By Josh Chapin, Miami University

Oxford, OH—Anedra Million ’97, ’01 M.Ed., the 2024 Mrs. Ohio, will serve as ambassador for Ohio’s School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention and Early Intervention.

Anedra Million ’97, ’01 M.Ed. is committed to amplifying student voices, whether that is through social emotional learning, mental health initiatives, or drug and alcohol abuse and prevention programs.

Million, a teacher at Highview Sixth Grade Center in Middletown, uses her platform as Mrs. Ohio to share those principles. Soon, she’ll be using another platform — as the ambassador for Ohio’s School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention and Early Intervention.

The partnership is a natural one, said Cricket Meehan, executive director of the center, which is based in Miami University’s Department of Psychology.

“Dr. Million’s enthusiasm for this very important work is inspiring,” Meehan said. “It aligns with our vision and mission perfectly.”

Staff, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and community partners at the School-Based Center of Excellence for Prevention and Early Intervention work to build confidence, competency, and innovation in school-based prevention and early intervention.

One priority for the center is to build collaborative relationships with schools and community agencies in an effort to address the mental health and school success of children and adolescents through promoting expanded mental health programs and services.

Million received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Miami before completing her Ph.D. In 2024, she was crowned Mrs. Ohio and later earned runner-up status at the Mrs. America competition in August.

The performance was historic. Million was the first Mrs. Ohio to finish in the top two at Mrs. America in nearly 30 years. Should the current Mrs. America win the Jan. 30 Mrs. World Pageant in Las Vegas, Million will be named the new Mrs. America.

“As a first-generation college student and the first in my family to graduate with a doctorate degree, I am grateful for the educational foundation that Miami University has gifted me,” Million said. “I have continued to take all that Miami has given me throughout my nearly three decades as an educator. I am most looking forward to amplifying the causes of mental health, social emotional learning, and student voice.”

As part of Million’s new role, she hopes to implement a statewide Mental Health Awareness Day, as well as potentially a week that is dedicated to mental health for school districts across Ohio. Another of Million’s goals is embedding more mental health and social emotional learning programs in school districts, both statewide and nationwide.

Million also plans to advocate for a Student Voice Day where students can champion causes important to them, as well as continuing to support drug and alcohol prevention programs.

“It is so important for students to understand the importance of making informed choices that will impact their today and their tomorrow,” Million said.

“I want to amplify student voices and the importance of students being at the heart of education.”

“We’ve never had an opportunity like this before to bring our message to groups of people who will be very excited about connecting with Dr. Million,” Meehan said. “There are young people who will be very inspired by her and her message and adults who we can reach in different ways. It will be very exciting to see how this grows.”

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508 residents die annually of overdoses

By Bridget Doherty

Hamilton County Commission

Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners adopted a resolution ensuring Hamilton County employees and their families receive the resources and support they need to engage in and recover from substance use disorder. Commissioners voted to lead by example with the Recovery Friendly Hamilton County Initiative and encourage Hamilton County businesses and organizations to provide addiction and recovery resources. September is National Recovery Month, a time to educate on prevention and celebrate those in recovery.

Since 2015, an average of 508 Hamilton County residents die of drug overdoses each year. The National Drug Intelligence Center estimates drug abuse costs the country more than $120 billion per year in lost productivity.  Conversely, an employee in recovery saves their employer an average of $8,500 per year.* 

“We are changing the culture in Hamilton County to a more welcoming and inclusive County,” said Denise Driehaus, Hamilton County Commissioner and Executive Chair of the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition. “These evidence-based recommendations came directly from the business community themselves to provide support to employees on the road to recovery.”

In 2019, the Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition added a Business Subcommittee to analyze a variety of strategies to help businesses utilize their existing resources and networks to create workplace solutions to combat the opioid epidemic in Hamilton County. The Business Committee focused on how local businesses can proactively tackle such workplace challenges as absenteeism, health care costs, workplace safety and wellness.

“By taking action to become a Recovery Friendly Workplace, this Board commits to standing with our employees and our residents on their recovery journey,” said Commission President Stephanie Summerow Dumas. “Providing a safe and healthy work environment that addresses addiction head on sends a strong message that prevention and recovery work.”

“The business toolkit is a great resource for businesses who want to be recovery friendly, but don’t know exactly how to do it,” said Commission Vice President Alicia Reece. “We are pulling all of our partners and resources together on this- from Public Health, to Reentry, to Hamilton County Addiction Response Coalition- asking employers and employees to foster a recovery friendly environment.”

If you’re interested in joining Recovery Friendly Hamilton County or would like to request more information about the initiative, please contact us at recoveryfriendly@hamilton-co.org or 513-801-6205, or https://workforceinnovationcenter.com/news-and-update/recovering-citizens-rfhc/

*Information from 2020 research by NORC, University of Chicago, the National Safety Council and recoveryfriendlyworkplace.com.

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