Members Present: Mark Baker; Frank Berry; Pam Buckmaster; Neil Campbell; Lynn Copeland; Allan
Goldman; Alan Huth; Jim DeGroot by Eleanor Brown Ellyn Jeager; Amy Kuhns;
Pierluigi Mancini; Linda McCall; Robert McCauley; Cassandra Price; Ron
Pounds; Yvette Sangster; Sue Smith by Angie Lupo-Coker; Faye Taylor; Jean
Toole; Sherry Jenkins Tucker; Cynthia Wainscott; Marilyn Watson
Members Absent: Bobby Cagle; Erika Johnson; Michael Link; Katherine Markham; Sandra Mullins;
Bob Poston; Marva Reed; Joe Vignati
Department Staff: Lavin Gartland Briggs; Jill Mays; Anna McLaughlin; Dawne Morgan; Melissa
Sperbeck; Terri Timberlake; Matt Yancey
Guests: Jason Bearden; Nick Calhoun; Lee Davis; Cheryl Harris; Brent Hoskinson; Leslie
Lipson; Crystal Pritchett; Cathy Rambach; Marisha Smith; Charles Willis
Introductions, Moment of Silence
Pierluigi Mancini, CEO of CEPTA, Council Member, Past Chair and host of this meeting welcomed the
Council to the CEPTA’s Dreamer’s Clubhouse. The clubhouse is a facility for at behavioral health at risk
Latino youth who come hang out and receive assistance. Beginning with the Chair, everyone in the room introduced themselves. Following introductions, the Chair announced the beginning of the
Forensic Peer Mentor training for support of returning citizens with mental health challenges from
Georgia state prisons. The Chair asked for a moment of silence with the focus on those returning citizens.
RESPECT Institute Graduate, Marisha Smith
A graduate of the November, 2014 Respect Institute class, Marisha shared a moving story of her journey in recovery. Marisha began her story by stating, “An important component of recovery is the respect received from caregivers and supporters,” At an early age in her illness her family did not believe in psychiatry. She recounted beatings for crying and other forms of physical abuse: being given alcohol and a very young age to help her be quiet; sexual molestation at an early age; and a family that did not stay in one location for very long. Her recovery began at the age of 13 and by the time she was 15-years-old she was adopted. Marisha shared that her family began to hate after she was adopted because she told her adopted family of the abuse she suffered at their hands. Suicide attempts and many hospitalizations followed her adoption. Despite all she went through, Marisha graduated high school with a 4.1 grade average. She received six full scholarship offers from the University of Georgia; Georgia State University;
Yale; Harvard; Spellman and Duke. She also speaks four languages: Spanish, German, French and English.
In 2012 Marisha began receiving support from the Viewpoint ACT team and she has not been

hospitalized since last year. Her goals are to be successful, but not perfect in her recovery; and to return to school to become a doctor. Marisha now shares with others how she got on the road to recovery. Her suggestions or advice to her peers, 1) Never let others dictate your dream; 2) We all can do what we put our mind to do with or without a mental illness; and 3) Getting help is the first step to a good recovery.
Division Updates
Adult Mental/Behavioral Health
Dr. Terri Timberlake presented her adult mental health update out of the usual order due to her need to attend the training of the Forensic Peer Mentors. Her report is embedded in the minutes. Here are some of her highlights:

Increase in number of persons receiving ACT services to 1,736
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Decrease in readmission rate and psychiatric days spent in the hospital
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Increase in percentage of persons enrolled in services within three days of assessment
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Motivational Interviewing training continues for ACT and CST teams; MI very important tool for clinicians; second year of training

Crisis apartments, Behavioral Health Crisis Centers all serve to provide service to person who would otherwise receives services from an ER
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Supported Employment nearly at 50% of employment in competitive jobs; 1116 persons enrolled in SE
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Disaster Response MH Coordinator collaborating with GA DPH and GA Hospital Association to ensure behavioral health awareness and support for Georgia’s response as enhanced screening for Ebola continues at Jackson-Hartsfield International Airport
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The Forensic Peer Mentor Project is a collaboration of DBHDD, GDOC and the GMHCN to train
10 selected CPSs/CARES in the initial cohort in a week long curriculum for a pilot that will have two sites Phillips State Prison and Lee Arrendale State Prison. The CPSs/CARES will work inside the prison with returning citizens who have mental health or behavioral health challenges.

