Georgia lawmakers are pushing for changes to how the state handles mental health.The Georgia Senate included $409 million in its amended budget to build a new, 300-bed state mental health hospital.The facility would be designed to treat people with severe mental illness who may currently be stuck in county jails.Lawmakers say that when several state hospitals closed years ago under the federal Olmstead agreement, local jails were left to assume responsibility. After a federal judge lifted that restriction earlier this month, Senate leaders were quick to act. Within days, they added the $409 million to the amended state budget for the proposed facility. “You can talk about making Georgia safer, or you can actually listen to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to make Georgia safe and to give them the things they need,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “That’s why we’re here now.”It remains unclear where exactly the facility would be located.
ATLANTA —
Georgia lawmakers are pushing for changes to how the state handles mental health.
The Georgia Senate included $409 million in its amended budget to build a new, 300-bed state mental health hospital.
The facility would be designed to treat people with severe mental illness who may currently be stuck in county jails.
Lawmakers say that when several state hospitals closed years ago under the federal Olmstead agreement, local jails were left to assume responsibility. After a federal judge lifted that restriction earlier this month, Senate leaders were quick to act. Within days, they added the $409 million to the amended state budget for the proposed facility.
“You can talk about making Georgia safer, or you can actually listen to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to make Georgia safe and to give them the things they need,” said Sen. Blake Tillery, R-Vidalia. “That’s why we’re here now.”
It remains unclear where exactly the facility would be located.