EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated Sept. 14, 2021, with information from Lynn Wilson of NAMI Moultrie and Judy Payne of Turning Point to more accurately reflect resources available in the community.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Mental health officials say the COVID pandemic has exacerbated and outlined problems in Colquitt County’s ability to help those in need of mental health assistance.

“The simple fact is there aren’t as many resources here in rural Georgia than somewhere like Savannah or Atlanta,” said Michelle Cope, founder of Yellow Elephant.

Yellow Elephant is a nonprofit based in Colquitt County that specializes in raising awareness for suicide prevention and mental health in rural communities.

“We are still working to safely hold events and continue to raise awareness. But there is the issue of being able to gather safely and openly. It’s just ongoing,” Cope explained.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, lists a total of 12,472 mental health treatment facilities in the state of Georgia. These facilities include general hospitals “equipped to deal with those suffering from mental health problems,” residential treatment facilities, Veterans Affairs medical centers, community health centers and private and public psychiatric hospitals. None of these are in Colquitt County, according to a survey published in 2020 by SAMHSA.

But the situation isn’t quite as dire as SAMHSA indicates, local activist Lynn Wilson disagrees.

“We have multiple facilities that can help such as Georgia Pines, Turning Point and Colquitt Regional Medical Center,” said Wilson, president of NAMI Moultrie, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Judy Payne, Turning Point Hospital CEO, echoed this statement saying, “We are a mental health provider serving our local community. One-third of our beds are designated for people with a primary mental health diagnosis and our outpatient clinic is open and serving the local community.”

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the “nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness,” according to the organization’s website.

Wilson said that mental illness and substance abuse are not mutually exclusive.

“Many people dealing with mental illness turn to substance abuse to help cope. Some substance users worsen their mental state through these substances. You usually don’t see one without the other,” said Wilson.

Wilson and the rest of NAMI are advocates for mental health and hold monthly meetings for those affected by mental health in an effort to provide them a safe place to speak and be heard, she said.

“People need people. We are pack animals. Communication is key in dealing with mental health. Talking, hugging, just general human connection is how people really deal with their mental illness,” Wilson said.

During the height of the pandemic, Wilson stated those connections weren’t readily available like they used to be.

“That isolation increases loneliness, that loneliness leads to anxiety or depression, and that can lead to substance abuse or exacerbated mental illness,” said Wilson. “What we found is that many people who weren’t used to being alone or hadn’t experienced that type of sudden and definite isolation, didn’t know what to do.”

Cope agreed.

“What we found is that kids and adults who weren’t used to isolation were affected most,” she said. “They were used to being able to go out and socialize. When that is suddenly taken away, that directly affects their mental state.”

Moultrie Police Chief Sean Ladson made a targeted effort before the pandemic to assist those dealing with mental health crises. 

“We’ve gotten together with the people at Georgia Pines and are planning to get a facility right next door to the station,” Ladson said in an earlier interview.

While Moultrie city officials such as City Manager Pete Dillard hope to have the facility available to use by the end of 2021, there is still the question of what law enforcement can do with those dealing with mental health in the meantime. Currently, personnel from both the MPD and the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office have only one option when it comes to dealing with those in a mental health crisis, Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

Law enforcement officers are trained to take those in mental health crises to CRMC for a medical evaluation. From there, the patient can be advised to seek specific help, transferred to a specialized facility, admitted to Colquitt Regional, sent home or provided any treatment the doctors deem necessary, according to Sheriff’s Office criminal investigator and crisis negotiator Christ Robinson.

Both Ladson and Sheriff Ron Howell have made efforts to get “as many officers as possible” in specific mental illness training known as Crisis Intervention Training. Currently all new deputies and officers finish their academy training but before they join the force, they must complete the CIT training. 

“We are putting as many officers as we can through the course,” said Ladson. “Going forward, this will be the policy for those wishing to join the police department.”

Robinson noted that sheriff’s deputies need the training as they serve magistrate orders and transport individuals for medical evaluations, known to law enforcement as a “1013.”

“When our deputies get a 1013, they are in charge of taking custody of that individual, not arresting them, but transporting them to wherever they need to go to be treated. I’ve had people go to Thomasville and others have been taken as far as Atlanta. Wherever there is room,” said Robinson.

According to Jordan Hammack, assistant director of marketing for CRMC, there was a total of 634 such evaluations from March 2020 to August 2021.

“Over the past six months, we have averaged 60 patients per month that have had a psychiatric complaint,” Hammack said.

But when COVID happened, beds became harder to come by. According to Wilson, many individuals couldn’t be treated.

“What we began to see was the fact that nobody really knew how to deal with mental health and a pandemic at the same time. People couldn’t really get the help they needed as they were turned away. It’s certainly improved as we’ve gotten further away,” said Wilson.

She further stated that many places still require a negative COVID test before being admitted.

“The issue still remains is that there are not many options as far as mental illness goes,” said Cope. 

Dr. Terron Verma, M.D., with Sterling Group Psychiatry and the Turning Point outpatient clinic, which opened on June 28, are currently the only two options for fully comprehensive private in-person mental healthcare in Moultrie, according to CRMC Director of Marketing, Emily Watson.

While there are limited options, Wilson and Cope both agree that the use of video chatting softwares such as “Zoom” has increased people’s willingness to speak openly about their mental health.

“People are more comfortable in their homes. When you can speak freely in a place without judgment and a space you are more comfortable in, you tend to be a bit more open,” said Wilson.

Members of NAMI Moultrie recently returned to in-person meetings back in June. She said that one of the things that NAMI couldn’t do during the height of the pandemic is its education training for friends and family.

“What we do also goes beyond those dealing with mental illness. We also include those who are close to those affected. We host educational seminars for parents and friends, for people that are close with diagnosed individuals. The goal is to help them identify the ‘ups and downs’ of mental health. Knowing when somebody needs space or support is just as important as educating about mental illness itself,” Wilson said.

Support, advocacy and education make up NAMI’s “three legged stool of success” to help individuals dealing with mental illness and their loved ones. 

“It all goes back to ‘people need people,’ loved ones can’t help if they don’t know how to help. Part of that is why advocacy is so important, because the stigma around mental health is so fervent. Once you can get around that and learn, it becomes an easier thing to manage,” Wilson continued.

While things were seemingly returning back to normal, the Delta COVID variant has recently made big headline news across the country with its ability to spread so quickly.. In a previous article by The Observer, Dr. Charles Ruis, M.D., district health director for Health District 8 which encompasses Colquitt County stated that COVID itself has been a “great challenge.”

“The COVID-19 virus has been a great challenge due to the rate and abundance of its mutations,” Ruis said.

Ladson agreed during an interview at the time when “multiple” officers were out with COVID in parts of July and August.

“It’s something that’s not going away. We are trying to keep our officers safe. We can’t protect the citizens if we can’t protect ourselves,” Ladson said.

Wilson said the same idea can be applied to mental health.

“We are constantly dealing with it. Some are worse than others. But when you combine a global pandemic, mental health and so much information coming from all directions, its hard to focus on one thing. The best advice I can give to anybody is education. Educate yourself on what you can. Whether it be on mental illness or COVID. Learning about something makes it less scary and easier to deal with. Neither is going away anytime soon.”