Issue 3 on the ballot would renew the tax levy for the benefit of the Athens-Hocking-Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services District if it passes Nov. 7.
The levy supplements the general fund for the Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board, or the 317 Board, an operation that cares for people with mental illnesses or recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
David Schenkelberg, chief clinical officer of Hopewell Health Centers, said the levy provides a source of medical care for those who do not have insurance. The person who needs treatment pays a copay, and the rest of the cost is billed to the 317 Board.
The 317 Board has been providing a network of care to Athens, Hocking and Vinton counties for nearly 50 years.
“What the levy does is help fill in gaps in our healthcare for those that are at their most vulnerable and needy,” Schenkelberg said. “It’s a way to help keep them safe, and the board money helps pay for that.”
Schenkelberg said the levy provides a “big safety net” within the community and there would be gaps without it.
Issue 3 also provides money for Athens’ crisis stabilization unit, which cannot be paid through insurance, Medicaid or Medicare, Schenkelberg said.
Additionally, case management, which helps someone who has been disabled by mental illness cope with it, is covered by the levy. It is the coordination of community-based, individually-customized mental health care services on behalf of someone experiencing frequent setbacks or challenges to their recovery.
Case management is not covered by Medicare either, Schenkelberg said, but is one of the best ways to help someone who has been disabled by mental illness.
“Those are examples, and there are a number of others,” Schenkelberg said. “But that’s where most of the money goes.”
Hopewell Health Centers is the largest health center the 317 Board benefits, Schenkelberg said. It provides outpatient clinical, residential clinical and community-based services to those in need, 317 Board Executive Director Earl Cecil said.
Cecil said the operation has been successful thus far, and he hopes the levy passes.
“In Ohio, there’s a major issue with heroin and opiates,” Cecil said. “With this levy, we invest the services we fund to help people who are addicted to opiates.”
