.
♦ I opened the panel discussion by thanking the legislature for recognizing the mental health and addiction treatment needs of all Ohioans
by providing an additional $50 million per year in 507 funds in the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS)
SFY 2014/15 budget.
♦ I highlighted that the $7.2 million in 507 funding that Cuyahoga County received in SFY 2014/15 was used for prevention, crisis, substance
abuse, drug court sustainability and recovery housing services that are not covered by Medicaid. These services included the opening of 17
beds in addition to existing 34 beds that serve adult men with addictions at Catholic Charities’ Matt Talbot Inn located at its Parmadale site
that will serve 188 men, as well as the Sober Bed Pilot Program run by
Stella Maris and the Cleveland Treatment Center through contracts
with area half-way houses to provide long-term living environments for
at least 90 days to provide aftercare support to newly sober individuals
rather than returning to the setting where the addiction may have
begun. This pilot will provide between 360 and 380 men and women
an opportunity to start a new life or regain a life that was destroyed
through opiate or heroin addiction.
William M. Denihan, CEO of the ADAMHS Board, opened a panel discussion
with the House Health & Human Services Subcommittee on March 12, as Jeff K.,
Recovery Advocate, and Terry Luria, Clinical Director of Stella Maris (in white
sweater and scarf), wait to provide their testimony.
♦ On behalf of all Boards throughout the State, I requested stable
funding to communities through local Boards to ensure the
continuation and expansion of recovery support services since 507
funding is being eliminated in the upcoming SFY 2016/17 budget. I
respectfully urged the State Legislature to restore $30 million per
year of the $50 million and place it in the OhioMHAS 421 Continuum of
Care line item. This increased investment in the 421 Continuum of Care
line item will provide the necessary financial stability to ensure the
successful development of Ohio’s local Recovery-Oriented System of
Care by providing the ability to plan and develop services and supports
that will continue on a multi-year basis and ensure that Boards can
continue to provide peer services and supports, crisis services and
housing, detox/medication-assisted treatment and early detection,
identification, and intervention through the numerous programs that
were started in the last biennium.
(See Testimony on Page 3)
Sober St. Patrick’s Day!
♦ As Honorary Chair, I celebrated Sober St. Patrick’s Day with nearly 400 other
people who do not want to see St. Patrick’s Day used as an excuse to get drunk.
This was the second annual family friendly party in Northeast Ohio that included
plenty of Irish music, dance, juggling and food.
♦ Sober St. Patrick’s Day was created in New York City by theater and television
producer William Spencer Reilly who wanted to change the perception of the day
with a goal to reclaim the true spirit of the day and honor Irish heritage.
♦ My wife Mary; brother Bob and his friend Susan, and Scott Osiecki and his wife
Anne, also joined me for this event that was celebrated in seven cities worldwide,
including Dublin & Philadelphia.
♦ Congratulations to John Kilroy for promoting another successful sober
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.
William M. Denihan, CEO of the ADAMHS Board, celebrated a Sober St. Patrick’s Day with his
brother Bob Denihan (r) and nearly 400 people who support celebrating without alcohol.
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Department of Justice Recommendations Submitted
♦ Recommendations focusing on community involvement, training and collaboration were
submitted to Mayor Frank Jackson and Steven Dettlebach of the U.S. Attorney General’s
Office on March 6 by Members of the Mental Health Task Force convened by the Alcohol,
Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County. The
Mental Health Task Force was formed to respond to issues pertaining to mental health that
were identified in the U.S. Department of Justice Investigation of the Cleveland Division of
Police.
♦ The Mental Health Task Force felt it was important to encompass all behavioral health
issues when crafting these recommendations for the consent decree. Therefore, whenever
mental illness is used throughout the recommendations it also includes alcohol, drug and
other addictions, as well as developmental disabilities.
♦ The Mental Health Task Force, comprised of representatives from over 50 organizations,
established three overarching recommendations that are explained in the document:
1. Establishment of a Citizen Police Relationship Oversight Committee to foster
relationships, review effectiveness of the CIT program, and provide general oversight
of the consent decree to ensure its implementation and suggest further improvements
through three subcommittees focusing on oversight, positive interaction and
education.
2.Expand all aspects of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and other culturally competent
trainings for Cleveland police officers and dispatchers.
3.Address the internal working relationships between police officers, dispatchers, and
the court and behavioral health systems, including daily information sharing and data
collection to identify individuals that require behavioral health follow-up.
