Ross County — The commissioners heard an update on a planned children’s services residential facility in Ross County, in their Monday meeting.
Integrated Services for Behavioral Health is working with the county to build a “Qualified Residential Treatment Facility” next to the Ross County Juvenile Detention Center and Roweton Alternative School, close to Camp Cattail, on Cattail Road.
Sam Shaffer, CEO, Integrated Services for Behavioral Health, said they have demolished an older facility there but have not started building their new one. She told the commissioners that the plan is delayed because their current funding won’t meet rising costs for construction and furnishing, or operations.
Shaffer explained to me that Integrated Services is a nonprofit that serves 21 counties in Southeastern and Central Ohio, primarily with outpatient services in homes and communities to help with mental health, substance abuse, and housing.
She said two years ago they started a 16-bed “Qualified Residential Treatment Facility” in a former hospital in Nelsonville. “Mary Hill Youth & Family Center” supports youth with mental health or substance abuse, Shaffer said. The Ross County facility would be their second endeavor into residential treatment.
But it is on pause until they hope to get more state funding. She said they hope to report on more soon.
Integrated Services has been part of discussions recently in the Ross County Commissioners’ meetings, along with the state’s recent “OhioRISE” effort:
“As a part of Ohio Medicaid’s effort to launch the next generation of Medicaid, ODM has launched OhioRISE (Resilience through Integrated Systems and Excellence), a specialized managed care program for youth with complex behavioral health and multisystem needs.”
Integrated Services also factor into Ross County Children’s Services requesting a levy, the subject of my two-part recent story.
They are also creating new offices, in the former Payless Shoe store at 531 East Main Street. Becky Eddy, Chief Community Development Officer of Integrated Services, said they started interior demolition last week, and hope be moved in next year. Their current Chillicothe offices are at 18 E Second Street.
Hear more in the below interview video.
