TROY- Representatives from more than 70 local agencies and employers gathered at Courthouse Plaza in Troy on Thursday, Sept. 5, during the third annual Mental Health and Community Resource Fair hosted by the Miami County Mental Health Court.

“We had great attendance,” Probation Officer and Mental Health Court Coordinator Jonathan Kanet said. “It’s growing every year.”

“The event has grown tremendously,” Miami County Common Pleas Court Judge Stacy Wall said. “The first year was about 45 agencies, and this year we saw 70.”

Approximately 300 people attended the event, Judge Wall said, which also featured food trucks including Timeless Tacos and Susie’s Big Dipper.

Information on a wide variety of local services and organizations, from exercise, therapy, and treatment to employers, was available. This year’s event also featured mobile units from Clothes That Work and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD).

State Representative Phil Plummer and representatives from the Ohio Supreme Court also attended the event.

“Mental health is important for every individual and knowing how to keep yourself mentally healthy is just as important as staying physically healthy,” Judge Wall said. “Getting that message out is vital to the community.”

“It may not be about what you individually may need, but we all likely know someone who needs assistance in some form,” she said.

“It’s to try to break that stigma of mental health, and bring an awareness of mental health out here, and just to provide education to the public on what resources are here in the Miami County area,” Kanet said.

The Mental Health docket of the Miami County Common Pleas Court was started in June 2022 and earned final certification from the Supreme Court of Ohio Commission on Specialized Dockets in June 2024. Judge Wall created and presides over the Court, recognizing the need for individualized treatment in the efforts of rehabilitation. 

“Everyone focuses on substance abuse,” Judge Wall said. “But a large population uses illegal substances because they have never been properly diagnosed or on the proper medication.”

“Participants will tell you they continued to use substances to take away the nightmares, the voices or the pain,” she said. “Focusing on the mental health component will eventually lead to the person’s wellbeing and success.”

The Mental Health Court includes a treatment team consisting of treatment providers, Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities and assigned probation officers.

The Mental Health Court has hosted the Community Resource Fair each September for the last three years, Kanet said.

“We would like to thank everyone for coming out and attending,” he said. “We appreciate all of the support we’ve gotten from the Miami County Commissioners and Judge Wall.”