T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Cathy Campell, from left, executive director of the Tri-County Help Center of Belmont, Harrison and Monroe Counties is retiring at the end of the month. She spoke Wednesday with JaQue Galloway, program facilitator, and Chelsea Scott, administrative compliance coordinator, who is also taking the executive director’s chair. Belmont County Commissioners Jerry Echemann and J.P. Dutton thanked Campbell and recognized Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Tri-County Help Center of Belmont, Harrison and Monroe Counties is saying goodbye to Cathy Campbell, who is retiring as executive director, and expanding the role of Chelsea Scott, administrative compliance director who will take over the director’s role.

Campbell is retiring on April 29.

Campbell has been in the field for 37 years and served as director for 14 years. She recalled the challenges of serving victims who shared their trauma, as well as guiding the agency through some difficult and transitional times.

Campbell entered the field after moving back to the area from New Mexico. She saw an advertisement for volunteer advocate training. She noted the agency began with women recognizing the need to help victims of domestic violence.

“We started out as a volunteer organization a little bit before I began, and since that time we’ve developed into a full-service domestic and sexual violence and behavioral health agency. We used to shelter in hotel rooms, and now we have our own shelter that’s fully-staffed 24/7. We’re an Ohio Mental Health and Addiction certified agency. Those things occurred before I was the director,” Campbell said.

She said there have been many administrative changes since she took the helm.

“We’ve had to adjust to different grant opportunities and along with that, different reporting requirements. We have added and really expanded our sexual assault program, especially since … 2015 with the money that was offered with the attorney general’s office after the Steubenville rape case came to public awareness,” she said of an incident in which two teenage boys were convicted of raping an intoxicated girl at a party.

“We’re very dedicated to making our presence in Harrison and Monroe counties something that is consistent, because those communities are quite different than Belmont County and a lot of those people can’t travel.”

She said her last two years were complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and how to provide services during lockdowns and to reach victims of domestic violence who were unable to leave their homes and were isolated with the offender.

Another challenge was providing behavioral health services using telehealth.

“That was brand new to us. When people could no longer come into the office, their behavioral health symptoms and conditions worsened,” she said. “Since COVID, we have run across a pretty big challenge with staffing — retaining staff, attracting staff, keeping up with the ways to do that.”

Campbell looks forward to taking some personal time. She is also a clinical therapist and will be working part-time for the center.

Scott began working at the center in 2012. She got her start by providing direct services in Monroe County.

“I was the legal advocate there for six years, so I worked directly with victims. Our legal advocates accompany victims to court for protection orders. We do crisis intervention and safety planning for victims. We get them the information and resources that they need,” she said.

She has supervised legal advocates and the support staff for the past four years. She spoke about the work.

“Each day presents a new challenge, and my goal is to maintain,” Scott said. “Our victim services is No. 1 priority despite all the challenges we have gone through the last couple years. … we have maintained and been flexible in providing our services to victims.”

She said demand for mental health services has increased during the pandemic.

“Finding providers has been a challenge,” she said, adding people need to pay attention to their mental health. “I think with the prevention and community education work that we do, it gets the word out about our agency and victims’ rights. … If maybe we don’t have families in our shelter, that doesn’t mean domestic violence and sexual assaults still aren’t happening.”

Scott brings a leadership style that focuses on the needs of the public.

“One of our core values of the agency is to be person-first,” she said. “We are here for the victims. … Each person that contacts us comes with something very heavy.”

April is also Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The Belmont County Board of Commissioners recognized the month last week, asked several questions about the center’s operations and commended Campbell.

“I can’t say enough about the work you guys do, the difficult work you do,” Commissioner J.P. Dutton said.

In answer to a question from Commissioner Jerry Echemann, center officials said it was difficult to determine the number of claims received during a given month, since schools and other agencies also report.

There are 20 full-time staff at all the center offices.

A sexual assault survivor support group meets 4-5 p.m. every first and third Wednesday of the month at the center, 104½ N. Marietta St., St. Clairsville. People wishing to register can make free, confidential calls to JaQue Galloway at 740-695-5441 or email jaque.tchc@gmail.com.

Campbell thanked the commissioners for recognizing the month.

“It helps so much to invite the members of Belmont County to participate in the events we have planned, not only in preventing sexual assault, but also in making the county a safer place for survivors to come forward,” Campbell said.

Commissioners meet again at 9 a.m. today at the courthouse in St. Clairsville.