♦ Recommendations go beyond improving the quality and depth of training police officers
and dispatchers and include the development of tools necessary to assist police officers
when interacting with individuals living with a mental illness.
♦ The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County will open a Drop-off Center on the West Side
for police to transport people with a mental illness to reduce travel time to St. Vincent
Charity Psychiatric Emergency Room. The Board will also create Special Co-Responder
Teams on the East and West Side that will include a social worker, mental health expert and
seasoned police officer to handle extreme mental health crisis situations and follow-up upon
individuals released from treatment.
♦ Programs will also be developed for jail diversion for low risk non-violent offenders with
a mental illness and ensure that referrals are made for treatment and discharge planning if a
person with mental illness is arrested and held in jail.
♦ The Mental Health Task Force recommends that the Oversight Subcommittee of the
Citizen Police Relationship Committee will provide citizen oversight through consistent
review of the consent decree to ensure its implementation. Members of the Mental Health
Task Force also hope that the recommendations providing elements of training, continued
practice and oversight that will insure all Clevelanders with mental illness - and all citizens –
are treated safely with dignity and respect.
♦ Recommendations, including a roster of Mental Health Task Force members, can be
viewed at www.adamhscc.org.
QPR Training
“Success is not final,
failure is not fatal:
it is the courage
to continue that counts.”
- Winston Churchill
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
(1874 –1965)
Meeting About Red Flags
♦ Dr. Penny Frese met with me, Linda
Torbert, Children’s Program Administrator
and Scott Osiecki, Director of External
Affairs, on March
3 to discuss the
revised Red Flags
Program.
♦ Red Flags
began in 1997
with a grant from
the former Ohio
Department of
Mental Health,
to provide an
educational
program about
mental health for
middle school
personnel,
parents, and
students.
Dr. Penny Frese, cofounded
the original Red Flags
Program with her daughter
Claire, and has revitalized
the program for today.
♦ The revised Red Flags Program is a
simple, inexpensive, flexible mental health
education program expanded for the
entire educational community and other
organizations that work with youth.
♦ The program focuses on the
understanding of what mental illness
looks like, what to do about it, and how
to remain healthy. It is a proactive way of
looking at mental health as a component
of overall health and recognizing that
mental health is an essential aspect of
educational success.
♦ For more information about the
reintroduction of the Red Flags Program,
visit www.redflags.org.
♦ Tandra Rutledge, Business Development
Manager at Windsor Laurelwood Center
for Behavioral Medicine, and Katie Boland,
External Affairs Specialist, conducted
a QPR Suicide Prevention Training
on Monday, March 16 for Cleveland
Clinic Community Pediatrics office
administrators, nurses and doctors in
North Olmsted.
♦ The ADAMHS Board has conducted five
QPR trainings in the community and is
scheduled to perform seven more trainings
to healthcare workers in Cuyahoga County
in April and May.
Staff of the Cleveland Clinic Community Pediatric office learned about the life saving technique of
Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) on March 16.
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Testimony
(Continued from Page 1)
♦ Currently, Boards are only able to
own recovery housing if they owned
the facility prior to September 2016 or in
an emergency where Board ownership
would serve as the last resort. I stated
that our behavioral health system is
seeking to remove this restriction
and allow Boards to own and operate
recovery housing as needed. Boards
serve as one of the main funding sources
utilizing local funds for community
housing for individuals with mental
illness and addiction and through local
partnerships we are able to leverage
multiple funding sources to purchase
housing capitol in the community. As the
planning entity, Boards need the option of
owning recovery housing to ensure that
the housing remains in the community
even if a provider goes out of business.
♦ I also cleared-up a misperception
that ADAMHS Boards have received an
influx of cash as a result of Medicaid
Expansion. This is NOT THE CASE. It
is true that expansion allowed for
a reallocation of local funding from
mental health treatment services, such
as counseling, pharmacological services
and partial hospitalization, for individuals
not previously eligible for Medicaid,
to recovery support services that help
people stay on the road to recovery,
which are not covered by Medicaid.
This is not new money coming into our
system, but rather a reallocation of
funding we were already spending. With
that being said, I stressed that Medicaid
Expansion is a huge benefit for the
residents of Ohio and its continuation
is critical to the nearly 7,000 people in
Cuyahoga County
who are receiving
Medicaid funded
treatments solely
due to Medicaid
Expansion and for
all Ohioans who
are relying on this
program for a
better life.
that she has over 26 years in the treatment
field and 29 years of sobriety.
