Prevention. Mental Health. Sustainable Funding.

Healthcare is not just about treating illness — it’s about preventing crisis, addressing trauma, and supporting mental health before problems escalate.

Georgia has made progress in expanding access and reforming behavioral health systems. But too many families still struggle to access affordable mental health services, especially in underserved communities. Long wait times, provider shortages, and uneven access continue to strain families and schools.

My focus is simple: expand access to mental health care, strengthen preventive services, and create sustainable funding for community-based trauma and violence intervention.

Core belief:
Mental health care is essential to family stability and community safety.

Where the Gap Is

Georgia has invested in behavioral health reform, but:

• Mental health provider shortages remain significant.

• Access to child and adolescent mental health services is limited in many communities.

• Trauma-informed services are not consistently integrated across systems.

• Community Violence Intervention (CVI) programs rely heavily on short-term grants rather than sustainable funding.

• Violence is often treated only as a criminal issue, not a mental and public health issue.

We must align healthcare funding with prevention and mental wellness.

Key Policy Priorities:

Expand Mental Health Access

• Increase access to affordable mental health services by:

  • Strengthening school-based mental health partnerships

  • Expanding community-based counseling access

  • Supporting telehealth expansion

  • Reducing administrative barriers to care

• Mental health support should be timely and accessible.Expand access to affordable healthcare coverage, including strengthening pathways to Medicaid coverage and reducing barriers to care.

Make Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Billable

• Advance a Medicaid State Plan Amendment to reimburse certified Community Violence Intervention services.

• This would:

  • Establish a Violence Prevention Professional certification

  • Allow trained CVI workers to bill Medicaid for mediation, trauma response, and victim stabilization services

  • Provide sustainable funding for prevention instead of relying on grants

• Violence prevention is mental health and public health work.

Expand Trauma Recovery Centers

• Support the development and expansion of Trauma Recovery Centers that provide:

  • Long-term counseling

  • Crisis response

  • Case management

  • Victim stabilization

• Healing reduces repeat harm and long-term system costs.

Strengthen the Mental Health Workforce

• Expand training pipelines for:

  • Licensed counselors

  • Behavioral health specialists

  • Community health workers

  • Trauma-informed care providers

• Workforce shortages must be addressed to improve access statewide.

Statewide Impact

By expanding mental health access, professionalizing community-based prevention, and aligning funding with early intervention, Georgia can:

• Reduce repeat violence

• Lower emergency room and crisis costs

• Improve school and workforce participation

• Strengthen families and communities

Healthy communities are safer communities.