A Georgia House committee says dozens of children are left behind in psychiatric facilities and emergency rooms, and families say they have run out of options to care for them.
What’s Happening: The House Study Committee on Abandoned Child Placement Following Hospital Discharge released a final report this month.
The report cites 500 children with complex behavioral health needs tracked by DFCS, 20 youth left in a hospital emergency department, 2 abandoned at Hillside, 69 at Laurel Heights, 5 at Youth Villages, and additional cases at other facilities.
What’s Important: Parents often abandon children after exhausting treatment options, insurance hurdles, and safety concerns. State law defines abandonment after three to six months without a parent or guardian, but legal custody transfers can take 45‑60 days.
How This Affects Real People: Families say they feel isolated, exhausted, and unable to work while trying to care for children with severe behavioral health issues. Children left in facilities occupy beds needed for other youth and may lose progress made in treatment.
The Timeline: Testimony was gathered on September 15, September 30, and October 22, and the report was issued in December.
Catch Up Quick: The committee heard from 25 experts, including state agency leaders, hospital officials, and nonprofit directors, to examine why children are abandoned and what can be done.
The Big Picture: Georgia has six psychiatric residential treatment facilities with long waitlists, limited step‑down options, and an estimated 40 % of psychiatric beds occupied by out‑of‑state youth. Gaps in data sharing, insurance approvals, and family‑focused services worsen the problem.
Solutions: The committee issued 17 recommendations:
- Revise the Georgia code on abandonment and create a unified policy for guardianship of abandoned youth.
- Seek waivers to cover family‑centered services such as parent education, family therapy and home visits while the child is inpatient.
- Invest in behavioral health case management, including discharge planners, parent peers and care coordinators.
- Fund additional discharge planners for psychiatric residential treatment facilities.
- Support the Department of Community Health’s community‑sustainability model and explore non‑Medicaid step‑down options.
- Increase the number of psychiatric residential treatment facility beds for high‑acuity patients.
- Build a data‑sharing infrastructure among agencies, facilities and providers.
- Leverage Title IV‑E funds for prevention services under the Families First Prevention Services Act.
- Explore funding to reimburse facilities for uncompensated care of abandoned youth.
- Strengthen existing programs such as the Multi‑Agency Treatment Team, local interagency planning teams and non‑profits.
- Fund respite care for high‑need youth to reduce family burnout.
- Reform insurance policies to prevent denial of inpatient care and family support services.
- Expand capacity for transitional services, including step‑down facilities, in‑home services and respite.
- Raise Medicaid rates for psychiatric residential treatment facilities to reduce out‑of‑state placements.
- Hold facilities accountable for data reporting.
- Continue funding DFCS for costs incurred when Medicaid is not an option.
- Coordinate services for co‑occurring disorders with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities.
“If it takes you six weeks to get an appointment with a doctor who works out of a refurbished Arby’s, well then, welcome to the club.”
