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Report to Dougherty Commission includes coronavirus impact on mental health

Albany Herald
Jun 15, 2020

Jun. 15--ALBANY -- In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a Dougherty County provider of mental health services altered the way it serves its clients while helping southwest Georgians deal with an extended period of sheltering in place and economic calamities.

"We went from in-clinic, or in-community face-to-face, to 70 percent teleservices," Dana Glass, CEO of Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services, said during a report made during a Monday Dougherty County Commission meeting.

From July 1 through May 30, the organization served 5,300 Dougherty County residents, she said. Aspire also is the service provider for seven additional southwest Georgia counties and provides services through contracts with an additional 12 counties in the region.

Of those served during the current fiscal year, 55 percent were male and 45 percent female, Glass said, and the split was 70 percent for adults and 30 percent for children.

"We see a lot of uncertainty about the future, job and economic loss," Glass said. "What that adds up to is anxiety and depression."

More people seem to be in despair and resorting to drug and alcohol use, she said.

Some uncertainty also applies to Aspire, whose primary state funding agency, like all state agencies, is looking at a possible 11 percent budget cut. That is the amount of budget reduction state lawmakers are considering to deal with the impact of decreased economic activity due to COVID-19.

State funding makes up about 50 percent of Aspire's budget, followed by about 45 percent from payments through Medicaid and Medicare. Glass told commissioners she has not gotten a figure for the exact amount of cuts Aspire could face for the budget year beginning July 1.

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"What we know is now is not the time to cut services," she said.

Aspire also oversees The Change Center, which offers peer-led support services for those recovering from drug and alcohol disorders.

Aspire's ability to provide services online and by telephone has been significant during the pandemic, Commissioner Clinton Johnson said. Continuing services through that method in the future will help those who may see a "stigma" in seeking services in person.

"To be able to connect to services in their homes, I think that can make a big difference," Johnson said. "I think it gives access to your services."

In other business Monday, commissioners:

-- Approved a resolution accepting a $300,000 state HOME Investment Program grant that can be used for renovations of residences, and

-- Accepted a U.S. Department of Justice grant in the amount of $58,008 from the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Program.

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