ATLANTA — A second mental health reform proposal will be making its way through the Georgia General Assembly as legislators seek to curtail mental health incidents, especially pertaining to the incarceration of nonviolent offenders.

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan unveiled a bipartisan plan Monday that establishes a collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and certified behavioral health specialists through the establishment of a statewide co-responder team model.

The “Georgia Behavioral Health and Peace Officer Co-Responder Act” will allow the local teams to de-escalate behavioral health emergencies as a potential alternative to an arrest.

“Facilitating working partnerships between mental health experts and first responders provides a tailored response to de-escalating emergencies,” Duncan said. “This measure takes a proactive approach to expand mental health resources by not only establishing an emergency response partnership, but by creating a model that includes a follow-up system with individuals and identifies those currently incarcerated that may be treated more effectively in a behavioral health facility.”

According to the act, when a law enforcement agency that is part of a co-responder partnership responds to an emergency call involving an individual with a behavioral health crisis and a co-responder team is dispatched, the behavioral health professional would be available to accompany the officer in person or virtually, and be available for consultation via telephone or telehealth during the emergency call.

The officer can consider input from the behavior health professional in determining whether to refer the individual for behavioral health treatment or other community support or to transport the individual for emergency evaluation, rather than making an arrest. 

Forty-two of 56 senators have sponsored the bill, including 13 Democrats; Sen. Ben Watson, R–Savannah, plans to carry the measure throughout the chambers.

“The importance of mental health care accessibility cannot be understated, as the increase in behavioral health emergencies carries a significant weight on law enforcement agencies around the state,” said Watson, chair of  the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. “I applaud Lt. Gov. Duncan for identifying the critical need to expand the scope of emergency response efforts and look forward to working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to establish the first-ever statewide co-responder model.”

Last week, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston introduced the Mental Health Parity Act which he called a comprehensive bill to reform Georgia’s mental health care delivery system and improve client outcomes. 

The proposal entails increased pay and loan forgiveness programs in the mental health workforce, and also creates diversion programs to prevent nonviolent offenders from entering the criminal justice system. 

Georgia ranks 48th out of the 50 states and D.C. for access to mental health care, resources and insurance, according to Mental Health America.