Mental health resources across the Miami Valley offer community members support
A wide range of mental health resources are available throughout the Miami Valley. “No one should suffer in silence. From the Miami Valley Warmline to the Crisis Call Center, there are people who want to help. There are support groups, AA, NA, outpatient and inpatient options. All you need to do is reach out and there are multiple ways you can access the support you need in our community,” says Tina Rezash Rogal, director of strategic initiatives and communication at Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction & Mental Health Services (ADAMHS).
“Nearly 200 people have lost their lives to overdose in Montgomery County so far in 2023. That is up slightly from last year,” Rezash Rogal says.
Montgomery County ADAMHS partners with nearly 50 mental health and substance use providers, as well as prevention providers in the community. ADAMHS partners with Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley to offer the Miami Valley Warmline. The Warmline provides free and confidential mental and behavioral health peer support services Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The number to call is 937-528-7777. This differs from an emergency hotline and is not intended for emergency calls. The Miami Valley Warmline received 345 calls in 2022.
For those experiencing a mental health crisis, the Crisis Call Center is available 24/7. The number for the Crisis Call Center is 833-580-2255 (CALL). If a caller needs in-person support, the Mobile Crisis Response Team can go to that individual wherever they are in Montgomery County.
“We are definitely seeing an increased need. Mental health has always been a need. More attention is being focused on it now, which is a really good thing. I think there’s a lot of efforts to beat the stigma, and a greater understanding that mental health affects all of us,” says Jennifer Bonifas, vice president, program services at Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley.
Youth and young adults are crying out for mental health resources, she says. This not only includes their clinical mental health, but it also includes places that youth can go to belong, and to feel accepted and appreciated for exactly who they are.
“Whether it’s a youth who belongs to a community of color, whether it’s a youth who is part of a Q+ community, whether it’s a youth with a single-parent household, or a youth comes from a two-parent household. All youth across the board are certainly crying out for different resources and opportunities to be supported,” Bonifas says.
Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley offers several programs to address this, including A.L.L. Club on Main, a voluntary program open to youth in grades 7-12 that uses allyship, life skills and leadership to help build an inclusive and affirming community of youth, and Miracle Clubhouse, which provides a place to belong for people with persistent and chronic mental illness.
NAMI Montgomery County Ohio offers multiple types of services to people living with mental illness and their families. One resource is an Information Line. Call 937-299-3667 for information or support.
“We offer an Information Line, so people can give us a call if they have questions about mental health, or if they have a mental health diagnosis, and they have questions, and need resources, or support, or information about their diagnosis,” says Rebecca Hall, executive director of NAMI Montgomery County Ohio.
If a family member or loved one of someone who is living with a mental health condition needs support for themselves, or how to better communicate, or support their loved one, the Information Line can help guide callers through the different resources that are available.
