Prioritizing Mental Healthcare in Georgia
Friends,
Last week at the Gold Dome, my colleagues and I worked through Legislative Day 8 of our 40 day session. The House Appropriation Subcommittees started reviewing budget specifics and House Committees continued work on non-budgetary legislation. The House and Senate agreed to a calendar detailing the legislative session’s schedule and set an end-date of April 4, 2022.
What I am most excited to share this week is the unveiling of House legislation that aims to overhaul mental healthcare in Georgia. Led by House Speaker Ralston and House Leadership, the “Mental Health Parity Act” provides comprehensive reform on everything from increasing access to care, strengthening workforce development, enhancing the accountability of insurance companies, and improving resources for frontline responders. We believe that investment in the medical, behavioral, and mental health of the citizens of our state will lead to significant benefits in every community in Georgia.
This important House legislation increases access to care by expanding the list of mental health providers that are covered by insurance and it will require insurers to cover certain mental health services. The bill increases funding, options, and providers for mental health coverage for all ages. It will further augment workforce development by adding services to rural Georgia and underserved communities. Heightened transparency and accountability of the insurance companies will serve to better protect consumers and patients. Insurers will be subjected to more reporting and disclosure requirements which will ensure better information for consumers and patients as well as compliance with federal and state law and other guidelines. Frontline responders will benefit from additional tools and resources including diversion opportunities and pathways for nonviolent offenders.
One example of mental healthcare-focused initiatives right here in our region is our work to fund a pilot project that will be able to properly diagnose and treat some of our most vulnerable within the community – foster children, with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mental health misdiagnoses cause adverse effects on foster children, including their placement which can lead to an exhaustion of resources and poor outcomes for the child’s well-being. Local pediatrician, Dr. Michelle Zeanah and the Behavioral Pediatrics Resource Center are partnering with Georgia Southern University’s Center for Public Health Practice and Research to develop and design this awareness training project. The Resource Center has worked to provide mental healthcare resources for years in our community. One of the objectives of this program is to lead the way in launching a statewide awareness training program. Properly diagnosing and treating these children will lead to better outcomes for these children allowing them the best chance to thrive which will also be a true and impactful benefit to our community and state.
I am truly excited about the work we are doing this session and it is my honor to serve you in the General Assembly. I am always pleased to assist you in any way I can. Please do not hesitate to call (404.656.5052), email (Jon.Burns@house.ga.gov), or engage on Facebook (www.FB.com/JonBurnsGA). For more information, you can access and watch session proceedings and committee hearings here: https://www.legis.ga.gov/house. I sincerely value your insight and look forward to hearing from you.