In June, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (OHFN) approved a $100,000 funding award for support to individuals with severe and persistent mental health diagnoses, transitioning from inpatient psychiatric hospitalization back into the community. Foundation funding will support capital renovations for the Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center in Athens, Ohio. 

Led by the ongoing efforts of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Ohio (NAMI Ohio) and the 317 Board, along with community partners including Appalachian Behavioral Health, NAMI Athens Chapter, and Hopewell Health Centers, the Adam-Amanda Center will be the first of its kind in Ohio, establishing a new approach to caring for individuals recently discharged from psychiatric hospitalization. The repurposed facility will bridge the gap of re-entry into the community, helping to stabilize and support patients under supervised care during the period of transition from psychiatric hospitalization to home. Anticipated outcomes include increased clinical successes, reduced hospital readmissions and housing placement and stability. 

The Adam-Amanda Mental Health Rehabilitation Center will serve a twenty-one (21) county service area in southeastern and eastern Ohio, providing up to 50 days of extended care with trained clinical support services from Hopewell Health Centers. 

The Center is named for two young adults who suffered from mental illness and committed suicide in the days following discharge from psychiatric hospitalization. By providing additional time for healing and to arrange longer-term supportive services, including housing, psychiatric, therapeutic and case management services in the client’s home community, the Adam-Amanda Center is designed to help patients and families heal and stabilize.