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Paint Valley ADAMH is seeking nominations from the public for persons making a difference in the fields of mental health advocation and addiction recovery.
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The Paint Valley ADAMH Board holds its 3rd Annual Recovery Celebration in September and they’re looking to the public to nominate individuals for four awards that will be handed out during that event.
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“We started this celebration three years ago as an effort to address the secondary trauma that people on the front lines and our workforce face,” said Paint Valley ADAMH Director, Penny Dehner. “The Recovery Celebration is all about celebrating individuals in recovery and those of us working daily in our system of care.”
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We’re all aware of the trauma faced by those suffering from addiction and mental health disorders, but the trauma experienced by those who work in the mental health and addiction recovery fields that help these people, can often go unnoticed.
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“When individuals work with people with a substance use disorder on a daily basis and they’re in the court system, and they see everything that’s happening to the individuals working their recovery, it’s hard not to take that home with you,” said Dehner. “We need some kind of outlet, somebody to recognize that the workers themselves are dealing with trauma. That’s why we call it secondary trauma."
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The four awards to be presented during September’s Recovery Celebration are:
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Mental Health Advocate of the Year – This award is designed for an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to extraordinary contributions to the behavioral health system as it relates to mental health treatment and advocacy.
“We’re looking for individuals that have gone above and beyond in their jobs, or something they volunteer to do,” said Dehner. “We’re looking for anybody that has made huge contributions to mental heath treatment, for example, we have in the past awarded a judge who provided funding for anti-bullying in the schools. We awarded it one year to the YMCA and their efforts with our team.”
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Addiction Advocate of the Year – This award is designed for an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to extraordinary contributions to the behavioral health system as it relates to addiction treatment and advocacy.
“We’re also looking for an outstanding individual for substance use disorder treatment, which is prevalent in our community,” said Dehner. “There are lots of stellar individuals but we’re looking for that one who has gone above and beyond.”
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Prevention Advocate of the Year – This award is designed for an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to extraordinary contributions to the behavioral health system as it relates to prevention and advocacy.
“We’re also looking for someone that has done excellent work in prevention,” said Dehner. “We know we’re not getting out of this crisis that we’re in with these drugs until we work on prevention, and there are a lot of good efforts happening with prevention and we want to recognize somebody that has made that contribution.”
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Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Award – This award is designed for an individual CIT Officer who has demonstrated effectiveness in the field of utilizing CIT skills and partnerships.
“We provide crisis intervention team training annually to law enforcement officers to teach them de-escalation skills and the resources available for the individuals they come across that suffer from mental illness or substance abuse,” said Dehner. “We’ve honored some of those officers that have utilized the skills they’ve learned. Last year we recognized an individual that used that training to save someone from suicide.”
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Nominations for these awards can come from any of Paint Valley ADAMH’s five-county service area, comprised of Ross, Pickaway, Pike, Fayette and Highland counties.
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Nomination forms are available HERE. Simply print the form, fill it out and mail it to Paint Valley ADAMH at 394 Chestnut Street, Chillicothe, OH 45601. If you lack internet access, you can also contact Paint Valley ADAMH by phone at 740-773-2283 and they’ll mail you a nomination form.
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Nominations must be submitted by Thursday, August 22nd. The awards will then be presented during Paint Valley ADAMH’s 3rd Annual Recovery Banquet on September 12th at the Sunroom at the Brick in Frankfort.