January 2026

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month and We Care Regional Crisis Center Expansion

Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month

This January, the Mental Health & Recovery Services Board of Allen, Auglaize, and Hardin Counties (MHRSB) joins the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in a nationwide push to help Americans learn about the importance of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment—with the observance of SUD Treatment Month. The campaign seeks to help people throughout the United States understand the limitless paths to recovery, the support services that complement treatment, and the importance of having a support system when pursuing recovery.

According to SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 48.4 million people 12 or older (or 16.8%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year; 27.9 million had an alcohol use disorder (AUD); and 28.2 million had a drug use disorder (DUD); and 7.7 million people had both an AUD and a DUD. The data also show that, among people 12 or older in 2024 who were classified as needing substance use treatment in the past year, only about 1 in 5 (19.3% or 10.2 million people) received substance use treatment in the past year.

By raising awareness of treatment, including medications to treat substance use disorders, SAMHSA seeks to:

• Break down barriers that keep people from seeking help

• Encourage those on their treatment and recovery journey

• Promote best practices such as screening, intervention, and treatment of substance use disorders by health care providers

If you're seeking help for alcohol or other drug use, treatment options are available. Visit findtreatment.gov.

Worried about a loved one's substance use? Support them in seeking help and visit samhsa.gov/families.

Providers can also find resources to help you help patients at samhsa.gov/medications-substance-use-disorders/provider-support.

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We Care Regional Crisis Center Expansion Celebrated

The Mental Health & Recovery Services Board recently joined community leaders and partners to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the newly expanded We Care Regional Crisis Center in Lima.

The new Crisis Stabilization and Extended Stay Unit includes nine extended stay rooms designed to give individuals the time and support needed to stabilize, reconnect with services, and move forward safely. This expansion strengthens the crisis response and recovery system serving Allen, Auglaize, and Hardin Counties.

The Crisis Stabilization Unit is operated by Coleman Health Services, an MHRSB-contracted agency.

Program remarks were shared by Hattie Tracy, President and CEO of Coleman Health Services; City of Lima Mayor Sharetta Smith; Ohio State Senator Susan Manchester; and MHRSB Executive Director Tammie Colon. Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives Matt Huffman was unable to attend but shared a formal statement recognizing the importance of the expansion and its positive impact on the region.

This milestone represents an important step forward in strengthening coordinated care and ensuring individuals can access the right level of support when they need it.

Did you miss the live stream of the ribbon cutting on January 22? Watch it on YouTube or on Facebook for the full remarks!

"This has been a service that's been needed, and we've not had it available. It's been very difficult when we've had to take people who we love, we feel responsible for, we get them through their most immediate crisis, and then we have to move them into another community to receive the rehab treatment that they need.

We have to move them from their families, away from their familiarity, disrupt all that was stable in their lives, just in order to give them time for the brain to heal, for their symptoms to improve, for them to gain the strength and the skills that they need to be able to come back into our home community and live. So I'm overwhelmed with emotion that we have this available for our community residents." - Tammie Colon, Executive Director of MHRSB

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Upcoming Events

Community Listening Session: Residential Facility Class 2 – Allen County

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

5:30–6:30 p.m.

Lima Public Library Auditorium

Strong, sustainable housing should be built with the community, not for the community.

ABLE and community partners are hosting a Community Listening Session to gather input on potential Class 2 Residential Care Facilities (RF2) for rural Allen County residents with disabilities. This conversation will help ensure any future facility is safe, person-centered, and reflects the day-to-day realities of rural life.

Residents, potential operators, and community members are encouraged to attend. We especially want to hear from individuals with lived experience in RF2 facilities, community members impacted by residential housing, and operators who can share day-to-day needs and considerations.

For questions or accessibility accommodations, please contact Kristie Ortiz at kortiz@ablelaw.org or (419) 930-2333.