Six figure grant to assist recovery of Trumbull Drug Court parti - WFMJ.com News weather sports for Youngstown-Warren Ohio

The Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board has been awarded $628,020 for medication assisted treatment and recovery supports for non-violent adult offenders participating in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas Drug Court Program.

The grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services was announced on Thursday.

Eligible participants must have a dependence on opioids, alcohol or both. The grant money will go directly to agencies that are certified to provide MAT -using Vivitrol or Suboxone, for example-and other recovery supports such as housing, transportation, child care, and co-pays for private insurance.

"We've been partnering with Judge Logan's Drug Court for a number of years," said April Caraway, executive director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board. "Success is measured by clean drug screens, completing a treatment program and not being rearrested, among other national outcome measures," Caraway said.

"As a system, we are relieved to be getting this money because we learned recently that Trumbull County's Adult Probation Department will not be receiving $675,000.00 per year in Smart Ohio Money after this year," said Caraway. "That money will be discontinued and we were told that the funding is being moved from Smart Ohio funding to probation improvement and incentive grants beginning next fiscal year. The Smart Ohio funds currently pay for many of the same services this new funding will cover," she said.

The addiction treatment program was piloted in several counties in 2014.

According to a Case Western Reserve University evaluation of the program, past 30-days drug use among program participants decreased 69.4%, while crimes committed decreased by 86%. Upon completion of the program in the pilot groups, 60% had a job and 91% had stable housing.

The stated mission of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board is to improve the well-being of the community by establishing and maintaining an effective, efficient and quality system of alcohol, drug and mental health services in Trumbull County.

For more information about TCMHRB, visit the web site at www.trumbullmhrb.org or call 330-675-2765.