Discussion of the Individual Assessment Review Committee which reviews requests for review of
DBHDD applicants with criminal justice backgrounds
Commissioner’s Report
The Commissioner was present while Marisha Smith, the RESPECT Institute graduate shared her story.
“Stories of recovery make a difference,” the Commissioner offered. He said the Governor during his inaugural address spoke of correctional reform, being one of the largest initiatives of its kind in this country. This reform will positively affect people in corrections who live with mental health challenges and behavioral health challenges. This has occurred because of the stories of recovery and the advocacy of people like Mark Baker, Joel Slack, Sherry Jenkins Tucker and Neil Campbell and advocacy of CARES,
CPSs and RESPECT Institute speakers. The Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections is using RESPECT speakers for his board or directors. The Commissioner used a Power Point “The Evolution of Community-Based Care” presentation to share the Department’s vision of community-based services, the history of those services, and the implementation of the Department’s vision. The Commissioner’s charge to the Council was to “take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime while we can, because people are beginning to understand the value of people recovering in the community.”
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Evolution of
Community-Based Care in Georgia 1.13.15.pptx
Federal Grants
Dawne Morgan, Federal Grants Director and Liaison to the Council gave a brief update due to the need to catch a flight. Here is her complete report:
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Division of Behavioral Health
Office of Federal Grant Programs
Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council Meeting Report
January 13, 2015
System of Care (SOC) Expansion and Implementation Grant – Tapestry SOC Leadership Training
Ellen Kagen, a consultant from the Georgetown University National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s
Mental Health in Washington, DC, has been secured to provide consultation to the Tapestry Project and the Georgia
Interagency Director’s Team (IDT) on developing a Georgia System of Care Leadership Academy. Kagen participated in the IDT meeting on January 12th to learn about our system of care and to provide a brief demonstration of her nationally known System of Care (SOC) Leadership training with the group. She will return in the spring to conduct a two-day training with the IDT and a few other invited participants. The training will allow the IDT to help Tapestry
Project staff decide how to make leadership training available to leaders throughout the child-serving systems as well as to other leaders such as youth and family members. This will include considerations to develop capacity for in-state trainers, to provide leadership coaching either through using the Georgetown Leadership Training curriculum or developing one specifically for Georgia using the existing curriculum as a foundation.
SOC Services Expansion
There are two demonstration sites implementing co-occurring disorder mental health and substance abuse clubhouses as part of the SOC services expansion. The sites are located with CHRIS Kids and Pineland Community
Services Board (CSB). CHRIS Kids was the first to develop this programming and has eight young people currently enrolled. Pineland CSB recently implemented their programming and has one young person enrolled. The clubhouses will continue to enroll youth and young adults with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse diagnosis, but will also accept young people who are using substances, but may not meet diagnostic criteria for an alcohol or drug use disorder. The project overall has a goal of serving 50 young people this year. To assist with guiding implementation of the demonstration sites, a co-occurring disorder clubhouse development workgroup was formed of staff from the sites, DBHDD CYF and Addictive Diseases staff, as well as the CHIPRA Family and Youth staffs to help refine the clubhouse components, model development and evaluation design.
SOC Workforce Development
The training focus for 2015 will be on transition age youth and young adults; secondary trauma/compassion fatigue; cultural competence and the culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards, SOC leadership, and co-occurring mental health and substance abuse treatment and recovery supports. The Tapestry Project and Healthy
Transitions Initiative (HTI) grants plan to have a draft of an emerging adult toolkit completed by the end of January, and will begin working with the DBHDD’s Office of Learning and Organizational Development to develop an elearning module on emerging adults to include youth culture and brain development, and this population’s unique needs. The targeted release date for this learning module will be by the end of the June 2015.
SOC Family and Youth Involvement
There is a focus to expand family and youth advocacy/support groups. The Georgia Parent Support Network (GPSN) is working in partnership to expand Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health chapters throughout Georgia and to support existing chapters. Monthly statewide meetings are held of all existing local Federation chapters. In addition, GPSN will also help with support and development of Youth MOVE chapters and support a statewide chapter. To this end, with the use of project funds, GPSN facilitated the attendance of over 10 families to the National
Federation of Children’s Mental Health Conference held in Washington, DC in November 2014. These families participated in workshops which helped to enhance their advocacy and support development skills.
