Is Georgia Ready for the Next Pandemic? Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership and Substance Use Disorder Community Stand United to Support Funding and Legislation To Save Lives
The Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership and Substance Use Disorder Community introduce The Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care. The Unified Vision sets out a transformational roadmap that will significantly improve the lives of Georgians with mental health and substance use disorders.
The Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care fundamentally shifts perceptions around mental health, substance use, and well-being. This coalition is offering positive policy solutions based on the American Rescue Plan funds for the 2022 Georgia Legislative Session to reform policies impacting the Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership and Substance Use Disorder Community.
It does so by:
- embracing the concept of population health, which includes prevention, promotion, and recovery,
- addressing social determinants of health such as housing, transportation, and employment,
- integrating medical care and ensuring people receive the services and support they need, when and where they need them,
- intentionally addressing factors such as racism and discrimination that have created inequities in care and unacceptable disparities in health outcomes, and
- instituting policies, programs, and standards that value the critical importance of mental and behavioral health and healthy decision making around alcohol and drug use.
The Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership and Substance Use Disorder Community Coalition (listed below) represent the majority of mental and behavioral health care consumers in Georgia, their families, and allies. We represent the diversity of Georgia and stand united with a simple yet urgent message: Rapid and robust actions must be taken by governments and leaders at all levels in Georgia to save lives and make mental and behavioral health care available to all Georgians.
Working together, we have developed eight issues which we ask Governor Kemp and the General Assembly to address during the 2022 session of the Georgia General Assembly. We stand ready as advocates to support our Georgia leaders who support Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder reforms.
#Vote4MentalHealth #GARecovers
Georgia Mental Health Policy Partnership Contact Information:
National Alliance on Mental Illness; NAMI GA.
Kim H. Jones – executive@namiga.org; 678-687-2948
Linda Hamrick: lindahhamrick@gmail.com; 404.909.4514
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Roland Behm: roland.behm@gmail.com; 404.217.5514
Mental Health America
Abdul Henderson: abdul@mhageorgia.org ; 213.435.4355
Andy Lord: andylord@ga-lobbyist.com; 404.454.6373
Madison Scott : advocacy@mha.org; 404.386.1855
Georgia Council on Substance Abuse
Jeff Breedlove: jeff@gc4recovery.org; 404.615.5735
The Center for Victims of Torture
Darlene C. Taylor , Esq. : DLynch@cvt.org; 404.402.1764
Georgians for Healthy Future
Whitney Griggs : Wgriggs@healthyfutures.ga; 470.809.8000
Georgians Mental Health Consumer Network
Chris Johnson: chris@gmhcn.org; 912.713.7708 Chris 180
Kathy Colbenson : Kathy.colbenson@chris180.org; 404.564.3401
Resilient Georgia
Emily Anne Vall: evall@resilientga.org; 678.940.1431
Georgia Society for Clinical Social Workers
Will Smith : wsmith@gafamilycounseling.com; 770.402.7633
The Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care Part 1
The Unified Vision for Transforming Mental Health and Substance Use Care Part 2
