Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

02/07/2026

Good morning, Dawson County!

We’re so happy to be in your community today at the Dawson Rotary Health Fair.

Sheree Ralston, our Community Outreach Manager, is ready to tell you all about DBHDD’s services. Come swing by and learn more about how we’re serving the North Georgia area.

When: TODAY 2/7 until 2 pm
Where: Local Church Dawson, 31 Successful Way in Dawsonville

02/05/2026

🌟Congratulations to Ashleigh Caseman, Director of the Office of Medicaid Coordination and Health Systems Innovation at DBHDD, on being appointed to the Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC) by the Georgia Department of Community Health.

Ashleigh is highly experienced in state and federal Medicaid policy and will be a crucial voice on the committee.

This collaborative group will:
✅provide input on Medicaid health policy
✅cultivate a better understanding among providers, payers and consumers
✅partner with DCH to promote enhanced delivery of health care to Medicaid members

To learn more about the MAC, visit https://dch.georgia.gov/providers/medicaid-advisory-committee

01/30/2026

🌟Earlier this week, Allen Morgan - Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Field Operations North - joined River Edge Behavioral Health for their grand opening of the new Adult Peer Support and Community Integration Center.

We are proud to see how River Edge is developing new high-quality community-based services across Georgia!

01/29/2026

Join us for the 2nd Annual Co-Responder Teams Professional Development Conference, February 25 – 27, 2026. Hosted by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Office of Adult Mental Health.

This year’s theme is: Many Roles, One Goal. Collaborating for Care, Committed to Change.

Feb 25: Pre-Conference G-PACT Training (Invitation Only)
Feb 26 & 27: Conference Days

Hilton Peachtree City Atlanta Hotel & Conference Center
2443 GA-54, Peachtree City, GA 30269

Register for the conference at: https://dbhdd.cventevents.com/coresponderteams2026

01/23/2026

We’re excited to announce that the Georgia Recovers Bus Tour is returning in Fall 2026. This statewide tour brings communities together to reduce stigma, share stories of recovery, and connect people with local resources and support.

DBHDD is proud to serve as a sponsor of the 2026 Georgia Recovers Bus Tour and to continue partnering with the Georgia Council for Recovery to remind people across Georgia that recovery is possible.

Make sure you follow Georgia Council for Recovery as they plan and announce stops for the Fall!

01/16/2026

In 2025, our regional field offices worked hard to administer support to our services closer to where Georgians live. The regional teams have significantly expanded engagement with community stakeholders including,

✅ Law enforcement
✅ School systems
✅Judicial system
✅Hospital systems

We know that meeting individuals where they are is vital to ensuring that they receive the best care possible. No one should have to go far for the services they need.

Want to learn more about our Regional Field Offices? Visit: https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/regional-field-offices

01/15/2026

Save the date for the Georgia Farm Stress Summit!
March 12, 2026 at the C.W. Pettigrew Farm and Community Life Center, Fort Valley State University.

01/15/2026

Join Cassandra Price-Bagley with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities at ARAD 2026 on 28 January as we gather together to affirm that Georgia Recovers in Communities

Register Here: https://form.jotform.com/252965525275163

Registration is FREE and not required but it helps us with the planning…

✔️ Doors open 9AM
✔️ Registration open now
✔️ Bring your voice + help us build a Constituency of Consequence

01/14/2026

Last year, we continued to invest in what matters most: our workforce.

✅Reinvested $10.9 million last Fall in savings to increase pay for DBHDD hospital and regional office nursing positions.
✅Introduced innovative partnerships like the DBHDD–Mercer University Psychology Workforce Fellowship, creating a tuition-for-service pathway to grow our clinical workforce.

👏We also created an innovative program to help nearly 900 Direct Support Professionals earn a state certification, leading to lower turnover rates and higher job satisfaction. Combined with recent provider rate increases, these efforts are already improving retention and expanding access to community-based supports for Georgians with developmental disabilities.

Our central office and regional teams also developed numerous external training opportunities across behavioral health, law enforcement, and crisis response.
🔹First-ever co-responder professional development conference
🔹Georgia Partnership in Action for Co-Responder Training
🔹Continued work to revamp Georgia’s Crisis Intervention Team training curriculum

We know how important growing and maintaining our workforce is to providing the best possible care to Georgians who need our services and resources most. That's why in 2026, we are committed to building on this success to develop our workforce even more!

If you or someone you know is interested in career at DBHDD, visit: https://careers.dbhdd.ga.gov/

01/12/2026

Our commitment to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities remains strong.

In 2025, we made important strides in crisis care and community-based services by:
✅Opening of the Crisis Services Diagnostic Center (CSDC) in Macon, which is already helping reduce unnecessary hospital stays and emergency department boarding. The CSDC has been able to stabilize 12 patients within only six months of operating.
✅ Developing two more Crisis Residential Alternatives (CRA) transitional settings in Macon, and Community Service Boards are replicating CRA services in all six regions.
✅Preparing for a complete overhaul of the NOW/COMP waiver assessment tool and planning list, which will enable the Department to better respond to the urgent needs of individuals on the planning list and better forecast future funding needs.
✅Developing a new waiver that will better meet the needs of individuals and families as a part of the IDD Workgroup's recommendations

We can't wait to continue to build on these achievements in 2026!

01/09/2026

ICYMI: On Wednesday, Commissioner Tanner joined state leaders as a panelist at the Voices for Georgia's Children "Chats, Apps, and Traps: Child Policy in a Tech World" panel discussion.

🔗Watch here:

PANELISTS:-Sen. Sally Harrell, Co-Chair, Senate Study Committee on Social Media and Artificial Intelligence-Commissioner Kevin Tanner, Georgia Dept. Behavior...

01/09/2026

In 2025, we delivered on the promise to connect more Georgians to crisis services.

✅ In the fall, we announced Georgia's latest Behavioral Health Crisis Center that will be located in Clayton County.
✅ Our 988 Lifeline remains an invaluable resource for citizens in both rural and urbans parts of the state, and public awareness efforts for 988 have reached more than 89 million connections.
✅We also piloted a hybrid jail in-reach and co-responder program, expanding behavioral health–law enforcement partnerships in smaller counties.

We are excited to carry this momentum into 2026!