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SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, April 8, 2017
6:00PM
Le Fais Do-Do
Atlanta, GA
Honorary Chairs
Kevin & Margaret Hines
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| ADVOCACY UPDATE February 10th, 2017 |
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Because there is no health without Mental Health!
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Mental Health America of Georgia - Legislative Update
Week 5: February 10th, 2017
Week five of the legislative session is coming to a close and it has been an important one for the mental health community. The Georgia Mental Health Treatment Taskforce bill passed the Senate unanimously and is now in the House. We are excited about the progress of this piece of legislation, and the promise that it holds to provide recommendations to improve mental healthcare access across the state.
Also, SB 40 passed the Senate, with one very important modification courtesy of Sen. Josh McKoon and Sen. William Ligon. The original bill, and committee substitute, provided blanket immunity to physicians and first responders making the decision to involuntarily transport an individual to receiving facility. Now there is no immunity when there is negligence on the part of the emergency responders, or the physician. This is an important modification so that individuals can be held accountable if this tool is abused.
Bills Introduced:
SB 146- Electroconvulsive Therapy-
Sen. Donzella James and others
This bill would require the person conducting electroconvulsive therapy to be a physician. It would also prohibit electroconvulsive therapy on anyone under the age of 16. Additionally, it would require a signed informed consent, and physicians would be required to report these therapies to the state for data collection.
SB 149- School Resource Officer Training
Sen. Emanuel Jones and other
This bill would require anyone hired as a school resource officer to receive a 40 hour training course. This training, among other things, would be required to provide education on confronting someone with a mental illness, or in a mental health crisis.
Bill Progress:
SB 4- Georgia Mental Health Treatment Taskforce
Sen. Renee Unterman and others
This bill passed the Senate by a unanimous vote and has made its way to the House.
SB 40- Providing That Emergency Medical Services May Involuntarily Transport a Person to a Mental Health Receiving Facility
As mentioned previously, there was an amendment to the bill presented on the Senate floor by Sen. Josh McKoon and Sen. William Ligon. This amendment removed the blanket immunity from liability for emergency responders deciding to transport a person, and now holds them liable for instances of negligence. The amended version of the bill passed the Senate today and will be in the House next week.
SB 52- Removing Sunset of LPC Authorization to Perform Certain Acts
This bill passed the Senate on Thursday and is now in the House.
Our Work this Week
This week we met with Rick Ward, the Executive Director of the American Academy of Pediatrics. We discussed our maternal mental health initiatives and many shared policy topics of concern. It was interesting to hear that children's mental health care is such a salient issue for pediatricians. As a result, we will be working together after the session has concluded to determine additional ways that we can improve access to mental health care for children across the state.
We also had discussions with the Georgia Association of Marriage and Family Therapists regarding the workforce and access problems that we have across the state. We are collaborating to bring persuasive information to legislators to effectively illustrate the problems that confront our state.
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Remember that meetings are subject to change and cancellation, so always check the
House and
Senate meeting calendars for updated information.
House:
None
Senate:
Tuesday Feb. 14th
2:00pm- Health and Human Service- 450 CAP
(CAP=in the Capitol building; CLOB=in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building)
You can follow all of these as well as future bills at www.legis.ga.gov. This website also posts the schedule and agenda for committee meetings. If you plan to attend a committee meeting on a mental health/co-occurring substance use issue, please contact Joseph Cantrell (joseph@mhageorgia.org
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Joseph Cantrell, Director of Advocacy and Policy Programming
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| TAKE A PROACTIVE STAND! What's the best way to make your voice heard? Have you been to the Capitol lately? Being there, seeing your legislator in action or speaking with them directly is the best way to advocate on behalf of our public mental health system. If you would like to learn more about how to set up your visit and what to do when you are there, please contact Joseph at 678-904-1965. He will be glad to walk you through the process. |
| We need your help to move our advocacy voice forward!
MHA of GA is a leader in the mental health advocacy community. You can learn more on our website,
www.mhageorgia.org.
Your donation will help ensure that MHA of GA continues to keep mental health awareness in front of Georgia's legislators. This is a critical time for our community, and now is the time to act!! Click here to support mental health advocacy in the state of Georgia. |
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