Georgia Behavioral Health Coordinating Council
Established in 2009 by the Georgia General Assembly, the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council (the “Council,” or “BHCC”) supports Georgia’s behavioral health-serving agencies and partners. The BHCC establishes goals and recommends measures for improved efficiency and access to services. The purpose and mission of the Council is to identify overlapping services regarding funding and policy issues in the behavioral health system.
The Council has seventeen members: Nine department commissioners from various agencies, the chair of pardons and paroles, the state disability ombudsman, and the state school superintendent are members of the Council by law. The adult consumer of public behavioral health services, the family member of a consumer of public behavioral health services, and the parent of a child consumer of behavioral health services are appointed by the Governor. The member of the house of Representatives is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Senator is appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. All Council members serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority with no term limit.
Council Members:
Commissioner Kevin Tanner, Chair
Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
Commissioner Russell Carlson
Department of Community Health
Stanley Jones, Esq., Secretary
Family Member of a Consumer
State School Superintendent Richard Woods
Department of Education
Commissioner Christopher Nunn
Department of Community Affairs
Commissioner Bruce Thompson
Department of Labor
Representative Katie Dempsey
District 13
Senator Kay Kirkpatrick
District 32
Commissioner Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H.
Department of Public Health
Commissioner Candice L. Broce
Department of Human Services
Chairman Terry E. Barnard
State Board of Pardons and Paroles
Commissioner Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb
Department of Juvenile Justice
Commissioner Tyrone Oliver
Department of Corrections
Commissioner Michael Nail
Department of Community Supervision
Jacquice Stone
Disability Services Ombudsman
Commissioner Greg Dozier
Technical College System of Georgia
Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs
Department of Early Care and Learning
Commissioner Patricia Ross
Department of Veteran Service
Jerry Bruce, J.D.
Director of the Office of the Child Advocate
Alexia Jones
Adult Consumer
Dr. Veda Johnson, M.D., FAAP
Professor Director of Child and Adolescent Health
Department of Pediatrics at Emory University
Pediatrician
Nathan Call, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Clinical Director at the Marcus Autism Center
Vice-Chief of the Psychology Section at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Emory
Expert on Child and Adolescent Health