Georgia is taking on its mental-health care challenges head-on through new legislation.

One bill is aimed at increasing the number of providers in the state. Senate Bill 480 offers loan repayment assistance to mental-health care professionals who choose to work in underserved areas.

Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, highlighted the state's access landscape, noting that of its 18 public health districts, 12 are located in rural areas. She said the goal is to ensure equitable access to mental-health services for all.

"Georgia is terribly short of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family providers, all levels of people that deal with various aspects of mental illness," said Cooper.

According to the Rural Information hub, most of Georgia struggles with having enough mental-health providers. The data shows out of 159 counties, only six have no shortage, and two only have shortages in parts of the county.

Cooper elaborated on the multifaceted challenges Georgia faces in mental-health care, citing historical underinvestment and rapid population growth as contributing factors to the current shortage. She described the evolution of mental-health care policy in Georgia, including previous legislative efforts to promote parity between mental and physical health care.

"We are trying to make up for mistakes of the past and trying to do what's right for mentally ill people and to put their illness on parity with anybody that would have a gallbladder or heart disease," Cooper added.

Cooper pointed out that in this past legislative session, 19 bills were signed to help increase the state's ability to care for mental- and behavioral-health needs. Other legislation includes SB 373, which helps provide expedited licenses to marriage and family therapists.


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Between 2016 and 2023, more than 14,000 Missourians died from drug overdoses, making it the leading cause of death for adults aged 18-44 in the state.

Many drug-abuse prevention organizations across Missouri concur syringe service programs reduce the devastating effect abuse has on the community by providing clean, sterile needles to people who inject drugs, in exchange for used ones.

Marietta Hagan, substance abuse initiative project coordinator for CoxHealth, has worked in substance abuse prevention for eight years, primarily in Stone and Taney counties. She is a strong advocate for the syringe programs in Missouri and talked about the roadblock organizations such as hers face.

"Syringe access programs are not allowed and that is because Missouri drug-paraphernalia laws include sterile syringes as drug paraphernalia," Hagan explained. "Organizations are not allowed to hand them out to people and people who use drugs are not allowed to have them on them."

Studies showed the programs can decrease the incidence of hepatitis C and HIV infections by up to 50% among those who participate.

Research also found syringe service programs are economically beneficial, saving more than $75 million in lifetime HIV treatment costs with an annual investment of just $10 million. Hagan pointed out beyond providing sterile syringes, the programs offer vital resources, including safe drug use information and connections to treatment services for people who need help.

"What they found in global research studies is that people who utilize the syringe access programs, they are five times more likely to enter treatment and three times more likely to stop using drugs altogether," Hagan reported.

A legislative task force meets monthly at the Missouri state Capitol to discuss ways to reduce substance abuse in the state.


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The Coach Beyond program, started by Ohio State University's Life Sports, is making waves across Ohio by helping coaches address more than just the athletic performance of their players.

This week, an upcoming Youth Sports Summit will highlight the importance of the program in fostering mental health and positive team environments.

Samantha Bates, Director of Research for LiFEsports at Ohio State, emphasized how the initiative is equipping coaches with essential skills.

"Coach Beyond has trained 20,000 coaches in the state of Ohio, first on mental health and second, really sport-based positive youth development," Bates outlined. "Things like how to foster a positive team environment, how to develop yourself as a leader, how to ask for support, working with coaches to help make sport a place for kids to kind of go beyond."

The program aims to reshape the role of coaches, encouraging them to take an active part in the emotional and psychological well-being of their players. This holistic approach is particularly relevant in today's competitive sports environment, where athletes often face intense pressure.

Bates noted a grant from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has allowed the training to be available for free for coaches in any youth sport system in Ohio such as through Parks and Rec, YMCA and other clubs.

Joe Roberts, athletic director for Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, shared his firsthand experience with the program's effect on student athletes, recounting a specific instance where Coach Beyond brought new perspectives into his school, leading to meaningful changes in its athletic culture.

"Listening to how our student athletes want more connection and less pressure meant so much to me," Roberts explained. "Because it brought back the essence of what high school sports are about."

Randy Tevepaugh, athletic administrator and coach at Streetsboro High School who has gone through the program, noted how the training sessions have provided him with new tools to create a more supportive environment for his team. He said the significant role the strategies play in developing not only better athletes but better people.

"I learned about some things that I didn't know about the coaches, some things that they had gone through with kids that thought about suicide and had some emotional things going on, that our coaches handled," Tevepaugh recounted. "From our student athlete perspective, when they're doing some of the interaction part of the program, it made a big difference."

As the upcoming event approaches, the Coach Beyond program continues to gain traction, with more schools across Ohio taking part. The initiative may mark a shift in how sports programs address the mental health needs of young athletes. As more coaches are trained to look beyond the game, the long-term effect on student athletes could redefine the landscape of high school sports across the state.

Columbia County, New York, is developing a new center to help people with mental illness and substance use disorder.

The Wellness Hub stems from a county study showing the best ways to fill gaps in care for people. It will provide emergency housing for people with mental health and substance use disorders.

Cheryl Roberts, executive director of the Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice, said not many places offer services for populations in need.

"A lot of the emergency housing is nothing more than motels that are often located far from services," Roberts pointed out. "No food in the area, no other services, and that's the case in Columbia County. There's one hotel that provides services, but most do not."

The hub will have a ground flood-safe haven shelter with 25 single-room occupancy units. The hub will also have 35 units of permanent supportive housing and up to 14 120-day supportive housing units staffed with clinicians. Additional funding would be spent on a welcome center with space for peer-support services, a commercial kitchen to train people in culinary arts and other amenities for homeless people in the area not staying at the hub.

Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The hub has become more necessary since the pandemic exacerbated mental health issues and homelessness. Roberts notes the Wellness Hub will work hand-in-hand with the county's mental health court. She said the 35 units of permanent housing can provide added resources for people in the criminal justice system.

"Half of it will be set aside for people with serious mental illness," Roberts outlined. "A quarter of it will be for people who are justice-involved, so coming out of incarceration or may be in the midst of the justice process where they might be taking a plea in the treatment court and being required to follow a treatment protocol."

One of the biggest challenges for maintaining the Wellness Hub is the ongoing shortage of mental health professionals. Reports show the number of New Yorkers with a mental illness has grown since the pandemic. The Health Resources and Services Administration found there are 192 designated mental health professional shortage areas, leaving more than 3.5 million people without access to mental health services.


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