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May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, recognizing those living with mental or behavioral health issues and aiming to reduce stigmas surrounding these common experiences. Part of that process is educating metro Atlanta communities on mental health crises and providing them with ways to help. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. 

Claratel Behavioral Health, until recently the DeKalb Community Service Board, is a public, nonprofit organization located in Atlanta. It serves more than 11,000 uninsured and underinsured patients each year — children, teens and adults with mental and behavioral health challenges, developmental disabilities and substance abuse issues. 

Claratel is the largest behavioral health provider in DeKalb County; the largest bed capacity crisis center in metro Atlanta; and the only designated behavioral health crisis center in Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale counties. Claratel Behavioral Health’s growth includes a new $25 million crisis center, to be partially funded by the SPLOST approved in the November 2023 election. 

Advocating for comprehensive healthcare on all levels is vital to aiding in the mental health crisis. With the common coexistence of mental health disorders, chronic health disorders and substance use disorders, a comprehensive approach to healthcare must address mental health. 

The State of Mental Health Treatment in Metro Atlanta

• Atlanta and Georgia are in desperate need of accessible mental health resources. Georgia has no large-scale, state-funded transitional bed facilities that can provide clinical and residential services once someone is discharged from a crisis stabilization unit.
• These people are instead sent to their homes, shelters or limited recovery housing without transitional residential treatment.
• Claratel’s new crisis center will help remedy this issue by offering a 24-bed transitional therapeutic residential program. 

Community Connections 

• Claratel’s board members are selected by DeKalb County’s CEO and approved by the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. Each board member is a DeKalb County resident with a unique perspective on mental health, substance use disorder and developmental disabilities.
• Claratel is a longtime leader in partnering with law enforcement to better help individuals experiencing crises. For 30 years, Claratel has grown a co-responder program with DeKalb County Police, through which a mobile crisis unit with a clinician and a police officer intervenes and evaluates individuals to determine the best way to help them.
• In 2023, Claratel expanded its co-responder program by establishing agreements with the Cities of Dunwoody, Doraville, Decatur and Tucker.

How to Help Yourself and Others 

• Educate yourself on mental health, including the specific mental health challenges faced by teenagers, seniors, minorities, men, women and the LGBTQ community, and how each of us can support these groups.
• Understand the impact that mental health conditions have on the physical, emotional and mental well-being of children, families and communities, and help to overcome the stigma around mental health conditions.
• Share free mental health support resources from NAMI, mental health clinics like Claratel, counseling centers, support groups and crisis hotlines.
• Implement strategies to help you be your best you: get regular exercise, eat a balanced diet, get adequate sleep, find time for yourself, stay positive and seek professional help when you need it. 

Ted Terry, DeKalb County Super District 6 Commissioner, recently said: “With the growing population of DeKalb County and Metro Atlanta as a whole, there is an increased strain on our existing mental health resources. It’s our duty as county officials to expand those resources, which is why I will continue to advocate for mental health funding by supporting initiatives like the new crisis center.” 

Mental Health Awareness Month brings light to the disparities in mental health care across the board but also focuses on the organizations dedicated to tackling the mental health crisis in metro Atlanta and across the U.S. Claratel stands at the forefront of mental health treatment in Atlanta, offering critical services and leading initiatives to bridge gaps in care and reduce the stigma around mental health. 

By educating ourselves, advocating for comprehensive healthcare, and supporting organizations like Claratel, we can all play a part in fostering mental wellness and building a more supportive community for everyone.

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MARTA switches plans, opts for direct rapid bus route to ATL airport Josh Green Tue, 05/14/2024 - 14:30

Across the country, neighborhood groups are uniting to fund mixed-use developments that meet housing and business demands, giving locals a place to live, work and learn new skills.

The Atlanta Regional Commission announced $940,000 in grant funding for five communities on May 8 through its Livable Centers Initiative, a program that helps pay for planning studies and transportation projects centered around walkability, connectivity, and placemaking. 

The 25-year-old initiative has invested over $312 million in over 130 communities since its creation, with grants covering 80 percent of the study and transportation project costs and the recipient matching the final 20 percent. It’s funded through federal transportation dollars. Commission Director of Community Development Samyukth Shenbaga said the newest round of recipients fall in line with the ARC’s vision of “thriving communities for all.” 

“As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the transformative [Livable Centers Initiative] program, we are proud to work with these visionary communities to ensure inclusive, innovative and resilient outcomes.” 

Recipients span the Atlanta region, but some funding is headed close to home. The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District received $140,000 for a “creative wayfinding plan” ahead of the 2026 Soccer World Cup. With millions of visitors estimated to visit the city for eight matches, downtown officials are heavily focused on development with major projects like the newly opened Signia by Hilton hotel and upcoming entertainment district development Centennial Yards. 

The $140,000 grant will fund a study to update the pedestrian and vehicle wayfinding system in Downtown Atlanta. It will look at existing maps and directories posted for visitors, as well as general signs that point to MARTA stations and major city landmarks. With an updated system, the district aims to encourage more walking, cycling and transit in the city center.

Gwinnett County received the largest grant funding portion, with $280,000 for the Jimmy Carter Boulevard Area Master Plan. The study will define a multimodal transportation network along Jimmy Carter Boulevard, help with transit-oriented development and identify strategies for new affordable housing. 

Downtown Fayetteville and Powder Springs each received $160,000. Fayetteville will use the money for a creative placemaking strategy that will create a “walkable and livable” downtown mixed-use district, while Powder Springs will study ways to “better connect the city’s newest assets.” It will center on Thurman Springs Park, Powder Springs Dog Park, Hardy Family Automotive Amphitheater and the new Powder Springs City Hall. 

Town Center Community Improvement District in Kennesaw also received $200,000 to update an existing decade-old plan from the Livable Centers Initiative. The new plan aims to reflect a changing landscape in the area with a growing enrollment at Kennesaw State University and expanding airport. 

Alongside the initiative, the Atlanta Regional Commission will provide planning and technical support to six metro Atlanta communities through the Community Development Assistance Program: the Upper Westside multimodal concept study, the Woodstock housing analysis, Decatur affordable housing preservation, the Little Five Points culture assessment and Community Improvement District, the South Fulton housing assessment and upper South River watershed corridor study. 

Woodstock and the Westside district will receive two grants, with the city taking $80,000 and the upper west side area taking $240,000. The other areas and projects will receive partner and staff support from the commission. 

The Atlanta Regional Commission also received funding to conduct its own studies focused on healthcare access, announcing $543,000 in federal funds allotted to study healthcare disparities in the region. 

In 2022, the Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward shut down after struggling to meet demand – months after the smaller Atlanta Medical Center South was shuttered. But the city’s population has grown by tens of thousands since the closure. Since that trauma center closed, Grady Memorial Hospital has been the only Level 1 trauma center in the area. 

“We know that health care access in the Atlanta region varies greatly by your ZIP code,” Atlanta Mayor and ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens said in a statement. “It’s time for action to address these disparities.” 

In areas of the region, particularly south of I-20, residents are about an hour away from the nearest emergency room with traffic. The study will map mileage to the nearest emergency room, gather emergency medical service wait times and determine how to make hospitals more accessible to more people in the area. 

“This study is a critical first step that will provide the hard data we need to make informed decisions that can save lives,” Dickens said.

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