A state agency announced Friday that the remaining patients with developmental disabilities will be moved out of the state psychiatric hospital in Milledgeville into community residences by July. That move will lead to layoffs for 280 Central State Hospital employees, said Tom Wilson, a spokesman for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)….
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter said Friday that she has concerns about how Georgia’s restructuring of its Medicaid program will affect the state’s revamped mental health system. Mrs. Carter also noted that while the state’s 2010 agreement with the Department of Justice to improve Georgia’s mental health system is ‘’a good settlement,’’ it fails to…
Three times a week, Patrick Keating starts his day with a workout of running and weightlifting. Like many people who exercise, he wants to prolong his life through a healthy lifestyle. But unlike most workout warriors, Keating is paralyzed from the waist down. His workout is made possible by electrical stimulation to his legs, with…
Pat Ellis held hands with her son John while waiting to get into an already packed state board room Thursday. The Ellises traveled from Commerce to Atlanta to attend a hearing that focused on proposed state cuts in payments for certain residential and day programs for the developmentally disabled. John Ellis, 39, who has Down…
Jamie Cook has come a long way in the past two years. For much of her life, she suffered from drug addiction and from bipolar disorder, along with depression and anxiety. She endured periods of homelessness. She generally acted ‘‘full of bitterness and rage,’’ alienating her family. She lost custody of her two children. And…
Next year, a multibillion-dollar transportation referendum will go before voters in 10 metro Atlanta counties. So far, the hotly debated items on the project list involve improvements in rail, road and bus service. But also on the list — though drawing considerably less media attention — is a $17 million call center to help seniors…
The state has made significant progress toward meeting the goals of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve services for people with mental illness and developmental disabilities, an independent report says. But the Oct. 5 report, by independent reviewer Elizabeth Jones, is critical of some community services and help provided to people…
A new report ranks Georgia 42nd in the nation for long-term care services for older people and adults with disabilities. The report — produced by AARP, the Commonwealth Fund and The Scan Foundation — ranked the states and the District of Columbia in 25 categories, including hospitalization of nursing home residents, percentage of patients getting home…
The state agency overseeing mental health and disabilities services is facing budget cuts, but it still plans to spend hefty amounts to meet the goals of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (BHDD) said it anticipates cuts of $6 million to $13 million…
Past cuts in funding for some Georgians with developmental disabilities have threatened their safety net, says a state organization that provides community services to these people. Now the fear is that upcoming state rate changes may drive some service providers out of business, says Ralph Herndon, president of the Georgia Association of Community Service Boards….