Mercy Health Foundation named Partner of the Year for crisis intervention

YOUNGSTOWN — Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, formerly Area Agency on Aging 11, presented Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley its 2019 Outstanding AAA Partnership of the Year award Dec. 3 during a meeting of the foundation's board of directors.

The award honors the collaborative efforts among Mercy Health Foundation, Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board and Mahoning County Probate Court to address the needs of at-risk older adults in Mahoning County. Specifically, the partnership provides single point of contact and coordination of services, leading to a significant improvement in quality of life for older adults. This includes bridging communication between service providers and funders, intervention for hoarders, cross training for service providers and educating the community.

"Direction Home of Eastern Ohio is excited to partner with Mercy Health Foundation, the Mahoning County Mental Health and Recovery Board and the Mahoning County Probate Court to create the crisis intervention program," Joseph Rossi, chief executive officer of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, said in a news release. Rossi nominated Mercy Health Foundation for the award.

Since its inception in 2018, the crisis intervention program has assisted nearly 90 Mahoning County residents.

"Our mission at Mercy Health Foundation is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities and bring good help to those in need, especially those who are poor, dying and underserved," said Paul Homick, president, Mercy Health Foundation.

For information on how to support the philanthropic efforts of Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley, call 330-729-1180.

This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Mercy Health Foundation named Partner of the Year for crisis intervention."