♦ Terry highlighted that Stella Maris will
be offering a new Women’s Only Intensive
Outpatient Group. This new program is
both an acknowledgement and response
to the growing number of women in our
community who
♦ In order to feed his addiction,
are addicted to
he began selling cocaine and
opiates and the
Percocet to buy more drugs and
overwhelming
acquired his first felony drug
research that
charge. When being sentenced
demonstrates the
for the felony, the judge decided
higher success
to send him to drug court which
rate with gender
forced him into a community
segregated
treatment center where the
groups. In fact,
services were effective. He
this increasing
knows from experience that
trend in female
treatment doesn’t work unless
opiate use has also
the individual is ready to get
led Stella Maris
sober -- but without drug court
to begin planning
he would never have made the
a specialized
decision to stop using.
Women’s Only Subacute Detoxification
♦ He moved into a sober living
Unit. She explained
facility and the experience made
that in 2014,
such a powerful and positive
Stella Maris had
impact on his life, he now
respectively 66% and
provides others with the same
34% male and female
chance to get their life back on
individuals in its subtrack by operating transitional
acute detoxification
sober living homes. He also
facility. Currently,
Jeff K. shares his story of heroin addiction
restored the relationships with
its 2015 waiting list and recovery success with the members of his family.
for detoxification
the House Health & Human Services Subservices is 54% male committee on March 12.
Work in Chicago
and 46% female.
This clearly represents at least the beginning
♦ I traveled to Chicago this month. First
of a significant patient population trend and
for the 2015 American Society of Public
one that will be addressed by the agency
Administration (ASPA) Conference in
moving forward.
which I gave a presentation on Stronger
and More Equitable Public Agencies: What’s
♦ Jeff K. rounded out our
Politics Got To Do With It? This session was
testimony by sharing his
moderated by Cleveland State University
personal experiences as a
Professor Emerita Camilla Stivers and
person living in recovery in
Professor Justin Piccorelli on March 10.
Cuyahoga County. He shared
♦ Terry Luria’s
testimony
focused on
sharing Cuyahoga
County’s
community
efforts to address
heroin’s tragic
and critical social
issue. She opened
On March 12, Terry Luria, Clinical Director
by letting the
of Stella Maris, speaks to legislators about
legislators know the community’s efforts to beat the heroin
epidemic.
♦ Jeff was raised in a good home,
graduated high school in a well-established
suburban neighborhood, and owned
and operated a successful landscaping
company for eight years managing 10 to
15 employees, which he lost because of his
addiction, along with his relationship with
his family
that without assistance from
the community behavioral
health system he would not
be able to tell his recovery
story. Jeff’s opioid addiction
began with painkillers that
he was prescribed after a
trip to an emergency room
for a jaw injury after a fight
in a bar. He started abusing
Percocet and then began
using Oxycontin because his
tolerance increased, and as
his addiction progressed he
wanted something stronger.
As the cycle continued to
grow, he turned to heroin
because it was cheaper and
easier to obtain.
♦ Additionally, I returned to Chicago
on March 16 and 17 to tour the Cook
County Jail during a conference entitled
Corrections, Coverage, Care: From Jail
Enrollment to Health Care. Dr. Thomas
Tollman, Medical Director of our County
Jail, joined me and 35 other public officials
from across the Country. We were the
guests of the Open Society Foundations. We
learned how Cook County Jail reduced its
population of 11,000 to 8,000 in partnership
with a vibrant behavior health program that
focused on Affordable Care Act enrollment,
treatment, linkage to services and aftercare
preparation. The Chicago Treatment
Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC)
group will visit us on April 15, 16 & 17, to
continue this discussion.
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March Community Presentations
♦ Scott Osiecki, Director of External Affairs, presented on the impact
of heroin, prescription drugs and alcohol, to over 120 teachers grades
K-12 from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District during a training
conference on March 11.
♦ Linda Torbert, Children’s Projects Administrator, served as a panel
member at the Ohio Education Policy Fellowship Program CrossBoundary Social Policy Panel on Friday, March 13, at Cleveland State
University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
♦ The ADAMHS Board sponsored A Royal Hangover at the 39
Cleveland International Film Festival. I made opening remarks at the
Thursday, March 19, screening, promoting that treatment does work
and people can recover from alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction that
occurs not only in our community, but all over the world, including in
Britain where the film is set.
th
♦ I discussed a variety of mental health and addiction issues that
are impacting the people of Cuyahoga County to members of
the Cleveland Psychological Association on Saturday, March 21.
