My name is Brittany Ingledue, and I live in East Liverpool, Ohio, in Columbiana County. I am writing to urgently advocate for improvements in our county and state’s response to mental health needs—especially for children in crisis.

Over the past few months, I have provided care for a child in extreme emotional distress. Despite doing everything I could to get help through the proper channels—CPS, law enforcement, crisis lines—I was repeatedly met with delays, confusion, or indifference. On one occasion, I was told by an after-hours CPS worker, “What do you expect me to do? It’s after 11 PM.” This was during an emergency involving a child who had run away, threatened harm to himself and others, and clearly needed immediate intervention.

We desperately need:

Better after-hours emergency mental health response teams
More accessible, trauma-informed residential facilities for children
Stronger inter-agency communication between law enforcement, CPS, and mental health providers
Increased oversight and accountability for CPS decisions that affect child safety

These children are not numbers. They are hurting, and the systems that are supposed to protect them are underfunded, overburdened, or simply broken.

As a caregiver, mother, and citizen, I am pleading with you to consider sponsoring legislation or funding initiatives that will support:

Mobile mental health crisis units
Regional youth stabilization centers
Training for intake and on-call CPS staff
Expanded access to child psychiatry and therapy—especially for Medicaid families. 

We demand:

24/7 child mental health crisis response teams
Trauma-informed CPS and law enforcement training
Local youth stabilization and residential care centers
Transparent oversight and accountability from CPS
Access to pediatric mental health care and long-term therapy

We are calling on:

State Senator Al Cutrona
Representative Monica Robb Blasdel
Columbiana County Commissioners
Governor Mike DeWine to pass legislation, increase funding, and fix the broken mental health safety net for Ohio’s kids.

Our children can’t wait. Be their voice. Sign today.