Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader joined fellow sheriffs at the State Capitol to support proposed state budget funding for a new 300-bed mental health hospital, a move aimed at addressing Georgia’s long-standing shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds.

The funding is included in the governor’s proposed state budget and is part of a broader effort by state leaders to rebuild Georgia’s mental health infrastructure. Over the past several decades, multiple state-run psychiatric hospitals have closed or downsized, significantly reducing the number of available beds for individuals experiencing severe mental health crises. As a result, local jails have increasingly become de facto holding facilities for people awaiting evaluation, treatment, or placement in a state facility — a process that can sometimes take weeks or longer.

Lawmakers supporting the funding say the new 300-bed facility would help relieve pressure on county jails, emergency rooms, and law enforcement agencies by providing a dedicated location for long-term stabilization and treatment. The proposed hospital would operate under the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and is intended to serve individuals who require inpatient care but cannot be safely treated in community-based settings.

Sheriff Schrader and other law enforcement officials argue that jails are not equipped to function as mental health treatment centers and that deputies are often tasked with supervising inmates in crisis without the clinical resources needed to properly treat them. Supporters of the proposal hope the new hospital represents the first step toward restoring a more robust statewide system for mental health care and reducing the strain on local governments.

State budget negotiations are ongoing, and final approval of the funding will depend on agreement between the House and Senate before the fiscal year budget is finalized.