Healthy Transitions Initiative Grant
Project Implementation Status
HTI is currently operating in a year-long no-cost extension (NCE) period. During the NCE, period Jewell Gooding, the project director and now the Emerging Adult Clinical & Quality Manager for the Office of Children, Young Adults and
Families, will be responsible for completion of project goals with oversight provided by the director of Federal Grant
Programs and the director of the Office of Children, Young Adults and Families (CYF).
Policy Development
We are currently working on the final stages of policy development that outlines guiding principles and recommended practices for serving emerging adults.
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Workforce Development
Stars Behavioral Health Group, the national purveyor of the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) model development has been contracted to train and develop four individuals as TIP site-based trainers for Georgia. These
“apprentices” are being sponsored by the HTI Project and will be available after their training is completed to train others in the state on TIP. As part of their apprentice development, they must learn to train on all TIP modules and must do this through the provision of training which is reviewed by the ATARS group. To this end, the apprentices have begun training within their communities for professionals interested in implementing the TIP model. In addition to development of in-state TIP trainers, HTI continues to work as aforementioned on the development of the
Emerging Adult toolkit. The toolkit is intended for providers and others who work with the target population.
Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals for States Supplement (CABHI)
Project Implementation Status: In September 2013, Georgia was one of 11 states awarded a 3-year CABHI grant. The purpose of Georgia Home for Recovery is to increase capacity in the state to provide accessible, effective, comprehensive, coordinated/integrated, and evidence-based recovery support services, peer supports and peer navigator services, and other critical services to persons who are experiencing chronic homelessness with substance use disorders or co-occurring disorders and are in shelter plus care or permanent housing. In October 2014, DBHDD was awarded additional funds via the supplement to increase capacity of the project. In addition to increasing the numbers of individuals to be served through the project, there will be an increased focus on workforce development.
Workforce Development
As part of the CABHI grants, a new series of four webinars will be provided to all CABHI team members at Highland
Rivers and Cobb Douglas CSB on the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate services for people with substance use disorders and/or co-occurring mental health issues. Webinar topics include: the National Standards for
Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate health services; culturally and linguistic appropriate services for African
American and Hispanic populations; and culturally and linguistically and appropriate services for individuals who are
HIV-positive. Webinars will be rolled out one per month beginning tentatively in January, and in addition to CABHI staff registration will be open to providers of all DBHDD specialty services (ACT, CST, ICM/CM, SE, and PATH). The webinars will be archived, so that current and new staff can access the trainings in the future. Additional training topics related to trauma-informed care and the special needs of veterans are being developed for rollout in 2015.
Mental Health Block Grant
MHBG Implementation Report
The implementation report for the 2014-2015 MHBG plan was submitted on Dec. 1, 2014. The report included data related to the established indicators for adult and child mental health developed in partnership with the BHPAC.
Although some indicators were not achieved this year, most were achieved. In addition, some of the indicators were new indicators that required baseline data for this reporting period. The report also included expenditure data for the
Children’s Set Aside and Maintenance of Effort requirements as well as data on MHBG expenditures. A revised council list was also required as well as a description on council involvement with development of the plan. In addition, the MHBG implementation report included an update on progress made towards implementation of the new set aside. The BHPAC Executive Committee reviewed the report prior to submission and provided a letter with comments to include with the report.
MHBG Set Aside Requirement
In federal fiscal year 2014, states were provided additional funds in a new set-aside requirement to serve those individuals with early serious mental illness including those with First Episode Psychosis. DBHDD convened a stakeholders’ workgroup to assist with initial planning on how to meet this new requirement. Out of this effort, an action plan was developed. The action plan included recommendations to develop service demonstration sites to serve as centers of excellence and to develop a social marketing campaign to educate the community at large on the needs of the population. To meet the first step, DBHDD has released a statement of need to procure providers to develop early treatment programs to serve young adults with First Episode Psychosis. The target date for the selected providers to begin implementation would be April 1 st .
