§ 37-11-16. Form
“GEORGIA PSYCHIATRIC ADVANCE DIRECTIVE By: Date of Birth: (Print Name) (Month/Day/Year) As used in this psychiatric advance directive, the term: (1) “Facility” means a hospital, skilled nursing facility, hospice, institution, home, residential or nursing facility, treatment facility, and any other facility or service which has a valid permit or provisional permit issued under Chapter 7 […]
§ 37-12-1. Definitions
As used in this chapter, the term: “Behavioral health crisis” means any circumstance when symptoms of a person’s behavioral health disorder put that person or others at risk for causing personal injury or property damage. “Behavioral health disorder” means a mental or emotional illness, developmental disability, or addictive disease. “Co-responder program” means a program established […]
§ 37-12-2. Co-Responder Partnership Programs; Operations and Transportation
Each community service board shall establish a co-responder program to offer assistance or consultation to peace officers responding to emergency calls involving individuals with behavioral health crises. Law enforcement agencies within a community service board’s service area may elect to partner with the community service board to establish one or more co-responder teams. When a […]
§ 37-12-3. Identification of Entities Responding to Emergency Calls
Every county shall retain a written list available for public inspection that identifies all law enforcement agencies within such county whose routine responsibilities include responding to emergency calls. Such list shall be created no later than August 1, 2022, and shall be updated immediately when additional departments assume routine responsibility for emergency response and shall […]
§ 37-12-4. Contracting With Behavioral Health Professionals for Participation as Community Service Board Team Member; List of Emergency Receiving Facilities
Each community service board shall employ or contract with behavioral health professionals who are licensed in this state to provide counseling services, or to provide other support services to individuals and their families regarding a behavioral health disorder, and whose responsibilities include participation as a community service board team member on a co-responder team. The […]
§ 37-12-5. Role of Law Enforcement Agencies
A law enforcement agency that has entered into a co-responder partnership with a community service board shall designate one or more peace officers to participate as officer team members in a co-responder team. A law enforcement agency that has not entered into a co-responder partnership with a community service board shall designate one peace officer […]
§ 37-12-6. Crisis Intervention Team Training
Officer team members may elect to receive crisis intervention team training as approved by the Georgia Police Officer Standards and Training Council. All communications officers and other employees of public safety agencies who make dispatch decisions shall receive educational training about identifying emergency calls involving individuals in a behavioral health crisis and dispatching appropriate response […]
§ 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 […]