The Georgia Council on Aging is urging passage of a comprehensive bill to help address the growing number of Georgians suffering from mental illness.

On the rare occasion that Speaker David Ralston becomes the first signer of a bill brought to the House Floor, it involves important issues. House Bill 1013, Mental Health Parity Act, seeks to provide additional state support for agencies and organizations who have found themselves overwhelmed by the needs of those suffering from all types of mental illnesses.
According to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), the recorded number of Georgians who suffer from some form of mental illness is staggering at best. The anxiety, confusion, and isolation as a result of the pandemic have caused those numbers to soar. Although the bill places great emphasis on services to support young children, adolescents and adults, seniors are not exempt from the proposed benefits of this legislation.

In a statement issued in support of HB1013, Vicki Vaughn Johnson, the council’s Chair, explained, “Behavioral Health issues can put older adults at risk of eviction from their housing. Behavioral problems for one individual can negatively impact entire residential communities. We have evidence from recent programs that behavioral health coaching and treatment can avoid those risks.”

One provision of the bill calls for the establishment of a grant program (subject to appropriations) to provide funding for five Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs for three years. These programs would be administered under DBHDD. There would also be established an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Advisory Council, composed of state officials, advocacy group representatives, and others.

The Council looks forward to discussions about involvement of representatives from Georgia’s aging population on this Advisory Council. Many of the Georgians who stand to benefit from this bill are among the most vulnerable in that segment of the state’s population.

The Georgia Council on Aging (GCOA) was created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1977 to advise the Governor, assembly and state agencies on matters relating to the state’s seniors.