MHBG Grant Award for federal fiscal year 2015: DBHDD received a partial award for the first quarter of the fiscal year. The notation on the award stated that “the Federal Government is working under a Continuing Resolution until
December 11, 2014. This award reflects a portion of the first quarter funding….Upon passing a final FFY2015 Budget the allocation amount may increase, decrease or remain the same.” We have not received any additional information or a revised grant award to date.
MHBG Public Hearing
A public hearing of the proposed use of the MHBG for state fiscal year 2016 will b
nd
MHBG FY2016-2017 Draft Guidance
The draft Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s MHBG and SABG application guidance was published in the 1/8/15 Federal Register for public review. DBHDD staff is reviewing the draft guidance to ascertain any changes proposed for application requirements. Of note, the deadline for MHBG Application submission remains statutorily the same of 9/1 although states are encouraged to submit earlier than the deadline.
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Data Report
Although the data report was not handed out to the Council, because it was sent to the AA at a later date, it is included in these minutes:
FY15 (2015.01)
Meeting - NEW FORMAT1.pdf
Children, Youth and Families
Matt Yancey the newly-appointed Director of CYF, also presented a brief update as he and Dawne had a plane to catch. Here is his complete report:
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Division of Behavioral Health
Office of Children, Young Adults, and Families (CYF)
Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council Meeting Report
January 13, 2015
CYF Director Matt Yancey continues to meet with local and state stakeholders to listen and discuss ideas for developing the office’s service-delivery model. Yancey has met with the Georgia Parent Support Network, CETPA,
Voices for Georgia’s Children, Northwest Georgia System of Care Advisory Council, Multi-Agency Alliance for
Children, as well as various representatives from Georgia’s psychiatric residential treatment facilities, crisis stabilization units, community service boards, and core partners from Georgia’s Departments of Education,
Community Health, Public Health, Juvenile Justice, and others. Yancey will continue meeting with stakeholders over the next few months.
CYF and partners will soon commence for the 2015 System of Care Academy. The tentative theme for this year’s academy is “Embracing Transition.” Based on feedback from last year’s academy, transition age youth and young adults will be a focus. In addition, this year’s academy will incorporate more youth and young adults in its delivery and also include the use of “TED Talk” style presentations.
In partnership with the Georgia Parent Support Network, DBHDD is assessing the viability of holding a “Children’s
Mental Health Awareness” walk at Stone Mountain Park. The current plan is to conduct the walk during the System of
Care Academy.
There have been ongoing discussions with partners from the Georgia Department of Education regarding schoolbased mental health services. With two SAMHSA grants involving local education agencies gearing up (Project
LAUNCH and Project AWARE), the conversation around integrating mental health into the school setting is gaining momentum.
This January, a Snatcher Morehouse School of Medicine fellow has joined CYF. Dr. Jurine Owen will work with CYF, in consultation with the Georgia Department of Public Health and the Governor’s childhood obesity campaign,
Georgia SHAPE, in assessing the correlation/reciprocal relationship between obesity and children’s mental health.
Yancey has encouraged all CYF staff to participate in Mental Health Day at the Capitol on January 20.
The CYF team has recently initiated “team meetings” every two weeks. These team meetings will feature guest speakers for the first 20-25 minutes. CYF is interested in any and all partnering organizations/professionals that may be interested in speaking to their work.
Yancey sends his apologies for not being able to present at January’s BHPAC meeting, but looks forward to presenting at a future meeting.
Crisis Continuum
A revised “Request for Quote” is being finalized for crisis respite services (CRS). The objective of this procurement is to obtain the services of qualified entities to provide CRS statewide. CRS is designed to respond to a need for youth five to eighteen years of age and their families. Crisis respite functions to provide a short-term placement of up to seven days for parental custody youth, and no more than three days for youth in the custody of the Georgia
Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS) or committed to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice
(DJJ).
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Crisis stabilization units continue to serve youth that meet the 1013 level of care. Viewpoint Health has the ability to purchase beds if the 71 beds are full or there are other circumstances, such as a co-occurring medical condition, that do not allow for the youth to be safely served at one of our CSUs.
Mental Health Clubhouses
CYF continues to support six mental health clubhouses, including the Co-Occurring Disorder Clubhouse at CHRIS
Kids. New technical assistance products will be developed in 2015 to further support mental health clubhouses. There will also be a greater emphasis on conducting programmatic support site visits to assist mental health clubhouses in service delivery.
