Seneca County
Who We Are
The Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties is statutorily empowered to plan, develop, fund, administer and evaluate the local system of mental health and addiction services within the Board district. The Board is to serve as the hub of the local communities and facilitate partnerships and relationships with organizations throughout the district in order to address community needs and to respond to crisis situations. The opioid epidemic was considered a crisis situation and therefore, the Board took the lead to address the problem by forming a task force in each of the three counties within the Board district. The Seneca County Opiate Task Force was formed in the spring of 2015 as a result of the number of overdoses that were occurring in Seneca County due to opioids. The initiative was led by the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties along with the Seneca County Common Pleas Court. The task force aims to bring the necessary treatment, recovery and prevention resources to the community in order to prevent the overdoses. Efforts initiated under the task force have included the availability of treatment at the local jail, Narcan training, recovery housing, joint recovery drug court, fatality review committee and numerous educational and awareness events. Current membership includes the Board, law enforcement, treatment and prevention providers, hospitals, health department and the local jail administration. The Board acts as the lead agency and considers the task force as the local county opioid hub to combat opioid addiction as required under the Ohio Revised Code 340.30.
Need help in your community?
If this is an emergency, please call 9-1-1. You may also call 2-1-1 or the Mental Health Crisis Hotline at NAMI toll-free at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). Another option is to text HOME to 741741.
Serving Alcohol at an Event?
This resource describes the numerous reasons someone may choose not to drink alcohol and shares tips on engaging these populations so that everyone can feel welcome.
Nicole Williams
Nicole attended Tiffin University from August 2011 – May 2015 where she earned a Bachelors of Criminal Justice, Forensic Psychology and minored in Addictions Counseling. She has been with the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board since January of 2017 where she serves the role of Community Outreach Coordinator for Sandusky and Ottawa Counties. Her responsibilities include coordinating and managing the SPF-PFS EPIIC grant, coordinating, and managing Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) RCORP-Implementation, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) RCORP-Psychostimulant, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) RCORP-Behavioral Health Grant, coordinating, and managing prevention efforts in Sandusky and Ottawa Counties. She coordinates prevention services and funding efforts with the schools in Sandusky and Ottawa Counties. She is a participating and member of prevention coalition meetings in Sandusky and Ottawa Counties including the following: Sandusky County Prevention Partnership, Ottawa County Prevention Coalition, and serves on health alliances and consortiums throughout Sandusky and Ottawa Counties. She also collects and manages overdose and suicide death data for the SOSW area.
Robin Reaves
Robin Reaves is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor – Supervisor with over 20 years of experience in the mental health and addiction field. She is currently the Deputy Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties.. She has experience with providing prevention, treatment and recovery support services and supervision of such services. She is actively involved with the Seneca Country Recovery Task Force, as well as a member of the Community Action for Reducing of Substance in each county
Elyssa Hays
Elyssa Hays attended Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio from August 2017-May 2020 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies. After college, she worked at Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services as a case manager for individuals struggling with substance use disorder and mental health from August of 2020 through December of 2021. After that, she started working for the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wyandot Counties as a Community Outreach Coordinator in January 2022. She worked on the HEALing Communities Study as a Community Engagement Facilitators from January 2022 through December 2023. She is involved in many meetings throughout Seneca and Wyandot Counties to help promote community change that improves the lives of individuals struggling with mental health and substance use disorder in the communities.
Mircea Handru
Director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Wyandot Counties
Consortium Members
Collaborators
Steven C. Shuff, Judge
Seneca County Common Pleas Court
Rhonda L. Best, Judge
Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court
Jay A Meyer, Judge
Seneca County Juvenile and Probate Court
Damon D. Alt, Judge
Seneca County Common Pleas Court
Julie Richards
Health Commissioner Seneca County General Health District
Kathy Oliver, Executive Director
Seneca County Department of Job and Family Services