The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network - Establish a Coronavirus Task Force Sub-Committee for Addictive Diseases and Mental Health Recovery :
The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network Invite Governor Brian Kemp to Establish a Coronavirus Task Force Sub-Committee for Addictive Diseases and Mental Health Recovery.
Governor Kemp has done a good job establishing the Coronavirus Task Force and the sub-committees. The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network want to be partners with Governor Brian Kemp during this historic crisis.
The Georgia Council on Substance Abuse and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network ask Governor Kemp for the formation of a sub-committee of the COVID-19 Task Force to address the needs of people with substance use disorders or mental illness.
As we move deeper into the COVID-19 national emergency, secondary medical issues begin to manifest themselves. Isolation is the number one factor in recovery from both addiction and mental health issues. Combined with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, it is essential Georgia address the inevitable mental health and addiction / recovery issues which will grow themselves.
“The opposite of addiction is human connection. The longer people are isolated, the greater the possibility of return to use, and given that early recovery is very fragile, people seeking recovery need to know there are those of us out here who are successfully living in recovery. We ask Governor Kemp to establish an Addictive Diseases and Mental Health Recovery sub-committee comprised of peers in recovery from both Substance Use Disorder and Mental Illness and our allies in health, judicial, first responders, and academia,” said Neil Campbell, Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse.
“People in recovery from mental health and substance use concerns are facing a particularly challenging time without access to their community supports. It is essential Georgia listen and respond to the needs of our behavioral health recovery community to prevent unnecessary demands on Georgia’s health care system,” said Sharon Jenkins Tucker, Executive Director of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network.
“We thank Governor Kemp for being a Champion of Recovery and Mental Health and support Governor Kemp in his leadership for the people of Georgia during this national and state emergency,” said Campbell and Tucker.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 26 March, 2020
For Additional Information: Jeff Breedlove 404-615-5735
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