CYF is in the process of assessing the creation of a new co-occurring clubhouse. Surveillance data coupled with provider capacity will be weighed in determining location.
Transition Age Youth and Young Adults
A new statement of need has been recently released to support the creation of the Listening, Inspiring and Guiding
Healthy Transitions (LIGHT) initiative early treatment programs (ETPs). LIGHT, a broader initiative within CYF, is aimed at improving the lives of youth and young adults ages 16-25 with mental health conditions or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, so they will become healthy and independent adults in their communities. The efforts undertaken with the SON procurement will align with the department’s plan to meet the new Mental Health
Block Grant (MHBG) requirement to address the population of individuals with early serious mental illness, and more specifically those with First Episode Psychosis. The ETPs will be funded through use of the MHBG 5% set aside.
Eligible providers are Tier 1 comprehensive community providers. Approximately two to three providers will be selected to perform this work.
Contracts for Transition Age Youth and Young Adult Supplemental Support Funds, similar to the SOC Supplemental
Support Funds, have recently been executed.
CYF is currently working with the DBHDD’s policy office to create a department policy specific to emerging adults.
Addictive Disease
The Director of AD, Cassandra Price offered her update. Here is her completer report:
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Division of Behavioral Health
Office of Addictive Diseases
Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council Meeting Report
January 13, 2015
New Programs:
Behavioral Health Services of South Georgia: Beacon of Hope
On September 12, 2014, Beacon of Hope opened its doors to men and women who have completed detox. The program is housed in five two-bedroom apartments in a complex in Tifton. Residents must be employed within one month of admission and are then required to pay rent and to save a portion of each paycheck. In addition to a weekly chore list, residents are responsible for maintaining their own apartment and preparing meals.
Highland Rivers CSB
DBHDD has funded two new programs at Highland Rivers’ new Jasper campus.
The Intensive Outpatient Program serves men and women with addiction or co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness. This program offers group treatment facilitated by licensed therapists and certified abuse counselors.
Groups meet Monday through Friday, and clients may choose from three sessions (9:00 a.m. to noon, 1:00 p.m. to
4:00 p.m., or 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.). The program also offers education on trauma recovery, parenting, anger management, coping skills and work skills. Over a period of about six months, the treatment level down steps from twenty hours a week to three hours a week.
The Highland Recovery Center is the first publicly-funded residential addiction recovery facility for adult males in north Georgia. With 20 beds, the program is open to men with a primary diagnosis of substance abuse. Highland
Rivers anticipates the average length of stay to be six months.
Also based on the Jasper campus is Homes for Recovery, a program that provides stable, secure housing for men and women in recovery while they continue to attend community 12-step meetings, individual therapy, and begin working.
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Events:
Red Ribbon Kick-Off
DBHDD hosted the Governor’s Red Ribbon Kick-Off event on October 22nd at the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre in Mableton. Approximately 1,500 students and teachers attended the event which allowed area youth to once again showcase their artistic talents to demonstrate that “Real Life is Drug Free.” http://dbhdd.ggia.gov/governors-red-ribbm/
Office of Recovery Transformation
Mark Baker, Director of the ORT submitted the following written update:
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Division of Behavioral Health
Office of Recovery Transformation
Georgia Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council Meeting Report
January 13, 2015
In partnership with the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, the
Georgia Parent Support Network, and the Georgia Recovery Initiative (GRI), the Office of Recovery Transformation
(ORT) is working on two major initiatives for the remainder of state fiscal year 2015:
Recovery Symposiums
Local community recovery champions have been identified in eight Georgia communities and will be planning, designing and hosting day-long recovery symposiums to enhance and integrate public awareness of locally based recovery resources, recovery opportunities and recovery successes. These will take place in March and April in
Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, Moultrie, Dublin, Columbus/Fort Valley
Savannah and Demorest. The dates will be announced at the next GBHPAC when the schedule is finalized.
Recovery Foundations Training and Technical Assistance (TA) Pilot
The same partnership is working with four providers to identify, design and develop change projects within their respective organizations that will enhance and advance efforts to become a recovery-focused organization. This effort is being led by Dr. Dietra Hawkins and Dr. David Stayner, two nationally known leaders in supporting systems and organizations in recovery transformation. In addition to providing the basic training in recovery foundations, principles and practices, each provider will be supported by working with a recovery team that will provide ongoing
TA to each provider organization over a six month period.