I highlighted the devastating effects of prescription painkiller
dependence that has led to a resurgence of heroin addiction and the
positive results of Medicaid Expansion. I also explained imbalanced
funding from the State for mental health support services and the
recommendations made to the City of Cleveland and the Department
of Justice regarding issues pertaining to mental health that were
identified through the Department of Justice investigation of
the Cleveland Division of Police. I also shared our vision for the
development of a Recovery Oriented System of Care in partnership
with provider agencies.
♦ I will share the benefits of Magnolia Clubhouse during the BREAD
Summit in Columbus on March 24. BREAD is a coalition of 50+ faith
congregations representing residents from Columbus and Franklin
County that work together to address many serious community
problems. The organization is currently trying to establish a
Clubhouse in Franklin County. I stressed the benefits of employment
from the client and community perspective, as well as the cost savings
from reduced services and hospital stays.
♦ I will be presenting The Heroin Epidemic: Working Together to
Combat This Major Issue at the Cuyahoga County Conference on
Social Welfare on March 27. Valeria Harper, Chief Operating Officer,
will be moderating an adult mental health and addiction session
entitled Reconnection to Life: Dissociation in an Outpatient Female
Abuse Population.
Ohio Problem Gambling Conference
♦ OhioMHAS hosted The Ohio Problem Gambling Conference 2015 on March 5 and 6 in Columbus.
The event was sponsored by Ohio for Responsible Gambling.
♦ Board Member Anngela Williams, and staff members Michelle Myers, Residential Specialist,
Tonya Birney, Training Officer, and Katie Boland, External Affairs Specialist, attended the
conference. Attendees heard from Jeffrey Derevensky, Ph.D., who discussed youth gambling and
Lori Rugle, Ph.D., NCGC II, who spoke about the use of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral
to Treatment ( SBIRT) to identify gambling disorders in special populations.
“Gambling looks so sweet, but
can sour your future.”
- Michelle A. Myers
♦ Michelle Myers and Tonya Birney both won First Place in the Problem Gambling Awareness
Messaging Contest. As their prize, Michelle and Tonya each received free registrations to next
year’s conference. Congratulations Michelle and Tonya!
Media Interviews
Michelle Myers, Residential Specialist, and Tonya Birney, Training Officer, won first place in the
messaging contest. They both received a free registration to next year’s conference.
♦ I was interviewed by Plain Dealer columnist Phillip Morris to discuss the importance of CIT
Training in the police department. I was quoted in his March 10 column saying that every police
officer should at least have basic CIT 101 training.
“The sweeter the berry,
the dicier the juice.”
- Tonya Birney
♦ Brandon Blackwell, also from the Plain Dealer who is working on a future story, interviewed me about my role and the Board’s efforts to
promote responsible and appropriate responses to mental health crisis calls within the Cleveland Police Department. I discussed my past
professional experience with the Cleveland Police Department and my role as the CEO of the ADAMHS Board.
♦ I appeared on the WEWS TV Channel 5 news program The Now on Thursday, February 26 to support Facebook’s new suicide prevention
feature. We know that 90% of people in a suicidal crisis will give some kind of warning of their intention to those around them. These days,
it may be common to see this expressed as a Facebook status. This new feature is an excellent resource to help reduce the stigma of mental
illness, encourage people to talk about suicide, and offer help to a friend who has posted something that is concerning and potentially lifethreatening.
Board of Directors
Eugenia Cash, LSW, MSSA, CDCA, Chair
David E. Biegel, Ph. D., Vice Chair
Pythias D. Jones, M.D., Second Vice Chair
Reginald C. Blue, Ph.D.
Elsie Caraballo
J. Robert Fowler, Ph.D.
Rev. Benjamin F. Gohlstin, Sr.
Cassi Handler
Steve Killpack, MS
Charlotte Rerko, MSN, RN, BC
J. Richard Romaniuk, Ph.D.
Eileen Saffran, LISW-S
Harvey A. Snider, Esq.
Ericka L. Thoms
Mary R. Warr, M. Ed.
Anngela Williams
Heroin and Hope
♦ I attended the Heroin & Hope event hosted by The Lakewood Family Collaborative
on Wednesday, March 11. Rachel Dissell, a reporter with the Plain Dealer, Vince
Caraffi with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, and Aaron M., a young person
living in recovery, discussed the tragic impact the heroin epidemic in our community,
specifically the City of Lakewood, and the resources that are available for treatment
and counseling for family members and friends. MetroHealth’s Project DAWN provided
free naloxone kit training and distribution. Katie Boland, External Affairs Specialist,
staffed our resource table.
William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer
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