2024
​Cynthia Wion, Executive Director of Recovery & Wellness Centers of Midwest Ohio

Cynthia Wion, center, receives the Geraldine B. Nelson Advocacy Award plaque from Tri-County Board Chair Dennis Butts, left, and Executive Director Terri Becker, right.

​If we had to pick just one word to describe the 2024 Geraldine B. Nelson recipient, that word would be “compassionate.” As a counselor and a business leader, our 2024 recipient has developed a culture of caring, asking first “What is in the best interest of the client,” while understanding that seeing to the needs of employees is crucial to meeting the needs of clients.
 
Our recipient has been a part of the Tri-County behavioral health system for more than 30 years, and has led one of the largest behavioral health agencies in the Tri-County Board system for more than a decade. And what a decade that has been! We weathered an epidemic spike in opiate addictions – prescription pain killers such as Oxycontin leading to heroin and then to synthetics such as fentanyl. And just when we seemed to be turning the corner on opiates, the world was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The back-to-back crises forced agencies to change, to find new ways of meeting the growing demand for mental health and substance use services when the old ways were no longer effective or allowed. And change can be hard. But these crises brought with them opportunities. New funding streams, new community coalitions, and new ways of serving clients presented opportunities for those willing to embrace them and meet the challenges head on.
 
Just this year, our recipient has responded to several significant challenges and opportunities with “Yes, we can do that. When we had an opportunity to create a facility for hospital diversion and step-down clients – our recipient said “Yes, we can do that.” When a local judge wanted court-based comprehensive assessments, our recipient said “Yes, we can do that.” When a sudden decision by another provider agency to close their operations threatened a gap in services, our recipient said “Yes, we can fill that gap.” And through all of those challenges, the Executive Director of Recovery & Wellness Centers of Midwest Ohio has maintained her compassionate focus on the best interests of her clients, and the well-being of her staff.
 
In recognition of her executive leadership at Recovery & Wellness Centers of Midwest Ohio; her collaboration with the Tri-County Board, law enforcement agencies, courts, and other treatment and support services on behalf of individuals in Darke, Miami and Shelby Counties; and for her efforts to foster a culture of caring among her staff, the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services recognizes the 2024 winner of the Geraldine B. Nelson Advocacy Award, for supportive measures on behalf of another, by promoting the recognition of consumer rights and encouraging positive change in the realm of mental health and addictions issues, presented this day, October 24, 2024, to Cynthia Wion.