I asked someone what I should write about this week, and she said, write about something happy for a change, so I thought about this and decided that would be a good idea. It seems all too often in our field as of late, that it’s all about what we don’t have vs. what we do have.
The fact is, there are some really positive things occurring in the behavioral health field. For one, levies in our field have been passing at a rate of 75-80% over the past few years. To me this indicates that even in this down economy Ohioans still value their local behavioral healthcare systems, and believe that individuals with a mental illness and/or addiction deserve treatment. Secondly, look at all of the newer medications available for individuals trying to recover from an addiction and/or mental illness. Many of the drugs today allow individuals to recover and lead productive lives in the community. So even as we fight to reduce stigma and discrimination, and to increase access to treatment we need to remember that we do so from a strong foundation of recovery and community based alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services in Ohio!
Have a great week, spring is almost here!
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
