The landmark 2010 settlement agreement between Georgia and the Justice Department to improve mental health services in the state had one glaring gap. It didn’t address services for children. Despite some successful funding and programs since then, the need for more and better funded mental health care has presented problems for communities and families across…
Parents of children with disabilities and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday alleging the state of Georgia has discriminated against students placed in “unequal and separate’’ schools for kids with behavioral disorders and problems. The Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) schools are “segregated programs,’’ housed in separate buildings or…
While suicide rates have increased across the United States, the highest percentages are in rural counties, a new CDC report reveals. That differential may reflect not only economic factors, but also insufficient access to mental health treatment in rural areas, experts say. Overall, suicide death rates for rural counties nationally (17.32 per 100,000 people) were…
A new survey finds that many Georgia school systems fear that the proposed Medicaid cuts in Congress would hurt their special education programs – and the children they serve. Most school districts responding to the survey say they receive thousands of dollars in Medicaid funding to help offset the costs of their special education programs….
Gov. Nathan Deal announced Wednesday the creation of a commission charged with providing recommendations to improve state mental health services for children. The panel is composed of government leaders, children’s advocates and health care experts. (Members are listed below.) It is tasked with submitting a report to Deal on Sept. 1 on potential improvements to…
This is the second in a series of articles reported in Northwest Georgia, an area rich in stories about unmet health needs and about people and programs making a difference. Georgia Health News and the health and medical journalism graduate program at UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication collaborated to produce this series, made possible…
This is the first in a series of articles reported in Northwest Georgia, an area rich in stories about unmet health needs and about people and programs making a difference. Georgia Health News and the health and medical journalism graduate program at UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication collaborated to produce this series, made possible…
Jody Grass Leonard, a registered nurse, has a passion about the stage, about acting. “I discovered being onstage is much harder than it seems from the audience’s viewpoint, but it’s also a very freeing feeling,” says Leonard, a longtime resident of Valdosta. That giant step out of Leonard’s comfort zone may be a long-term gift…
Three Georgians with disabilities have filed a lawsuit alleging that state agencies have failed to provide accommodations to help them maintain their eligibility for food stamps and Medicaid. Thousands of Georgians with disabilities face a similar risk of a benefits cutoff, the lawsuit contends. The lawsuit, filed last week in federal district court in Atlanta,…
While the Affordable Care Act has brought down the number of uninsured adults in the United States, huge gaps persist in how much access to care people really have. Currently, about 14 percent of Georgians are uninsured. And many of these people have problems — such as mental health issues — that need highly specific…