♦ With funding from the ADAMHS Board, New Directions is partnering with Ascent Solutions to launch a smart-phone application with 24/7/365 peer recovery coaching that will focus on helping substance use disordered individuals transitioning from substance use disorder treatment programs with information and other resources to support his/her abstinence from alcohol and drugs, especially heroin.

♦I explained the significance of the recovery app program as a tool to maintain long-term recovery at panel discussion on November 15. Individuals need access to recovery support services such as peer-support. This new application serves as a critical tool to help individuals maintain their sobriety.

♦ New Directions is collaborating with Young People in Recovery (YPR), a national grassroots advocacy organization focused on creating recovery-ready communities for young people in or seeking recovery providing access to recovery support services for Cuyahoga County residents. YPR is expanding its volunteer-led Chapters to Ohio.

♦ Together with the launch of the Board’s Youth Advisory Council, we are strengthening our community to support long-term recovery for individuals of all ages.

William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer

November 30, 2016Volume 8 ♦ Issue 10

CEO Headliners

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William M. Denihan (front) talks about the importance of new Crisis Intervention Team policies open for public feedback and the community-led Mental Health Response Advisory Committee in ensuring the safety of individuals living with mental illness on November 28. (Photo courtesy of City of Cleveland)

♦ Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Policies developed for the Cleveland Division of Police were released on November 28 for public comment and feedback. Collaborative organizations involved in crafting these new policies include the ADAMHS Board, Cleveland Division of Police, Consent Decree Monitoring Team, Department of Justice, Mental Health Response Advisory Committee and the United States Attorney’s Office.

♦ These Crisis Intervention Team policies solidify our community’s goal of making Cleveland a city where everyone – including people living with mental illness and addiction - is treated safely with dignity and respect.

♦ Two public meetings have been scheduled to discuss the proposed policies. Both meetings will be held on December 13 at separate locations and times. The first public meeting is December 13th, 1:00 p.m. at Murtis Taylor Human Services System at 13422 Kinsman Road, Cleveland 44120. The second public meeting is December 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Urban Community School, 4909 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland 44102.

♦ To view the proposed policies and provide feedback, visit the Cleveland Police Monitoring Team’s website at www.clevelandpolicemonitor.net.

CIT Policies Released for Public Feedback

Supporting Young People in Recovery with New Directions

(l-r) William M. Denihan, ADAMHS Board CEO with Justin Riley, Founder and Executive Director of Young People in Recovery (YPR), talk about the expansion of YPR Chapters in Ohio and how a new mobile app operated by New Directions will help sustain long-term recovery in our community on November 15.

♦ Congratulations to EDEN, FrontLine Service and the Cleveland VA Medical Center on the successful opening of permanent supportive housing for 66 individuals living with mental illness and addiction. This permanent supportive housing programs provides a safe place to live as well as access to support services such as linkage to services and budget management education.

EDEN Inc. Opens Permanent Supportive Housing

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the

darkness . “- Desmond Tutu

Social rights activist, Bishop1931- Present

♦ At the October 2016 General Board Meeting, Faith-based Outreach Committee Chair Mary Warr and Committee Member Rev. Benjamin F. Gohlstin Sr., Board Chair Eugenia Cash and I welcomed and appointed as non-board members of the Faith-based Outreach Committee Gwendolyn Howard and Rev. Brenda Ware-Abrams.

♦ Each appointment term is effective November 1, 2016 through October 2020.

♦ Ms. Howard, a licensed school social worker and part-time instructor at Cleveland State University, has a passion for working with students and families. She believes in a holistic approach to healing and will work to incorporate faith in the recovery process with respect to drug and alcohol addiction.

♦ Rev. Ware-Abrams, former CEO of Community Action Against Addiction with more than 30 years of experience in the field of addiction services, is excited for this opportunity to increase access to spirituality in the treatment process.

♦ Welcome to Ms. Howard and Rev. Ware-Abrams and congratulations to Mary Warr for expanding the Board’s Faith-based Outreach efforts.

David E. Biegel, Ph. D. Reginald C. Blue, Ph.D. Elsie CaraballoRev. Benjamin F. Gohlstin, Sr., Cassi HandlerSteve Killpack, MS

Eugenia Cash, LSW, MSSA, CDCA, ChairJ. Robert Fowler, Ph.D., Vice ChairPythias D. Jones, M.D. Second Vice Chair

Board of Directors

William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer

Charlotte Rerko, MSN, RN, BC J. Richard Romaniuk, Ph.D.Harvey A. Snider, Esq.Ericka L. ThomsMary R. Warr, M. Ed.Anngela Williams

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2016 Client Holiday Party ♦ Hosted in collaboration with the Action Committee Advocating Change, the Board’s 2016 Annual Client Holiday Party, Coping with the Holiday Blues, will be held on Thursday, December 15 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Franklin Circle Christian Church, 1688 Fulton Road, Cleveland 44113.

♦ This free event features food, dancing, giftsand fun! Space is limited. To RSVP, please call 216-241-3400 ext. 827 no later than December 10. Children are not permitted at this event, no exceptions.

