Between January 2022 and March 2024, more than 36,000 calls were made to the Crisis Now hotline, according to Helen Jones-Kelley, executive director of Montgomery County ADAMHS.
In that same time frame, there were more than 2,000 mobile crisis responses, according to ADAMHS. Between January 2024 and March 2024, ADAMHS recorded 270 times people received services, averaging about 90 per month.
| Service provided | 2022 | 2023 | Jan.-March 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calls to the Crisis Now hotline | 12,024 | 20,582 | 3,622 | 36,228 |
| Mobile crisis unit responses | 606 | 1,220 | 215 | 2,041 |
| Visits to the Montgomery County Crisis receiving center | Not applicable | Not applicable | Averaging 90 per month | 270 |
| All | 12,630 | 21,802 | 3,837 | 38,539 |
Receiving center leased by RI, not county
RI International will continue delivering crisis services in Montgomery County until Wednesday, May 22, and Montgomery County ADAMHS is encouraging residents in need to continue using these services.
“ADAMHS is currently communicating with multiple providers for the seamless transition of services,” Jones-Kelley said.
The Dayton Daily News requested copies of any communications sent between Jones-Kelley and RI International. Montgomery County ADAMHS said all negotiations with RI International were done over the phone or Zoom calls.
No county levy dollars were used for expenses relating to the renovation of the Montgomery County Crisis Receiving Center’s space at 601 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd. in Dayton, according to Montgomery County ADAMHS.
RI International, which has not responded to requests for comment, owns the lease agreement for the crisis receiving center’s space. The building it is located in is owned by Elizabeth Place Holdings, LLC.
Montgomery County ADAMHS does not appear to have plans to take over the lease, but it plans to find a provider(s) for all of the crisis services, the agency said.
“Montgomery County ADAMHS is currently talking with several providers about a seamless transition of all services currently being delivered by RI International,” said Tina Rezash Rogal, director of strategic initiatives and communication at Montgomery County ADAMHS.
Breakdown of funds spent
All expenses toward the renovation of the space located at 601 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd were paid in full by RI International, said Montgomery County ADAMHS, which only used levy funds for services rendered.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) also confirmed none of its funds were sent directly to RI International for the call center renovation.
Montgomery County ADAMHS paid for direct services from RI International, it said, including the Crisis Now hotline’s call center, responses in the mobile crisis unit and the services provided at the crisis receiving center.
Between 2022 and 2024, approximately $3.6 million in human services levy dollars were used to fund those direct services. The rest of the funds included about $1.3 million in state allocated funds from Ohio MHAS and $1.8 million in federal funds, totaling approximately $6.7 million spent, according to Montgomery County ADAMHS records.
| Funding source | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human services levy | $63,134.30 | $2,262,502.96 | $1,231,297.49 | $3,556,934.75 |
| State allocations | $29,058.69 | $1,082,409.86 | $207,286.99 | $1,318,755.54 |
| Federal grants | $1,728,191.76 | $0.00 | $106,334.88 | $1,834,526.64 |
| All | $1,820,384.75 | $3,344,912.82 | $1,544,919.36 | $6,710,216.93 |
Notice requirement for non-renewal of contract
Included in the contract for services between Montgomery County ADAMHS and RI International was a 120-day notice requirement should either entity decided to renew or not to renew the contract.
Exceptions to that requirement were included in the contract for both the board and the provider, RI International.
For the contract to be terminated by the provider without meeting the 120-day notice requirement, it would have to be if the “Board fails to make reimbursements for services provided as required in the Contract or for other material, uncured breaches of Board’s duties under the Contract,” according to the contract.
“Provider shall provide notice to Board of such failure and a reasonable opportunity for Board to cure to the satisfaction of Provider prior to termination,” the contract says.
The contract could be terminated by Montgomery County ADAMHS should any of the following occur:
- Provider loss of certification
- Serious and imminent risk to the health or safety of members
- Bankruptcy, dissolution, receivership, merger, acquisition, or other action or court order that effectively removes the provider from control of services
- Material, uncured breaches of the Contract
The contract also included provisions that, should a dispute occur resulting in a desire to terminate or not to renew the contract, dispute remediation procedures could take place, including advisory mediation from Ohio MHAS.
Other RI International locations
Montgomery County appears not be the only place where RI International has severed ties with public partners. In New Mexico, the KRWG News station, associated with PBS and NPR, reported a crisis triage center in Doña Ana County Crisis closed when the “facility’s behavioral health provider, RI International, ceased operations after the company was denied grant money by the board of Doña Ana County Commissioners.”
RI International is also currently operating another facility in Ohio located in Columbus. RI International’s “Behavioral Health Crisis Care Center is a 10 bed, walk-in, voluntary program that can serve people who are in mental health and/or substance use crisis,” its website says.
The facility in Columbus is located at 199 South Central Avenue and is being funded by the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County.
RI International is a global organization with more than 50 programs throughout the U.S. and abroad. Its services include crisis, outpatient, housing, community support teams and more, it says.
