MHRS Community Assessment & Plan 2026-2028

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Ashtabula County MHRS Board: 2026–2028 Community Assessment & Plan Summary

The Ashtabula County Mental Health & Recovery Services (MHRS) Board’s 2026–2028 Community Assessment and Plan outlines targeted strategies to enhance behavioral health, expand crisis response, strengthen recovery supports, and improve system collaboration across the county.

Key Strategic Priorities & Objectives

The Board has established quantifiable SMART goals to track progress across major focus areas through 2027:

Crisis Services Expansion: Expand Adult Mobile Crisis and Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) to direct more behavioral health crises to clinicians rather than law enforcement.

  • Target: Increase individuals served from 300 (2025 baseline) to 345 by 2027.

Recovery Housing: Increase availability of certified recovery house beds to ensure safe, permanent housing for individuals in recovery. (Requires Capital Funding)

  • Target: Increase beds from 114 (2025 baseline) to 125 by 2027.

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for Law Enforcement: Establish a permanent CIT committee and launch annual training for local officers.

  • Target: Train 10 law enforcement officers in CIT by 2027 (up from 0 in 2025).

Maternal Substance Use Treatment: Engage more pregnant women with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in the MOMs Program and support retained care.

  • Target: Increase women maintaining treatment for at least 3 months from 9 (2025 baseline) to 15 by 2027.

Family Support & Child Welfare: Provide evidence-based treatment to parents with SUD to keep families safely together.

  • Target: Reduce children removed from homes due to parental substance misuse from 28 (2025 baseline) to 24 by 2027.

Youth Prevention Programming: Maintain and expand evidence-based prevention programs across local school districts.

  • Target: Increase children served from 696 (2024 baseline) to 766 by 2027.

Multi-System Youth & Hospital Transitions

Youth Services Collaboration: Through partnerships with the Family & Children First Council (FCFC), OhioRISE, and the START Program, the Board delivers intensive wrap-around support and mobile response (MRSS) to reduce out-of-home youth placements.

Inpatient Discharge & Re-integration: The Board coordinates closely with state and private psychiatric hospitals—funding dedicated forensic case management and emergency support—to assist individuals transitioning back into community-based outpatient care.

Crisis System Overview & Future Plans

The Board continues to strengthen local crisis infrastructure by expanding community options and filling service gaps:

Current Available Services: 988 Call Center integration (via Help Network), Adult & Youth Mobile Crisis, MRSS, Behavioral Health Urgent Care, Inpatient Psychiatric Services, and Withdrawal Management.

Addressing System Gaps: Ashtabula County prioritizes creating sustainable alternatives to emergency rooms and jails—particularly to support unhoused adults and residents living in poverty.

Key Enhancements:
1. Increasing operational hours and accessibility for Adult Mobile Crisis.
2. Supporting regional MRSS delivery for youth and families.
3. Establishing a permanent CIT Steering Committee.
4. Exploring sustainable crisis observation and access facilities.

For full details, data sources, and detailed breakdown tables, please view the complete document. 2026-2028-ADAMH-Board-CAP_Individual-Board-Report_Ashtabula.pdf