The letter, dated May 7 and addressed to the Montgomery County ADAMHS board, lays out RI’s reasons for ending its relationship with the county.
With the latest contract negotiations, RI said it was projected to absorb an additional $600,000 in losses after funding is received from current agreements.
“Regrettably, the absence of a sustainable funding structure and a firm contractual agreement jeopardizes our capacity to continue these services,” Covington wrote.
RI International provided notice about two weeks ago that it would no longer be the crisis services provider for Montgomery County ADAMHS. RI provides a hotline, mobile response units and receiving center for people facing a mental health crisis.
A memorandum of understanding between Montgomery County ADAMHS and RI International was scheduled to conclude at the end of this month, in which RI International reserved “the right to terminate the services earlier should the funding available prove insufficient to cover operational expenses,” Covington said.
RI International has sought collaboration meetings on “the go forward parameters” for its future contracts with Montgomery County ADAMHS since early April, which have not taken place, Covington wrote.
“RI is still open to partnering with (ADAMHS) to transition services to a new provider, if possible, to ensure the continuation of these essential services without further financial detriment to RI especially in consideration of the call center as well as open to a joint communication strategy,” Covington said.
Covington and others associated with RI International have not responded to requests for comment from the Dayton Daily News.
RI International has provided services to Montgomery County ADAMHS since 2021 when it did a soft launch of the Crisis Now hotline in November 2021 before the hard launch in January 2022.
Since 2022, Montgomery County ADAMHS has paid RI International $6.7 million for its crisis services, which included the Crisis Now hotline, mobile response units and the Montgomery County Crisis Receiving Center at 601 Edwin C. Moses Blvd. in Dayton, according to Montgomery County ADAMHS records.
Of the $6.7 million to RI International, approximately $3.6 million came from the county’s human services levy, according to Montgomery County ADAMHS.
Montgomery County ADAMHS receives approximately $21.4 million annually from the levy, which contributes to about 60% of Montgomery County ADAMHS’ overall budget, according to previous meeting minutes from the ADAMHS board. The other 40% is from state allocations and grants.
Montgomery County ADAMHS is part of a network of districts that were established by the state to provide alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services to Ohioans, according to the Ohio revised code. Each district is established in any county or combination of counties having a population of at least 50,000 people, and Montgomery County ADAMHS is a single-county district.
On Thursday, Montgomery County ADAMHS leaders announced they are recommending the crisis services provider Netcare, which is based in Central Ohio, to replace RI International and manage calls to its Crisis Now hotline starting Thursday, May 23.
Montgomery County ADAMHS will hold a special meeting Monday evening to discuss its recommendation of Netcare for the Crisis Now hotline.
“The ADAMHS leadership team has been laser-focused on building a seamless solution to deliver crisis services with the announcement that RI International would cease services on May 22,” said Helen Jones-Kelley, executive director of Montgomery County ADAMHS.
Netcare has more than 30 years of experience in crisis work in Ohio, currently working in 22 counties, she said.
