T-L Photo/KAILEY CARPINO Officials participate in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for Belharmon Recovery Services in Barnesville on Friday.

BARNESVILLE — The Mental Health and Recovery Board hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Belharmon Recovery Services on Friday at 124 S. Lincoln Ave. in Barnesville.

Belharmon Recovery Services will provide medically monitored withdrawal management programs for residents of Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties.

The facility has eight beds and will serve individuals 18 years or older who have an identified need for withdrawal management services from an addictive substance such as opioids, alcohol, methamphetamine and benzodiazepines. The facility is co-ed, and all rooms are private.

Lisa Ward, executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Board, said the effort started in May 2019 when she applied for a grant to help fund the project.

“So I wrote the grant, and our region agreed to allocate $500,000 of state money, and it got the dream started. They got our project started,” she said.

Ward said that the name Belharmon stands for “Belmont, Harrison and Monroe counties.” She said the board of directors came up with the idea for the name.

“It’s just a fantastic idea and shows that this is not just for Belmont. This is Belmont, Harrison and Monroe’s facility,” she said.

Belmont County Commissioner Jerry Echemann said the name was a great idea.

“It’s fantastic, you know, kind of rolls off the tongue,” he said.

Echemann also recognized the hard work that was put into renovating the building.

“It’s extra nice. I mean, way nicer than what I would have expected, which is good,” he said.

The building formerly housed the Barnesville Church of the Nazarene. Since then, the building has been completely renovated with some of the original church pews in the community room of the building.

Echemann said the facility is a much-needed resource.

“This is needed in our community. I don’t think anyone questions that we all either know somebody that’s trying to recover from addiction, or you know, perhaps even ourselves. So it’s a wonderful thing to see,” Echemann said.

State Rep. Ron Ferguson, R-WIntersville, commended Ward for bringing the project to his attention and encouraged other people from rural Ohio to do the same.

“Always be involved in the process, and I encourage each and every one of you to come up and reach out to my office. … Let’s be very vocal people from Eastern Ohio and those from the Ohio Valley so that they can make sure that they are representing all of us, not just Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati because that happens pretty often,” he said.

Lori Criss, director of Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services, said she was impressed by the amount of work and collaboration that community leaders put into the project.

“This is a true testament to communities coming together: businesses, local government, volunteers and the entire board for developing true hope and recovery for Belmont, Harrison and Monroe. I’m very excited to be here for that reason,” she said.

Mental Health and Recovery Board member Allie Starr shared her experience both as a board member and as someone who has experienced living with addiction.

“I’ve been here from the time that this project was just a vision, and now to see it become a reality is just very beautiful. Being a lifelong member of the community of Barnesville, this is more so important to me because of my personal lived experience with addiction. I now have been clean and sober for over nine years,” she said. “Back when I started my journey to recovery, there weren’t these types of services in the area, and I really struggled to find somewhere to go to get the help that I needed. I know from my personal experience that the fear of unmanageable withdrawal symptoms is one of the main reasons that addicts avoid seeking recovery. So I think that this being right here, close to home, is going to help a lot of our struggling addicts in the community.”

Alicia Beynon, owner and chief executive officer of Cedar Ridge Behavioral Health, also spoke at the event and said that her team is excited to provide addiction and recovery services in Eastern Ohio.

Kaleb Knowlton, Appalachian regional representative for the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, read a letter on behalf of Brown.

“Addiction treatment centers are a core part of tackling the addiction crisis that touches every community in Ohio. Belharmon is part of that effort and will make it easier for residents to access treatment options nearby. I am committed to continuing our work together to ensure communities across Ohio have the tools they need to address addiction, from additional federal support for prevention, treatment and recovery to our bill that will help stop the flow of illicit drugs into our country through sanctions on those producing them,” Knowlton read.

In addition to the eight rooms, the two-story facility will have exam rooms, office spaces, a laundry facility, kitchen and dining areas and common spaces for those who are admitted.

Admission to the facility must be voluntary.

The facility will offer assessment and service planning, medical screenings, case management, referrals to aftercare services, brief interventions and Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Transportation will also be provided for those who need it.

The withdrawal management programs offered will be short-term and last three to five days.

The facility will operate in partnership with Cedar Ridge Behavioral Health Solutions, based in Cambridge, Ohio.

For more information about the facility, go to bhmboard.org.