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For our very first Community Spotlight, we are featuring Ross County’s very own Amey Van Voorhis. Amey’s life has been devoted to helping children. She worked as both a teacher and media coordinator for the local public school system. She has also served as a Sunday School teacher, junior high fellowship leader, and Christian Education Director at the First Presbyterian Church in Chillicothe. Amey has been a foster and adoptive parent and continues to serve as a parent mentor for parents with children who have disabilities. Amey serves on the Ross County Family and Children First Council board and is a volunteer at the children’s clothing bank. Amey has taken the lead in running the Ross County Children’s Services Levy twice. 

While Amey’s list of accomplishments may go on and on, you cannot really get a picture of what a light Amey is in our community unless you meet her. She goes above and beyond daily to make sure that people feel cared for and cherished. Amey Van Voorhis is a treasure, and every life touched by her has been made better by knowing her.

Q: If you could only be remembered for one thing, what would you want that to be?

A: “My dedication to the youth in the community. My passion for children. All children can learn.”

Q: What advice do you have for those working in helping professions today?

A: “Make sure that you care first. Be honest but in a caring way. You have to look for the best in everyone. Understand that someone loves those children and adults.”

Q: What is your favorite quote?

A: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Q: Do you have a role model? If so, who?

A: “I have two. One is my grandmother on my father’s side. Her name was Amelia, too. Also, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and I try to model what I think he would do on this earth because we are his hands and feet.”

Q: What is your favorite thing about living in this region?

A: “The people, the culture, and the rolling hills.”

Q: Fill in the blank, together we can ______.

A: “Together we can make a difference. If everybody worked at working together and trying to make a difference, we would not have the problems we have.”

The 5th Annual Recovery Celebration will be September 14, 2023, at Bell Manor in Chillicothe, Ohio. Nominations for Advocate of the Year are being accepted through August 11, 2023. The deadline for sponsorships is August 23, 2023.

Bowl for Kid's Sake

Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Ohio had their annual Bowl For Kid's Sake on March 5, 2023. The Paint Valley ADAMH Board was a Silver Strike sponsor and was represented by staff members Vonda Kern and Kyle Howard with family and friends.

The Ross County Health District sponsored the Let's Talk About Recovery Community Outreach fair on April 27 & 28. The event provided resources to the local community including recovery support services, education and training, Narcan, Prescription Drug Take Back, as well as free food. The Paint Valley ADAMH Board participated in the event by providing information regarding the assistance services that are available for our communities.

We held a QPR-A-Thon across our board region during the month of April, and 108 people completed QPR Gatekeeper Training! We would like to thank everyone who participated and supported the Question Persuade Refer Suicide Prevention Training.

The Paint Valley Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board is pleased to announce that 13 law enforcement officers and first responders who serve in the Paint Valley ADAMH Board region completed Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training on Friday, May 5, 2023. The weeklong, 40-hour class is designed to train law enforcement officers and first responders in skills that assist them in interacting with individuals with mental illness and/or a developmental disability.

Melanie Swisher, Executive Director of the Paint Valley ADAMH Board, said she, the board,

and CIT Planning Committee are excited about being able to offer the training to increase

safety for the community, officers, and first responders.

“Our first responders are daily met with crises. This training is so important to equip them

with the skills to de-escalate situations safely and provide them with the knowledge of local resources that can assist them,” Swisher said.

A total of 172 officers and first responders across the Paint Valley ADAMH region have

completed CIT training since the first class in 2013. Fayette County has 5 CIT officers,

Highland County has 39 CIT officers, Pickaway County has 39 CIT officers, Pike County has 12 CIT officers, and Ross County has 76 CIT officers.

The CIT Planning Committee is comprised of mental health providers from Scioto Paint

Valley Mental Health Center (SPVMHC), law enforcement officers, representatives from the Veterans Administration, and ADAMH staff who worked together to develop the local CIT training. The training is funded by the Paint Valley ADAMH Board, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Ohio provides additional funding for presenters to assure the best training in the state is available for our law enforcement officers.

The training was facilitated by Dr. James Hagen and Dr. Brian Bethel and included presenters from various local agencies including the Pickaway and Ross County Boards of Developmental Disabilities, Chillicothe Police Department, Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, The Ohio State University, SPVMHC, VA Medical Center, NAMI Southern Ohio, and Ohio University Chillicothe.

The Paint Valley ADAMH Board would like to thank the following businesses for their

donation of lunch throughout the training: Buffalo Wild Wings, 7 Miles Smokehouse & Grill, and Giovanni’s Pizza. The Board also extends its appreciation to Casa Del Taco for the discounted meal they provided.

May 2023 CIT Officers

Ofc. Brett McMillan, Hillsboro Police Dept.

Sgt. Alex Hopkins, Waverly Police Dept.

Ofc. Michael Maynard, South Bloomfield Police Dept.

Paula Gibson, Scioto County Sheriff’s Dept.

Ofc. Terry A. Davis, VAMC Police Dept.

Lt. Benjamin H. Barker, VAMC Police Dept.

Ofc. Bobby Sizemore, VAMC Police Dept.

Ofc. Chance Blankenship, Chillicothe Police Dept.

Corporal Kodi Jackson, Fayette Co Sheriff’s Dept.

Sheriff Matthew Hafey, Pickaway Co Sheriff’s Dept.

Detective Zackary Johnson, Pickaway Co Sheriff’s Dept.

Deputy Colten Hale, Pickaway Co Sheriff’s Dept.

Deputy Clark Kreager, Pickaway Co Sheriff’s Dept.

On May 5, 2023, the Paint Valley ADAMH staff participated in Chillicothe Yellow Day. Yellow Day encourages everyone to perform random acts of kindness.

The Pike County Suicide Prevention Coalition kicked off Mental Health Awareness Month with a proclamation. Pike County Commissioners Jeff Chattin, Jerry Miller, and Tony Montgomery signed the Pike County Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation.



To kick off the Light Up Green for Mental Health Awareness Campaign the PCSPC is selling green light bulbs for the community to purchase to show support for those struggling with Mental Health issues.

Through a Request for Proposal (RFP), the PVADAMH Board is seeking one or more professional partners to develop and operate the following crisis services for the residents of the PVADAMH Board catchment area:

• 23-hour Observation Unit
• Crisis Stabilization Unit; and/or
• Mobile Crisis Teams

Bidders may respond to this RFP with a proposal to operate one, two, or all three of these crisis services. The PVADAMH Board is committed to selecting a vendor(s) dedicated to providing high-quality, culturally competent care that is responsive to the diverse needs of vulnerable populations. This RFP is open to all current PVADAMH Board contracted providers and all not-for-profit providers currently out of network.

For those who are interested in learning more, the full RFP can be seen on our website at https://www.pvadamh.org. 

All questions related to the RFP must be sent to [email protected]. A summary of questions will be posted on our website. Applicants may not contact PVADAMH Board staff members directly with questions regarding this RFP. Doing so could result in disqualification of an application. It is the responsibility of interested parties to monitor the website for any amendments or clarifications during the entire RFP process.

Below are the important dates/deadline for those interested:

The Pike and Ross County Suicide Prevention Coalitions are hosting 5K Run/Walks to raise awareness and funds for prevention activities in their communities.

If you would like to sponsor one or both of these races please click the button(s) to the right to email the race director.

Click the image below to register for the races:

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