“Georgia's children stay at home with their families. Georgia's flaws force children needlessly into institutions and child welfare. Georgia's deficiencies keep children at home with their parents and siblings. We can and must do more to help keep people in their homes,” said Ruby Moore, executive director of the Georgia Advocacy Agency, one of the nonprofit groups representing families.
Three of the four children involved in the lawsuit are currently institutionalized for various mental illnesses. In both cases, the children bounced around from psychiatric treatment facility to facility and spent long periods of time there. This only made their symptoms worse, leading to frequent trips to the emergency room and psychiatric facilities, their attorneys claim.
One of the plaintiffs, referred to in the complaint as Zach B., has been institutionalized 16 times and admitted to the emergency room 18 times. The suit alleges that the state repeatedly failed to provide adequate follow-up home care, leading to further crises and sending him back to hospitals and mental health facilities.
In 2022, the mother refused to accept a discharge plan because necessary home services were not provided, according to the complaint. She hoped her son would receive better care under state protection. However, Zac has remained institutionalized ever since and continues to be deprived of the correctional services she needs, the complaint alleges.
“Without these services, Zach would not be able to reunite with his family and would very likely continue to experience repeated and long-term institutionalization,” the complaint states.
Plaintiffs are asking federal courts to force agencies to comply with federal guidelines and fix what they see as a broken system.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to require the state to make recommendations, including conducting evaluations of repeatedly institutionalized children, expanding the capacity of health care providers, and arranging necessary correctional services to treat the children. .
This is the second lawsuit filed against the state's mental health system in recent weeks. Last month, several former DHS employees sued the state for discriminating against Black social workers and endangering foster children by providing unsafe living conditions.
An investigation by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earlier this year found that DCH failed to adequately monitor managed care companies contracted by the state to provide mental health services to children, particularly in the state's foster care system. It was found that he frequently refused treatment. .
