Statewide mental health, addiction coalition honors Sykes with 2018 Legislative Excellence Award

The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) Tuesday awarded House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) the 2018 Excellence in Legislation Award for her work on mental health and addiction treatment and recovery in Summit County. Summit County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board CEO Jerry Craig nominated Sykes for the award.

“I am honored to receive this award, and want to thank the countless advocates, community leaders and local officials whose dedication to improving access to care has touched so many lives. They all share in this award,” said Sykes. “While we’ve seen a dramatic decrease in overdoses in Summit County over the past year, there is still work to do in our state to ensure that everyone has access to mental health and addiction care when they need it.”

Since joining the House in 2015, Sykes has worked with healthcare professionals and colleagues to improve public health, increase access to care and combat Ohio’s high opioid overdose and infant mortality rates.

A strong supporter of Ohio’s Medicaid expansion, which ensures healthcare access for some 650,000 Ohioans, Sykes has been instrumental in securing funding to continue community service programs in her district.

In 2016 alone, more than 4,000 Ohioans died from unintentional drug overdoses and over 1,700 died by suicide.

OACBHA works with state lawmakers and agencies to expand and enhance mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services throughout Ohio.