Agency Spotlight – Ohio Valley Behavioral
Health, Incorporated

Ohio Valley Behavioral Health, Inc. is the private not-for-profit corporation that serves as the parent organization for two critical chemical dependency service providers within Washington County and other counties in Southeast Ohio: Southern Ohio Solutions (SOS) and Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime (TASC). SOS services include:

Outpatient chemical dependency treatment services to juveniles within the Washington County Juvenile Center and adults within the Marietta Municipal drug court system Full psychosocial assessments Individual and group counseling Drug testing collection Case management Crisis intervention services Family counseling and education services Services provided by TASC include: Assessment and referral services Case management Client transportation Drug testing and analysis TASC provides the above services for clients of the Judicially Supervised Treatment (JuST) Program. This program, through the Washington County Court of Common Pleas, is designed for non-violent, substance abuse-related offenders. The organization has its own certified laboratory, collection specialists and analysts; the organization contracts with local schools and businesses to conduct drug testing. The certified analysts are able to make a determination within one to three days, a much more timely response than the usual five to seven days turnaround time for samples sent out of the area to be tested. The state of the art lab not only determines what substance is present in the body, but also to what degree that substance is present, providing information for the fairest and most accurate response. Executive Director Stephen K. Thomas expressed his pride in the organization’s ability to access grants to fund new services that filled previously unmet needs in Washington County. He states that the organization has the quality staff and tools to provide cutting edge chemical dependency services that have been unusually successful in addressing problems that are traditionally quite resistant to change. He further states that all of the services provided by OVBH, Inc. and its counterparts are about public safety, treatment and giving people opportunities to make valuable changes that affect them, their families and the entire community. Mr. Thomas notes that regardless of the increasingly difficult balancing act between resources and the need for chemical dependency services, the primary goal of the organization will always be to improve people’s lives. Looking to the future, the organization’s priority is to maintain quality services at all times and to expand to fill service gaps in all Washington County justice systems and to the community at large. OVBH, Inc. would like to expand its drug-testing services and develop comprehensive re-entry services to juveniles and adult felony offenders upon release from prison. These services would include employment supportive services, case management, counseling and follow-up support, and support for families. Ohio Valley Behavioral Health, Inc. has become a valuable resource to our community’s justice systems. The administration of the organization is currently using office space at the Washington County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Board, 344 Muskingum Drive in Marietta. For more information, contact Stephen Thomas at 374-6990 or (740) 339-3032.