Front Steps Art Show Exhibit

♦ Front Steps Housing and Services hosted an art show exhibit, All About The Arts, on November 4. ADAMHS Board CEO I made opening remarks recognizing the benefits of art therapy in the recovery process.

♦ The exhibit was held in honor of November- Homeless Awareness Month and featured artwork created by formerly homeless clients and community participants.

Faith-based Outreach Committee Growing

(l-r) Rev. Benjamin F. Gohlstin,Sr., Board Member; Mary Warr, Board Member and Faith-based Outreach Committee Chair; Eugenia Cash, Board Chair; Gwendolyn Howard, newly appointed Faith-based Outreach Committee Board Member; William M. Denihan, CEO, ADAMHS Board with Rev. Brenda Ware-Abrams, newly appointed Faith-based Outreach Committee Board Member at the October 2016 General Meeting.

Suicide Prevention Fundraiser: Thank You♦ The 7th Annual Suicide Prevention Fundraiser hosted by Rita Jermann was held on November 19. This year’s event raised more than $1,000 to support Cuyahoga County’s 24-hour Suicide Prevention/Mental Health and Addiction Crisis/Information and Referral Hotline at 216-623-6888, operated by FrontLine Service.

♦ This Celebration of Life Fundraiser dedicated performances to friend Marc Noss a.k.a. Marc Strider, Marc Cruiser, Headband Marc and Superfan and featured live music from Mistresses of Ceremony, Chris E. Olathia & Rhonda Hatrix, Suede Brothers and Threehold Law as well as donated prizes.

♦ On behalf of the Board and the community, thank you to Rita Jermann and all those who helped to put on another great event that will help save lives from death by suicide.

Strategic Planning Summit

♦ The ADAMHS Board is launching its strategic planning process to develop a 3-year plan that will position the Board to ensure a continuum of care and a system that is focused on recovery.

♦ Eugenia Cash, LSW, MSSA, CDCA, Chair, and I invite community stakeholders (clients, family members, providers and partner systems) to participate in a Strategic Planning Summit on Thursday, December 8 and Friday, December 9, 2016. The summit is being held at the Cleveland Airport Marriott on West 150th Street.

446 Fatal Heroin/Fentanyl Overdoses in 2016

♦ Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson reported on November 30 that at least 446 victims have died in 2016 from a fatal dose of heroin, fentanyl or a combination of the two.

♦ In October 2016, Dr. Gilson reported at least 42 fatal overdose deaths- not including any fatalities due to carfentanil, a large animal sedative, 100 times more deadly than fentanyl and 2500 times more deadly than heroin. Since November 1st, there have been at least 16 fatalities

♦ In 2014, 195 Cuyahoga County individuals died by heroin overdoses. In 2015, 184 Cuyahoga County individuals died by heroin overdoses.

♦ In 2016, more than 500 individuals are expected to die from heroin/fentanyl overdose and that does not include more than 200 lives saved from Project DAWN.

♦ A recent report compiled by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation that states Ohio leads the nation in opioid overdose deaths.

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Addiction Recovery Advocacy Meeting♦ On November 14, the Board hosted its second Addiction Recovery Advocacy Meeting that was attended by nearly 200 passionate community advocates seeking to create solutions to reduce the number of individuals dying by opioid/heroin/fentanyl overdose.

♦ Families, friends and loved ones who are hurting from the loss of a loved one to addiction or living with a loved one with addiction came together with individuals in recovery, treatment providers, law enforcement personnel with the objective to help prevent this tragedy from happening to another family.

♦ At this meeting, advocates formed four small group discussions to formulate ideas that can create awareness and change related to increasing access to naloxone and education of resources for help; involving youth in prevention and education; promoting stories of recovery in the media to help eliminate stigma, and how to better involve and learn from family members.

♦ Suggested immediate ideas that resulted from these discussions included using social media to promote stories of recovery and local resources for treatment and recovery supports, creating a speakers bureau of recovery advocates, increase local media attention about Project DAWN and add treatment and recovery resource education in Project DAWN kits, connecting with local faith-based organizations for treatment and family support services and providing community education to eliminate stigma and reduce the fear of reaching out to police for help.

♦ Visit our website at www.adamhscc.org for upcoming meeting information, or call 216-241-3400 ext. 812. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, January 23, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Tri-C Jerry Sue Thornton Center, 2500 East 22nd Street.

ADAMHS Board CEO William M. Denihan addresses nearly 200 community advocates at the November 14 Addiction Recovery Advocacy Meeting to generate ideas to reduce the number

of deaths by opioid/heroin/fentanyl overdose.

LakewoodAlive Heroin Community Forum

♦ I moderated a hope-filled Lakewood Alive heroin community forum on November 10.

♦Attended by 90 community members, the forum featured guest speakers Judge Patrick Carroll, Lakewood Municipal Court, Erin Helms, Executive Director of the Woodrow Project and Tony Parker, Executive Director of The Lantern Center for Recovery.

