Following the tragic loss of two Alder students last year, the Jonathan Alder School  District has obtained many new resources and trainings regarding mental health. Although all of the following resources are new to JA, most already existed and just had not been needed before.

1. ADAMH (Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health) Boards

     Under Ohio law, all counties or combinations of counties that have at least 50,000 people must have an ADAMH Board. Both Madison and Union County have such boards. However, because the Jonathan Alder School District sits on top of the county line, both boards have offered all of their mental health services to all JA students, no matter if the students live in their county are not. The list of services provided by Madison and Union County is very long, with somewhere around 17 different services offered by Union County alone. Complete lists of all services and resources provided through both counties are available for Union County at www.mhrbuc.org and www.mhrb.org for the coalition of counties that include Madison County.

2. School based counselor, Sue Ellen Hughes

     One specific resource from the Union County Mental Health and Recovery Board, an unlying board of the Union County ADAMH Board, is a school based counselor named Sue Ellen Hughes. Hughes is at Jonathan Alder High School once a week and travels to the other buildings in the the district as needed. She talks to kids that have been recommended for counseling by staff members and parents. She also organized an open counseling group that meets on Thursdays during the lunch periods, in the choir room at the high school. Anyone is welcome to attend.

3. ACT and SOS

     Along with The ADAMH Boards, Nationwide Children’s Hospital has partnered with the Jonathan Alder School District to bring their ACT program to the school district. This program is designed to help students recognize anxiety, depression, and signs of suicide in friends and classmates. Most information on this is provided in another article dedicated solely to ACT and SOS. To access this information, scroll to the top and type in the keywords “ACT” or “SOS.”

4. The Jonathan Alder Community Support Coalition

    So far all of the new resources that school now has have been around before the tragedies last year; however, The Jonathan Alder Community Support Coalition was formed after them. The Jonathan Alder Community Support Coalition is a group composed of first responders, pastors from The Plain City Church Fellowship, Madison and Union County representatives, Plain City business people, Jonathan Alder principals, and representatives from the OSU college of social work. Together, there are about thirty people that attend monthly meetings to become more aware of mental health issues and to never be caught unaware again. Anyone is welcome to attend.

5. Crisis text line

    Union county also offers a crisis texting line to all residents as well as students of the Jonathan Alder School District. No matter when the text is sent, someone will be there to respond immediately. The number is 800.731.5577  24/7  or you can text 4help to 85511. You can also call this number 24/7 1-800-731-5577.

    The goal of all these resources and organizations is to promote mental health awareness. “Having mental health issues is the same as having any other disease and is treatable. Do not assume you are alone in your struggles, there are many people to care for you and love you. Never give up!” said Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Misty Swanger.