Montgomery County crisis mental health services in limbo as board struggles to secure new contractors

The Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board recently made the decision to reject two proposed contracts to continue offering crisis mental health services in the area. These services included a hotline, a mobile crisis unit, and a crisis center that provided up to 23 hours of stabilizing care. The nonprofit organization RI International had been operating these services but announced that they would no longer do so after May 22.

At a meeting, ADAMHS staff recommended that Netcare from Columbus should run the local crisis call center, and DeCoach from Dayton should handle mobile crisis response services. However, the board members voted 4 to 3 against this plan, with two members abstaining. Some trustees and residents felt that the decision to hire new agencies was rushed and advocated for a more collaborative approach to finding new providers.

Many individuals in the community rely on these crisis services, such as Michelle Campbell, who used the hotline for her son. With the uncertainty of the services’ availability, she expressed concern and emphasized the importance of taking mental health services seriously. In response to the situation, ADAMHS staff will be putting out requests for proposals for new providers in the near future.

In the meantime, individuals who are in need of mental health assistance can utilize resources such as the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline by calling 988, visiting mc.localhelpnow.org for mental health and substance use resources, texting 4Hope to 741741 for the National Crisis Text Line, or calling the Miami Valley Warmline at 937-528-7777 for free and confidential mental and behavioral health peer support services.