ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia House is advancing plans to do more to recruit mental health workers and find ways to help people move between hospitals, prisons, and the homeless.
Representatives voted 163-3 Thursday to pass House Bill 520, sending it to the Senate for further debate.
Supporters say the move builds on a major mental health care push led in 2022 by the late Republican House Speaker David Ralston. They say finding a solution is a years-long process.
"We have reached Everest, first base camp," said Rep. Todd Jones, a Cumming Republican who co-sponsored the bill. “Let's go closer to the second base camp.
The bill would try to add more workers by canceling student loans for nurses and others already in health care, in addition to the loan waivers granted to current students in last year's law. It will also make it easier to apply for and renew professional licenses, hire workers from other states and countries, and ease training requirements for workers who are licensed in other states.
"The workforce is our biggest challenge," said Decatur Democrat Mary Margaret Oliver, who is another co-sponsor.
The move will also make it easier for officials to use a court-ordered form of outpatient care created last year. This will create new crisis stabilization units in the Columbus, Dublin, and Atlanta areas and require more data sharing between agencies to help investigate cases and plan services.
Last year's action forced private insurers to comply with longstanding federal requirements to provide the same level of benefit for mental health disorders as for physical ailments. He also called for government-funded insurance programs to spend more on patient care and allow loan forgiveness. The law also allows officers to take someone they think needs mental treatment to a crisis center for evaluation.
Funding for the state's Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities increased by $180 million this year. Sponsors say they expect more spending in budgets starting July 1, especially on how much Medicaid pays for care. This, in turn, allows Medicaid providers to increase workers' wages.
The bill would require a number of studies, including one that would examine the available beds for inpatient mental health care in the state.
"We didn't know what kind of bed we had," says Jones. "We don't know the jobs that are in those beds. We don't know the rates. We don't know the terms and we need to know."
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities will be asked to provide district coordinators to reduce the number of people who end up in prison during the mental health crisis.
These mental health agencies should also develop best practices to help people who frequently transition from prison to health workers and the homeless. Behavioral health screening programs will be offered in prisons and efforts will be made to link prison escapees with community mental health programs.
"A lot of people in our prison system aren't criminals by nature, they're just sick," said Rep. Gregg Kennard, a Democrat from Lawrenceville.
In the meantime, the state will ensure that these individuals are eligible for housing regardless of their criminal record and seek to increase the number of supporting housing available for these patients.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment