§ 37-12-7. Notification of Co-Responder Team of Emergencies
When an emergency call involving an individual’s behavioral health crisis is received by a communications officer or public safety agency, and a civilian-only response team is not appropriate or available, the communications officer shall notify the co-responder team in the jurisdiction where the emergency is located, if practicable, regardless of whether other peace officers are […]
§ 37-12-8. Co-Responder Protocol Committee; Role
Each community service board shall establish a co-responder protocol committee for its service area which shall work to increase the availability, efficiency, and effectiveness of community response to behavioral health crises. The protocol committee shall address best practices for issues which arise during the operation of co-responder teams. Such issues include, but shall not be […]
§ 37-12-9. Role of Community Service Boards Following Response
When a co-responder team responds to a behavioral health crisis, the community service board of the service area where the crisis occurred shall contact the individual within two business days following the crisis, regardless of whether that individual was incarcerated. If the individual resides in a different community service board area, the case shall be […]
§ 37-12-10. Identification of Individuals Better Served by Behavioral Health System Than Criminal Justice System; Referral System
Community service board team members may review publicly available arrest and incarceration records and may request access to evaluate currently incarcerated individuals for the purpose of identifying individuals who may be treated more effectively within the behavioral health system rather than the criminal justice system. If such individuals are identified, the community service board team […]
§ 37-12-11. Record Keeping; Annual Reporting
Each community service board shall compile and maintain records of the services provided by co-responder teams and community service board team members, which shall include community follow-ups and actions taken on behalf of incarcerated individuals together with reasonably available outcome data. Community service boards shall report data to the department in a form developed cooperatively […]
§ 37-12-12. Funding and Budgeting; Collaboration
The requirements contained in this chapter shall be contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the General Assembly or the availability of other funds. No later than July 15, 2023, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the board proposed budgets for co-responder programs for each community service board. The proposed budget for each […]
§ 37-11-13. Immunity From Liability or Disciplinary Action for Health Care Providers
Each provider, facility, or any other person who acts in good faith reliance on any instructions contained in a directive or on any direction or decision by a mental health care agent shall be protected and released to the same extent as though such person had interacted directly with a capable declarant. Without limiting the […]
§ 37-12-13. Liability
Any peace officer, law enforcement agency, community service board, community service board team member, public safety agency, communications officer, or any employee or contractor thereof, who acts in good faith in compliance with the provisions of this chapter shall be immune from civil or criminal liability for his or her actions in connection with any […]
§ 37-11-14. Immunity for Law Enforcement
A law enforcement officer who uses a declarant’s valid psychiatric advance directive and acts in good faith reliance on the instructions contained in such directive shall not be subject to criminal prosecution or civil liability for any harm to such declarant that results from a good faith effort to follow such directive’s instructions. History. Code […]
§ 37-12-14. Statutory Construction
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as creating an exclusive method for a law enforcement agency to establish emergency response teams combining peace officers and behavioral health specialists. History. Code 1981, § 37-12-14 , enacted by Ga. L. 2022, p. 722, § 5/SB 403.