The state of mental health care, and how to improve it, will be pushed in the current legislative session.
House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) said he is making mental health care his priority.
To that end, Ralston filed House Bill 1013 to reform Georgia’s mental health care delivery system and improve client outcomes.
“There is no issue and I want to be very clear, there is no issue this session more important to me than this issue,” he said during a Jan. 26 press conference. “I am tired of telling desperate, hurting families that we have no treatment options available in Georgia. I am tired of looking in the faces of mothers have lost because they saw no hope. And I’m tired of seeing the faces of those who spiral downward has been fed by substance abuse.”
The Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, chaired by former state representative Kevin Tanner of Dawson County, worked with Ralston on the legislation.
“The bill is a giant leap forward and it will create solutions for many of the gaps we face and our mental health systems,” said Tanner. “Parities will be created in a system to elevate the importance of mental health coverage, so it is equal to physical health. A compliance officer funded through the state will ensure the best quality of service for patients. We will strengthen the mental health workforce through better wages, loan forgiveness programs and the ability to fully practice to the extent of their license.”
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HB 1013 will also improve resources and tools for frontline responders.
“We asked law enforcement to do a lot in mental health that we didn’t train them for,” said Ralston. “These are professional men and women, but they’re having to spend a lot of time and energy on calls that are really mental health in nature.”
Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur) is one of the bill’s co-sponsors. She said her 25-year-old son was diagnosed six years ago with severe mental illness and drug addiction, so she is passionate about improving mental health services.
“But the speaker reminded me yesterday of something very important,” she said. “It isn’t just passion that’s going to get this bill across the line. It isn’t just passion that’s going to get 180 members to vote yes. It really is a lot of hard work. It’s really about tackling it. It’s about working with our colleagues on the commission, the Insurance Commission and so many other stakeholders.”
Ralton said Georgia’s mental health care delivery system has been inadequate for too long. He said it is not acceptable for a state rated number one in the nation in which to do business.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