WTAM 1100 Heroin Town Hall♦ WTAM hosted a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the heroin epidemic in Northeast Ohio. I served as a panelist.

♦The live broadcast was aired on Tuesday, November 29 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., on WTAM 1100 AM on your radio dial.

♦Mr. Denihan was joined by Elaine Georgas, Executive Director of the ADAS Board of Lorain County, and other advocates and experts.

♦Thanks to WTAM 1100, Mike Trivisonno and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine for taking the time to talk about this important issue. Cleveland Clinic Lyndhurst

Heroin Community Discussion♦ Board Chair Eugenia Cash, LSW, MSSA, CDCA, was a panelist on November 16 at a community discussion hosted by the Cleveland Clinic where she spoke about the dangers of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanyl.

♦Joined by panelists Vince Caraffi, Cuyahoga Board of Health; Mike Skipione, SPAN Drug Enforcement Unit; Dr. Thomas Gilson, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner and Dr. James Sauto, Cleveland Clinic, Ms. Cash and Mr. Denihan provided education, prevention and resource information to communities surrounding Hillcrest Hospital.

♦I also spoke at this his meeting was hosted by City of Lyndhurst Mayor Patrick A. Ward.

ADAMHS Board CEO William M. Denihan talks about the dangers of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanyl at a community discussion hosted by the Cleveland Clinic on November 16. (Photo credit: Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office)

(l-r) Judge Patrick Carroll, Lakewood Municipal Court; Erin Helms, Woodrow Project; Tony Parker, The Lantern Center for Recovery and ADAMHS Board CEO William M. Denihan talk about understanding the impact and options related to opiate, heroin and fentanyl addiction treatment and recovery resources on November 10. (Photo credit: LakewoodAlive)

Heroin Education Around Town

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CDC/SAMSHA Support Local Anti-Heroin Initiatives♦Representatives from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) met with community leaders working to address the opiate and heroin epidemic in Cuyahoga County on November 10. I attended this meeting to discuss how the Cuyahoga County Board of Health will utilize federal grant dollars to collaboratively and successfully address the opiate epidemic.

Westshore Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training♦ The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training program graduated 20 officers on November 18. The officers were from police departments of The City of Lakewood, North Olmsted, Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake.

♦ The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County has trained more than 1,200 law enforcement professionals over the past 10 years. CIT training provides guidance and the tools needed to police and dispatch officers on how to interact with people with mental illness and/or drug addictions and divert nonviolent people, when appropriate to a designated diversion and treatment point, rather than to jail. Our training is based on the nationally recognized Memphis Crisis Intervention Team model. The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County offers the training free of charge.

The ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County graduated 20 Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Trained police officers from various police departments in Cuyahoga County on November 18.

Thank you & Best Wishes to Eileen Saffran

♦Eileen Saffran, LISW-S, resigned from her position as Board Member effective November 11 due to obligations as the CEO of The Gathering Place.

♦On behalf of the Board Members and staff, thank you to Eileen for her compassion, dedication and wisdom over the past three years to help improve the lives of individuals living with mental illness and addiction in our community. We wish you the

best in your future endeavors.

♦ I was honored by Recovery Resources on November 18 for his lifetime of public service at the Recovery Resources 26th Annual Bronze Key Gala: Hope in the Land. He received the Bronze Key award, the highest honor given to recognize demonstrated commitment in helping individuals triumph over alcoholism and drug addiction.

♦ For over 40 years, he has directed large government agencies at the state, county and local levels and is the recognized authority in turning around and stabilizing troubled government in Ohio.

♦ I humbly receive this award and thank Recovery Resources for this honor.

CEO William M. Denihan honored with Bronze Key

Eileen Saffran, LISW-S

Y-Haven Theatre Project: Reaching Back

♦ Reaching Back was the play featured in the 17th Annual Steps and Stages by Cleveland Public Theatre and Y-Haven. The annual plays are created, directed and performed by the residents of Y-Haven, a branch of the Greater Cleveland YMCA. This project introduces theatre arts to

homeless men recovering substance abuse and mental health challenges.

♦ I attended a benefit performance at the Cleveland Public Theatre on November 5 where I received the 2016 Community Hero for Y-Haven Appreciation Award recognizing the ADAMHS Board’s efforts to help provide one-time funding to continue Y-Haven’s programming until further stable funding was established.

Greater Cleveland Congregation ♦ The Greater Cleveland Congregation (GCC) hosted a meeting that was attended by Vice President of Operations Valeria A. Harper and myself, as well as 1,500 attendees on November 17.

♦ GCC announced support for an east and west side drop-off center for suburban police department to help individuals living with mental illness and/or addiction.

Meeting with Ohio Department of Rehabilitation

Happy Holidays from the Board of Directors and Staff of the

♦I met with Gary Moore, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation, who advised the Community Based Correctional Facility (CBCF) that failure to fill all 275 beds will result in a loss of funds. The meeting was attended by Judge D. Russo, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, and others.