Strengthening the Fight Against Opiate Abuse
City of Columbus and Franklin County Announce
New Staff Member to Help Combat Opiate Crisis
This
spring, City of Columbus officials and Franklin County Commissioners charged
David Royer, chief executive officer of the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health
(ADAMH) Board of Franklin County, with developing a plan to tackle the opiate
crisis locally.
The
result was the Franklin County Opiate Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy to
combat the epidemic including a full-time position whose sole responsibility is
to coordinate the administration of the plan. City Council is pleased to
announce that Amy O’Grady has been hired as the senior policy analyst. She
began work on August 7, 2017.
Amy
O’Grady previously served as the director of Criminal Justice Initiatives for the
Ohio Attorney General’s Office where she focused on policy issues including
drug addiction, human trafficking, crime victim services and mental health. Amy
O’Grady served as a judge in the Tenth District Court of Appeals. She has also
worked as a deputy director for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and
section chief for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Crime Victim Services
Section, where she administered grant funding for victims and service
providers.
"Amy
O’Grady’s experience in the field of addiction and mental health is
invaluable,” said City Council President Zach Klein, who has fought tirelessly for
solutions to the epidemic crisis. “She's the right person to coordinate public
and private resources and tackle a crisis affecting our residents at an
alarming rate.”
The
hiring of Amy O’Grady is the latest step forward in the implementation of the
plan. This year, ADAMH committed over $3 million to the effort. Last week,
Mount Carmel Health System announced plans to build an 80-bed mental health
facility, quadrupling its capacity for in-patient mental health care. More
announcements are expected next month.
“The
City is pleased to partner with the County in hiring a coordinator for the
implementation of the Opioid Action Plan,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “We
look forward to working with Amy O’Grady as she steers the multipronged efforts
of our public and private partners in the battle against opioid addiction.”
The
City of Columbus and Franklin County will jointly fund the position.
“The
opiate epidemic is one of the biggest challenges facing our community today,
and I’m excited to have Amy O’Grady coordinating the Franklin County Opiate
Action Plan to help stem the tide of overdose deaths throughout the county,”
said Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady (no relation to Amy O’Grady).
The
Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Mayor Ginther and agencies throughout
the City and County developed the aggressive plan to save as many lives as
possible.
The
plan focuses on four overarching goals:
- Prevent opiate abuse and addiction
- Reduce the number of opiate-related deaths
- Expand access and decrease wait for treatment
- Improve the safety of our community
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