ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The Carter Center held its first-ever Mental Health Parity Day at the State Capitol. They celebrated an important piece of legislation known as the Mental Health Parity Act.
In Georgia, mental illness must be covered by health insurance just like any other illness. The Carter Center's campaign, which began in the fall, was able to educate people about the opportunities available to them.
“We are encouraged by the results of Georgia’s first mental health equity awareness campaign,” said Dr. Eve Byrd, Carter Center Mental Health Program Director. “This campaign highlights that while passing the historic Mental Health Equality Act of 2022 was an important step, we will continue to educate the public about mental health rights and implement the equality elements of the law. We also urge the public and all mental health stakeholders to continue to engage in the monitoring and implementation of this historic health law, and most importantly, to As such, we encourage you to seek care for your mental health just like you would for any other health condition.”
Their fall campaign aimed to educate underserved communities, especially women and minorities, about the mental health resources available under Georgia law. They focused on his two major cities in Georgia, Savannah and Albany.
Here are some of the findings:
- Nearly half of Savannah and Albany residents said they recalled the campaign or had seen, read or heard about it.
- As a result of this campaign, there has been a significant increase in awareness of the right to reporting under the Equality Act among women, black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities. Before the campaign began, 40% of women cited insurance as a barrier to mental health care. After the campaign, only 10% said insurance was a barrier, representing an improvement of about 75%.
- Through the campaign, perceptions of barriers to care decreased. Respondents who were worried that their mental health treatment would not be paid for by insurance decreased from 30% before the campaign to just 13% after the campaign.
- This campaign increased awareness of mental health care for children and dependents. When making health care decisions for a child or dependent, the percentage of respondents who said they would seek out this type of care if needed increased from 38% before the campaign to 59% after the campaign.
- The percentage of BIPOC respondents who said they were interested in mental health care but either unavailable or not seeking it decreased from 34% before the campaign to 21% after the campaign. The percentage of BIPOC respondents who said insurance was a major barrier to seeking mental health care decreased from 30% before the campaign to 15% after the campaign.
“Our work will not end until every Georgian knows they have insurance for mental and addictive diseases,” Byrd said.
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter spent more than 50 years championing legislation for people living with mental illness, including the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act.
“Rosalynn Carter left us with a clear mission. She spent more than half a century advancing policies that ensured that all Americans had equal access to mental health care. This effort It’s an extension of that legacy,” said Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center. “We will remain vigilant to ensure that the Mental Health Parity Act is implemented across the state and that all Georgians understand their right to mental health care.”
State Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver is requesting more than $200 million in the state budget to fund programs and housing. This bill has not been moved in this Congress. She hopes today's Mental Health Equality Day will remind lawmakers why this bill is needed.
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