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The 5th Annual Recovery Celebration was held Thursday, September 14, 2023, at Bell Manor in Chillicothe. Awards were presented to seven individuals during the Recovery Celebration.



·        Officer Chris Claytor - Crisis Intervention Advocate

·        Mary Preston - Mental Health Advocate

·        Genna Scott - Substance Use Disorder Advocate

·        Christina Arrendondo & Dr. Stacey Saunders Adams – Prevention Advocates

·        Danielle Hurff – Peer Recovery Supporter Advocate

·        Penny Dehner – Community Champion Award



Pictured Left to Right: Officer Chris Claytor, Crisis Intervention Advocate and Melanie Swisher, ADAMH Executive Director.

Pictured Left to Right: Mary Preston, Mental Health Advocate and Tandy Cyrus, ADAMH Board Member.

Pictured Left to Right: Substance Use Disorder Advocate and Kelly Dennis, ADAMH Associate Director.

Pictured Left to Right: Stacy Saunders-Adams and Christina Arrendondo, Prevention Advocates and Kelly Dennis, ADAMH Associate Director.

Pictured Left to Right:Danielle Hurff, Peer Recovery Supporter Advocate and Kelly Dennis, ADAMH Associate Director.

Pictured Left to Right:Penny Dehner, Community Champion and Melanie Swisher, ADAMH Executive Director

The ADAMH Board also would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support:

First Responders and Frontline Workers Week of Appreciation was held September 17th - 23rd. To honor these individuals the Paint Valley ADAMH Board sponsored a First Responders and Front Line Workers' Appreciation Night at Tecumseh on September 1st & 2nd. Thank you to all First Responders and Front Line Workers for bringing help, and bringing hope.

Nourish Your Mind Day '23 was held on May 31st at Chillicothe and Greenfield Sack 'n Save Supermarkets. The annual event is held to increase awareness of mental health in our communities. We are thankful to have such amazing and caring partners within our communities and for the generous donation from Sack-N-Save Supermarkets to help support our local suicide prevention coalitions in both Highland and Ross Counties.

Pictured Left to Right: Jhan Corzine, Ross County Suicide Prevention Coalition Chair, and Kelly Dennis, ADAMH Associate Director

On August 31, 2023, the Paint Valley ADAMH staff supported Overdose Awareness Day by "Going Purple" and participating in Overdose Awareness events in our five-county board region. Overdose Awareness Day activities have continued to grow across the PVADAMH region and we are thankful for the collaborative efforts by the various community partners who are bringing awareness to our communities during Overdose Awareness Day.

This quarter’s community spotlight is Tabatha Tong from the Pike County Health District. Tabatha is the Registrar/Financial Specialist at the Health District. Tabatha also serves as the Chair for the Pike County Suicide Coalition. Tabatha was chosen as the Community Spotlight because of her efforts to reduce suicide deaths. In addition to various outreaches and awareness campaigns that Tabatha organizes with the coalition, she also holds monthly Question, Persuade, Refer trainings.  These trainings, known as QPR, are evidence-based suicide prevention trainings. It has been shown that the more people trained in QPR in a community, the lower the suicide rate. Thank you Tabatha for all your work and suicide prevention efforts. You will never know exactly the lives that were saved, but we want you to know that your efforts are important and that we appreciate every sacrifice you make to reduce suicide deaths. 

Q: If you could only be remembered for one thing, what would you want that to be?

A: “A woman of faith who loves Jesus!”

Q: What advice do you have for those working in helping professions today?

A: “Treat each person like they are family. They’re someone’s family and they deserve to be treated with kindness, love, and respect. They deserve to be heard. It takes a special kind of people to be in those professions, it’s not for the faint of heart.”

Q: What is your favorite quote?

A: “No matter what life throws at you, you are an overcomer, and never give up on yourself, because tomorrow is a new day and it is waiting for you.” – Tabby Tong

Q: Do you have a role model? If so, who?

A: “No, not really. I’m just me.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in this region?

A: “Its wondrous beauty and its people.”

Q: Fill in the blank, together we can ______.

A: “Do the impossible!”

The Paint Valley ADAMH Board joined with community partners on September 15th for the Annual Stand Down to End Homelessness Event held at Poland Park in Chillicothe. The event provides resources, clothing, and food for those experiencing homelessness.

September is International Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The Suicide Prevention Coalitions did a great job bringing awareness and hope to our communities.

The Pike County Suicide Prevention Coalition held its Annual Color Run on August 12th and the Annual Stay, Tomorrow Needs You event on September 12th.

The Highland County Suicide Prevention Coalition held its 3rd Annual Harvesting Healthy Minds event on September 6th at the Highland County Fair. A great event promoting healthy mental health and suicide prevention in our agricultural community. Thank you to everyone that attended and supported this event.

The Ross County Suicide Prevention Coalition held its Annual "Connecting for Life" 5K Race on September 7th which is International Suicide Prevention Day.

The Fayette County Suicide Prevention Coalition held its first Annual Glow Walk on September 23rd.

Local Project is One of 37 Statewide Initiatives Supported by $90M in American Rescue Plan Act Funds Awarded by State Mental Health and Addiction Services Department 

The Paint Valley ADAMH Board has been awarded $7,962,700 to help strengthen local services for residents facing a mental health or substance use crisis. The funding is part of $90 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds awarded by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS).

“The residents of our communities deserve the absolute best crisis care possible,” said Melanie Swisher, Executive Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board. “The funding from this grant is a giant step toward this endeavor. I am so thankful our region was awarded these funds.”

The Paint Valley ADAMH Board will utilize funding from the grant to build a crisis center that will house a 24-hour observation unit and an 8-bed crisis stabilization unit. In addition, the funding will help establish mobile crisis teams throughout the Paint Valley region that will be able to meet people where they are during their times of crisis.

“Because of these investments, more Ohioans and their families will have a better response to their behavioral health crisis needs than ever before,” said OhioMHAS Director Lori Criss. “With these projects, Ohio is taking a leap forward to reverse decades of neglect for Ohio’s behavioral health crisis care system, ultimately creating a more hopeful future for people experiencing a behavioral health crisis.” 

Strengthening crisis services at the community level is an ongoing priority for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Criss’ agency. Learn more about the State of Ohio’s crisis work at mha.ohio.gov. 



The Paint Valley ADAMH Board has been awarded $119,973.75 to enhance local efforts to connect homeless individuals in Highland, Fayette, Pike, Pickaway, and Ross counties with mental health and substance use treatment services. The funding is part of $350,000 awarded across Ohio by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), Office of Community Planning and Collaboration, Rural Outreach Program.

“Homelessness continues to be an issue in the Paint Valley ADAMH region, and we know many of the individuals who are homeless experience behavioral health concerns,” said Melanie Swisher, Executive Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board. “The funding from this grant will enhance and increase local homeless outreach efforts to connect homeless individuals to behavioral health services in our communities through peer support outreach.”

The Paint Valley ADAMH Board will provide money from the grant to community action agencies in each of its five counties to employ peer supporters to conduct outreach. These peer supporters will aim to foster connections with those who are homeless and direct them to the community resources they need, including mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and other recovery services.

“One goal of this project is to increase the number of mental health service referrals within our homeless populations across the Paint Valley ADAMH region,” explained Phyllis Amlin-Snyder, ADAMH Board Chair. “Through collaboration within our communities and existing street outreach teams, we are hopeful that these funds will make an impact on the mental health and well being of individuals who experience homelessness in our communities.”



Congratulations to Kyle Howard and Melanie Swisher who recently celebrated employment anniversaries with the ADAMH Board.

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