Maryhaven President and CEO Oyauma Garrison is resigning amid the nonprofit’s “severe financial distress” and questioning by local officials as to whether the addiction treatment center can keep operating.
The Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health (ADAMH) Board of Franklin County cited concerns in a June 19 letter that even with millions in financial help, Maryhaven could not stay financially solvent and did not appear to have a clear plan to keep the center afloat. Without a clear path forward, ADAMH could “claw back” any funding.
Maryhaven leadership, including Garrison, acknowledged in a June 29 letter responding to ADAMH that the nonprofit is under significant financial stress and that it “takes the concerns raised by ADAMH seriously.”
A release obtained by The Dispatch, stated that Garrison, who has been CEO since 2022, “made the decision in mutual agreement with Maryhaven’s board of directors.” The board is vetting prospective short term interim CEOs and plans to launch a search for a permanent replacement. Garrison will spend the next 30 days helping Maryhaven create a transition plan.
“We thank Oyauma for his service, and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Abby Morrison, Maryhaven board chair, said in the release. “Maryhaven’s work has been vital to our community for nearly 75 years. I and the rest of the board are looking forward to building a sustainable future that allows this critical organization to continue serving central Ohioans for decades to come.”
Maryhaven has operated in central Ohio since 1953 and serves between 8,000 and 10,000 adults and children per year, according to the nonprofit. Its services include 24/7 substance detox services, inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment, counseling and gambling addiction help, among many other services.
According to Maryhaven’s Internal Revenue Service 990s, Garrison had an annual salary of a little over $400,000.
Why is Maryhaven struggling?
In December, Maryhaven received a $1 million loan from the city of Columbus. The loan came just three months after the organization received $1.5 million in OneOhio Opioid Settlement funds from the Franklin County Commissioners via the ADAMH Board. Still, ADAMH said in its letter that Maryhaven’s situation failed to improve and ADAMH records showed Maryhaven had just $309,767 in cash on hand at the end of April 2026.
Meanwhile, Maryhaven reportedly owes more than $2.4 million, and its reliance on what’s meant to be one-time funding or borrowed money, like that provided by the city, has increased, wrote Erika Clark Jones, ADAMH president and CEO.
Fewer patients than expected in 2026, problems in switching their electronic health record (EHR) system leading to delayed reimbursement, and not getting paid for services administered to uninsured patients have all been factors in Maryhaven’s most recent financial issues, according to the nonprofit.
In an emailed statement on July 10, Maryhaven spokesperson Boomer Schmidt said that the nonprofit provided more than 6,200 services to non-Medicaid-eligible clients in 2025, which cost Maryhaven more than $550,000.
“As a safety-net organization, we do not refuse services to those that cannot pay and we have been forced to make difficult decisions to ensure we are able to continue to provide best-in-class care to anyone in need that walks through our doors,” Schmidt previously told The Dispatch in an emailed statement.
In its June 29 response letter, Maryhaven proposed creating a new sustainability plan with an independent advisory firm, changing how they present their financial projections and allowing ADAMH and local officials to appoint three new board members, among other measures to aid in transparency around problems and progress.
Changes already in place include easing certain visitation and smoking restrictions, which Maryhaven said is helping with patient numbers. Maryhaven also reported that their EHR system is now working properly.
Maryhaven’s 990 forms also shower that through 2024 to 2025, it operated in multimillion-dollar deficits and has since tax year 2022. The organization raised more than it spent in 2021, but operated in a deficit in 2020, 2019 and 2018.
Business and consumer issues reporter Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Maryhaven CEO resigns amid nonprofit treatment center’s financial distress
Reporting by Samantha Hendrickson, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Samantha Hendrickson, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
