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On April 18, Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) visited Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale to announce the hospital as recipient of a HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grant to expand mental health services for the community. Southern Regional, a member of Prime Healthcare Foundation, has been awarded a $1.15M grant focused for mental healthcare support services in Clayton County.

Senator Ossoff worked to bring forth a bi-partisan vote in support of the grant for a new Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Area adjacent to the hospital’s Emergency Department. This funding will provide the much-needed support services for these patients dealing with mental health challenges or in a mental health crisis.

The country, and in particular Clayton County, has witnessed an influx of citizens struggling to cope with mental health issues and lack of appropriate services to meet this growing need. In the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report recently published, it was revealed that mental health in the U.S. has only continued to worsen and has been further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As evident of the challenges to meet the needs of these patients, the 2021 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps data states that Clayton County has 1 mental health care provider for every 1,480 patients, whereas the state of Georgia reports 1 mental health care provider for every 690 patients.

This new mental health treatment area will provide these patients with a high-quality, safe area for care while they wait for a bed in an appropriate mental health facility while assuring a safe environment for our nurses, doctors, and various clinical team members, who care for these patients.

Southern Regional Medical Center is grateful to Senator Ossoff and all he has done to support this effort and bring this issue to the forefront.