Proposed budget cuts could cause trouble for local mental and behavioral health agencies

ALBANY, Ga. – On Thursday, In response to Gov. Brian Kemp’s harsh budget cuts, Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities warned state lawmakers that stripping funds from state-provided mental and behavioral health services will potentially lead to increased suicides and substance abuse disorders.

Publicly funded organizations like, Aspire, which helps provide mental health, addictive disease, and developmental disability services for southwest Georgia counties might be impacted if the proposed budget cuts go through.

Aspire serves nearly 10,000 people within 8 counties a year.

At this point in legislative discussions, there’s no way of knowing how exactly the proposed budget cuts would affect Aspire or the services they provide.

But Chief Executive Officer, Dana Glass, insists that her organization is vital and helps ensure the community is composed of healthy individuals.

She says, “Behavioral health and addictive disease is part of our true whole health picture. If we want our community to be healthy we have to be healthy in all aspects.

The proposed budgets are still being discussed at the state capitol and nothing is set in stone just yet.