By Emily Lyon
VP of Strategy, Meridian HealthCare
BOARDMAN, Ohio – Meridian HealthCare celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. Founded by Jim Traficant in February 1974, the agency has grown from an addiction treatment center to an integrated behavioral and primary health care organization. Last year, Meridian served 12,000 patients. The agency manages 185 beds in seven supportive housing sites in Mahoning County and employs 248.
Expanded services over the last 50 years include comprehensive addiction treatment, drug and alcohol withdrawal management, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment, community prevention, family programming, primary care, chiropractic care, acupuncture, women’s health, housing, gambling treatment and more.
Meridian was dedicated last year to honoring the pioneers who paved the way for behavioral health in the Valley, including the late Judge Joseph Donofrio. An advocate for those struggling with addiction, Donofrio introduced a groundbreaking program in the 1960s that prioritized recovery over punishment by directing individuals with alcohol-related offenses to Alcoholics Anonymous rather than to jail.
This program inspired the creation of the Donofrio Halfway House, which became part of Meridian HealthCare in 2005. To honor this legacy, and raise funds for long-term recovery support, Meridian hosted the Judge Joseph Donofrio Memorial Golf Outing in September, its most successful fundraiser to date. Meridian also renamed its South Campus as the Judge Joseph Donofrio Center.
Meridian also honored the late Neil Kennedy, who was instrumental in bringing AA services to the area, by launching a new specialized treatment program for alcohol use disorder. This program allows patients to attend specialized groups, led by nurses, physician assistants and counselors, to learn about alcohol addiction and recovery.
In addition to addiction treatment, Meridian continued to offer eTMS (electroencephalogram Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) for veterans and first responders struggling with issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and more. This noninvasive, painless, and drug-free treatment measures and analyzes brainwaves, identifies harmful disruptions in the brain network, and can re-correct the brainwaves to improve mental health conditions. After seeing great success with this program, Meridian plans to expand eTMS for substance abuse treatment.
Meridian achieved an additional milestone in 2024 by becoming a member of the Ohio Behavioral Healthcare Provider Network. This step bolsters relationships with managed care plans, other payors and funding sources.
This April, Meridian President/CEO Larry Moliterno will present at the Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat Conference in Palm Beach, Fla. He will discuss the patient experience and how it’s key to the future of treatment and recovery.
Meridian is set to enlarge and renovate its Meridian Road Campus, expand its Maternal Opiate Medical Supports to the Campus of Care in Mineral Ridge, and host the Second Annual Judge Joseph Donofrio Memorial Golf Outing Sept. 15.