NAMI Ohio celebrates groundbreaking of the Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center in Athens
Lead Summary
By
Press Release-
This past weekend, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Ohio and the Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board broke ground on the Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, a 16-bed rehabilitation facility which allows patients leaving Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) up to 50 days to stabilize before re-entering the community.
The average stay at ABH is only seven days, a time period not long enough to prepare many patients for life outside a secure environment.
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The center is located next to the Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board office in Athens. The families of Adam Knapp and Amanda Baker, for whom the center is named after, were in attendance and spoke at the groundbreaking. Both Knapp and Baker tragically lost their lives due to mental illness only days after being released from inpatient psychiatric facilities and after multiple attempts to receive care.
The Knapp and Baker families both stated in their remarks that this center will allow the legacies of their children to live on and help others to recover from the illnesses that took their lives.
The Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center will be the first of its kind to operate in Ohio, and it is the hope of NAMI Ohio to open five more regional centers throughout the state.
The groundbreaking ceremony also included speeches from Athens Mayor Steve Patterson; Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville); Earl Cecil, Director of the 317 Board; Jane Krason, Superintendent of ABH; and other representatives from various groups that have supported this project.
The center will be operated by Hopewell Health Centers, which has several locations in and around Athens. This project was the result of collaboration between NAMI Ohio, the Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and would not be possible without the many funders who contributed.
About NAMI Ohio
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio (NAMI Ohio) helps individuals and families affected by serious biological brain disorders. NAMI Ohio is comprised of families, persons diagnosed with mental illness, advocates and mental health professionals working together to ensure that Ohioans with mental illness and their loved ones receive the treatment and support they need. The mission of NAMI Ohio is to improve the quality of life, ensure dignity and respect for persons with serious mental illness and to support their families.
The average stay at ABH is only seven days, a time period not long enough to prepare many patients for life outside a secure environment.
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The center is located next to the Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board office in Athens. The families of Adam Knapp and Amanda Baker, for whom the center is named after, were in attendance and spoke at the groundbreaking. Both Knapp and Baker tragically lost their lives due to mental illness only days after being released from inpatient psychiatric facilities and after multiple attempts to receive care.
The Knapp and Baker families both stated in their remarks that this center will allow the legacies of their children to live on and help others to recover from the illnesses that took their lives.
The Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center will be the first of its kind to operate in Ohio, and it is the hope of NAMI Ohio to open five more regional centers throughout the state.
The groundbreaking ceremony also included speeches from Athens Mayor Steve Patterson; Representative Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville); Earl Cecil, Director of the 317 Board; Jane Krason, Superintendent of ABH; and other representatives from various groups that have supported this project.
The center will be operated by Hopewell Health Centers, which has several locations in and around Athens. This project was the result of collaboration between NAMI Ohio, the Athens-Hocking-Vinton 317 Board and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and would not be possible without the many funders who contributed.
About NAMI Ohio
The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio (NAMI Ohio) helps individuals and families affected by serious biological brain disorders. NAMI Ohio is comprised of families, persons diagnosed with mental illness, advocates and mental health professionals working together to ensure that Ohioans with mental illness and their loved ones receive the treatment and support they need. The mission of NAMI Ohio is to improve the quality of life, ensure dignity and respect for persons with serious mental illness and to support their families.