Contacts:
Devyn Giannetti: (216) 225-9813; dgiannetti@cuyahogacounty.us


Center to Help Keep Individuals with Mental Illnesses and Substance Use Disorders Out of Jail System

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH - The Cuyahoga County Diversion Center opened its doors on May 3. It is a first-of-its kind facility in Ohio, working in conjunction with law enforcement to help individuals involved in a low-level offense who are exhibiting signs and symptoms of a mental illness and/or addiction receive the help, care and linkage to community resources they need in a treatment environment rather than going to the County jail.

The Diversion Center, which is overseen by the ADAMHS Board of Cuyahoga County, is located at 1804 East 55th St. in Cleveland. Oriana House, Inc., provides the day-to-day operations and services of the center.

The Diversion Center offers:

• Beds for 50 individuals, staffed 24/7 by clinical and behavioral health professionals
• Withdrawal management services (detox)
• Mental health and substance use assessments
• Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
• Individual and group counseling
• Peer support services
• Case management
• Help enrolling in benefit programs such as Social Security Disability and Medicaid
• Coordination and linking to community services after onsite care

“This is an exciting day for Cuyahoga County,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “The Diversion Center has been a top priority of my administration because it will transform the justice system in Cuyahoga County and enhance the well-being of those in our community. Half of our jail population suffers from mental illness or co- occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and often they should not be locked up. Instead, they could be in a treatment facility receiving the help and care they need, and the Diversion Center will help meet this need. The Diversion Center is a great way to foster communication between our officers and mental health professionals to achieve a common goal: keep our communities safe, our residents healthy, and low-level offenders out of the jail system. This would not have been possible without the support of our amazing community partners, who all came together to better the lives of our residents and change the justice system in Cuyahoga County as we know it.”

The Diversion Center ensures those who need treatment receive it, and helps lower the inmate population safely by working with law enforcement and the justice system to redirect individuals better off in the care and environment of community health professionals where they can best receive treatment.

Local law enforcement are completing Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training, which gives officers the tools needed to identify someone with mental illness and/or substance use disorders and provide them with communication tools to appropriately handle the situation.

If a law enforcement officer encounters an individual who is showing signs of mental illness or substance use disorder and is involved in a low-level, non-violent offense, law enforcement can call the 24/7 Police Help Line staffed by Frontline Services to get support for interacting with an individual and assist in determining if they would be a good fit for the Diversion Center.

“The ADAMHS Board is pleased to have been selected by the County to develop this first-of-its-kind resource in Ohio along with all of our partners, as well as to oversee its success," said ADAMHS Board CEO Scott Osiecki. “The Diversion Center is an addition to our crisis continuum of care for people living with mental illness and substance use disorders by fulfilling the need of providing treatment and recovery supports instead of jail. The Diversion Center not only helps individuals, but it is another resource to assist law enforcement in their daily interactions. The ADAMHS Board has also reached out to every law enforcement department throughout Cuyahoga County to offer Crisis Intervention Team Training. In January of this year in preparation for the opening of the Diversion Center, we increased our 40-hour CIT course to twice per month and our eight-hour refresher and dispatch training to every month.”