Richland County highlights Mental Health Month, launches Richland Recovery Network site

Richland County commissioners presented a proclamation marking Mental Health Month and heard from local mental-health partners about a new web portal, Richland Recovery Network, intended to centralize information on behavioral-health and recovery services.

The proclamation was handed to Sherry, a staff member representing local mental-health partners, who said the network will provide a single web page linking contracted service providers and event listings for substance-use services, mental-health supports, advocacy and prevention. "We will be marketing the network, and it'll be a website where you go to one place and you will find the organizations that are contracted for services by the mental health board," Sherry said.

Why it matters: County officials said the site and the partners' calendar will make it easier for residents to find crisis, texting and warm-line services and local events during May, which the county recognizes as Mental Health Month. The calendar lists multiple community events and ongoing resources that county staff and partners said are important access points for people in need.

Details from the meeting: Sherry said the network will include a clickable option for cell phones so users can call or text resources directly. The board discussed keeping the county's locally funded crisis helpline active in the near term while 988 continues to be implemented statewide; Sherry said the local line is staffed by clinical personnel and has been marketed locally for years. She also noted the availability of Text for Hope (a statewide texting option operated by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services), a local warm line, and a crisis helpline serving higher-acuity calls.

Sherry highlighted several May events on the calendar and the partners hosting them: Casey's medication deactivation pouch distribution and a youth-focused event called Grow Through What You Go Through; Catalyst Life Services' behavioral health urgent care and its kids conference; a parent education resource fair by the Richland County Youth and Family Council in collaboration with NAMI Richland County; an annual suicide-prevention walk hosted by 33 Forever (registration fees fund prevention efforts); Peace on My Block by Mansfield City Schools; and Healing Hearts Counseling Center's Party in the Park. Sherry said some events will offer food, family activities and resource tables.

Questions from the meeting: Commissioner discussion and a question from a Richland Source reporter (Hayden) focused on how residents without personal supports can access help. Sherry emphasized the local crisis hotline (clinical staff on the phones), the warm line (non-crisis peer-style support) and text options. She offered to email the calendar of events to interested attendees.

Next steps: Sherry said the Richland Recovery Network site will be launched soon and that the mental-health board plans outreach to invite additional organizations to join beyond the five contract agencies currently listed. The county did not adopt any ordinance or new funding during this agenda item.

Ending: Commissioners thanked the presenter and received the proclamation; there was no vote tied to the proclamation beyond the presentation and discussion.