The bill would also allow state agencies to collect and share data in accordance with state and federal laws and allow state lawmakers to appropriate fiscal 2024 funds for crisis services in Fulton, Laurens and Muscogee counties in Georgia.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill in 2022 that would allocate an additional $180 million in the state’s 2023 fiscal budget for mental health initiatives, of which $10 million would go toward loan forgiveness.
“We know that workforce deficiencies are at the heart of many of the problems all our businesses and all our social services are facing this year and will for the immediate future,” Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver said during a press conference, according to the publication. “… We want more of the mental health service providers to be able to take advantage of the $10 million we appropriated last year, and if they are serving people in Georgia but still have a student loan, we want them to apply and get the benefits.”
The bill will also include a study on how many inpatient behavioral health beds the state has and develop a definition of severe mental illness that all agencies would use.
