{"id":30516,"date":"2021-11-14T15:27:07","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T20:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/?p=30516"},"modified":"2023-09-24T16:07:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T20:07:11","slug":"georgia-lawmakers-reach-across-the-aisle-on-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegeorgiasun.com\/?p=30516","title":{"rendered":"Georgia lawmakers reach across the aisle on mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bipartisan momentum for action on mental health<\/a> in the wake of the pandemic appears to be building ahead of next year\u2019s legislative session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and both chambers gathered this week at the state Capitol for a press conference, with several declaring 2022 to be \u201cthe year of mental health\u201d in a state that is now near the bottom in a ranking based on mental health access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Georgia now ranks 48th<\/sup><\/a> in the Mental Health America ranking, which is a slight improvement from last year when the state was in last place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that we are on track to have some significant and some comprehensive changes to the mental health landscape here in Georgia,\u201d said Abdul Henderson, executive director of Mental Health America of Georgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bad news is that, one, it hasn\u2019t happened yet and, two, just because we\u2019re 48th doesn\u2019t mean that we did anything significantly better. In fact, it\u2019s because Texas, Alabama and Florida got much worse,\u201d he added. \u201cSo, while we moved up, we cannot take that as a sign that we need to take our foot off the pedal, because that is not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proposals for next session are still being hashed out behind the scenes even as lawmakers meet<\/a> at the Capitol this month to bitterly debate new district lines for the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But lawmakers and advocates say they are pressing for both funding increases and legislatives fixes for mental health and substance use disorder treatment gaps that were\u00a0worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>. The regular legislative session starts in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would like to make a prediction today: I think this is going to be a big legislative year for mental health. So, stay tuned,\u201d said state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, a Marietta Republican.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Rep. Sharon Cooper, a Marietta Republican who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said state leaders \u201creally must get down to work, help and put the resources behind our words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocates have called the rising number of people experiencing mental health and substance use disorder after this extended period of isolation and disruption\u00a0the next pandemic<\/a>, urging state leaders to ramp up services and tackle barriers to treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n