Several Wood County agencies are coming together to apply for a federal grant that could bring up to
$500,000 to the area for a drug court.
As explained to the Wood County Commissioners on Tuesday, a drug court is a way of getting an offender
more time in front of a judge and a more intensive support system.
”Drug courts are extremely effective ways to battle addiction,” said Chris Streidl, acting director of
the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board. “It’s a really collaborative
approach to help people take the next step in recovery.”
The ADAMHS Board, along with the Wood County Addiction Response Collaborative, Wood County Common Pleas
Judge Matt Reger, Wood County Adult Probation and the commissioners are all part of the grant. Bowling
Green State University is also expected to be involved.
Belinda Brooks, coordinator with the ARC, said the grant would pay for a probation officer specific to
the drug court and a case manager.
The deadline to apply for the Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program is April 16. The commissioners
are expected to discuss this again on Tuesday, with possibly passing a resolution on April 11.
If the county is awarded money, a drug court could start any time after Oct. 1, and would probably be in
place by Jan. 1. The funding is over four years. There is a 25 percent “in kind” match required, which
would probably be met by time involved.
Andrew Kalmar, county administrator, asked who would own the program after the grant ended. Brooks said
it would be the courts or probation.
Other drug courts have had up to a 50 percent success rate. Other area drug courts are in Lucas and
Hancock counties. Brooks said she would be studying Wayne County, which is similar in size to Wood, and
how its drug court is implemented.
“It holds them so much more accountable because they are in front of a judge,” Brooks said. “They’re
meeting constantly so they have a better success rate.”
Streidl said the process is still in a court, which is punitive, but the offender will be surrounded by
cheerleaders, too.
“With drug courts, you do have a room full of people rooting for you,” he said. “Everybody’s working.”
Commissioner Ted Bowlus said he supported applying for the grant.
“We really hope it does go through. We need it badly,” Bowlus said.