ORT is planning a retreat with the GRI in February to evaluate our current efforts and determine what ORT and GRI need to undertake in the new world of DBHDD reorganization and how to best partner with the Georgia
Collaborative. ORT continues to be involved with certified peer specialist (CPS) training, the RESPECT Institute, forensic peer mentor training, and peer workforce development.
DBHDD Collaboration with Division of Aging and Emory Fuqua Center
Cathy Rambach with the Fuqua Center for Late-Life Depression, Emory University and Cheryl Harris with the Division of Aging Services, DHS, presented on the partnership formed with their respective agencies and DBHDD. The partnership was formed in response to the growing older adult population with mental health challenges in Georgia. The work started in July 2014 with DBHDD and DAS identifying staff to work and cross train with the Fuqua Center, where the Director of the Fuqua Center, former Council member and frequent guest, Eve Byrd, is taking the lead in this project. Cathy and Cheryl’s respective
Power Point presentations are included below.
CTR-(EVEs) BHPAC
DBHDD Regional Office Intro for Older Adult workJanuary 13 2015.ppt
BH Partners.ppt
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Collaboration of DBHDD and ASO
Jason Bearden, CEO of ValueOptions, Georgia (now Beacon Health Options) and Anna McLaughlin,
DBHDD Liaison to ValueOptions, presented on the new Administrative Services Organization collaboration with DBHDD. Jason is the former CEO of Highland Rivers, CSB, and familiar with many of the Council members, as is Anna McLaughlin who called the Council “her home and think tank.” Jason gave his definition of recovery versus the history of managed care and the “medical model” in Georgia.
The medical model was an attempt to hold down the escalating cost of behavioral health care. Jason referred those times as the “dark ages” because consumers did not have “easy access to high quality care.” In or about 2006 and 2007, the person-centered approach of a recovery system of care came to the forefront. Initially, the policy makers, bureaucrats and legislators did not understand this approach.
As more people including those just mentioned become better informed about recovery, or as Jason called it the “enlightened period”, it is a unique opportunity to demonstrate to the state how to build a behavioral health recovery-based system of care as consumers, advocates and providers have the ears of the policy makers. ValueOptions, the ASO, which will act on behalf of the Department, is not as a typical managed care organization, but will act as an agent of the Department coordinating and ensuring easy access to high quality behavioral health care. The financial risk is not, as it were, moving from the
Department to ValueOptions. Jason said the reason he joined ValueOptions is because “they talk recovery and live up to what recovery is.” ValueOptions currently is looking to hire someone for and executive level position dedicated to recovery, someone who will interface with committees and councils such as the GBHPAC. This position will also be an accountability partner to ensure
ValueOption’s decisions are person-centered and data driven through transparency and key performance indicators of recovery. The measure of recovery via a provider based network will be transparency through accountability through specific recovery-based metrics.
Membership and Nominating Committee
Jean Toole, Chair of the M&N Committee said her committee had two people to present to the Council in consideration of membership: Luis “Tony” Sanchez and Lucy Hall-Gainer. Both candidates have lived experience and knowledge of addictions. Tony is in recovery from substance abuse and very active in the community initiating recovery communities. Lucy lost her mother to alcohol addiction at a very early age and founded and heads Mary Freedom Hall house which works with addicted women and addicted women with children. The Council is particularly interested in adding members with lived experience in addictive diseases as it continues its transition to a behavioral health planning council. The two candidates were presented as a slate and were unanimously voted in as Council members.
Council Business and Announcements
Yvette announced Ruby Moore’s selection to an Advisory Group. U.S. Secretary of Labor, Thomas E.
Perez, announced 17 public members who will serve on the new Advisory Committee on increasing
Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities. Ruby is Yvette’s permanent alternate and CEO of the Georgia Advocacy Office. Ellyn Jeager announced January 20 as Mental Health
Day at the Capitol. Green will be the color of the day in support of mental health. Addiction Recovery
Awareness Day at the Capitol 2015 is on February 5. The next GBHPAC meeting is March 10, with location TBD.
The Chair adjourned the meeting at 2:35 p.m.
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