Mindworks Georgia envisions a thriving community
that embraces prevention and long-term mental health
and substance use recovery. Mindworks and its partners
are committed to this vision by promoting evidence- based policies that support prevention, intervention, and treatment services that are innovative, person-centered, well-coordinated, and easy to navigate for children,
youth, and young adults.
The Team
Renee Johnson
Executive Director
Twanna Nelson
Deputy Director
Christa Payne
Evaluation Lead
Ashlie Oliver
Sr. Policy Advisor
The Collaborators
We bring together subject matter experts to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate across the system. Together,
we set collective objectives, uncover common challenges, and share data and practices. Workflow is streamlined and solutions are surfaced as we work and learn together to illuminate pathways to progress.
Child-Serving State Agencies
Council of Juvenile Court Judges of Georgia
Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD)
Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH)
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)
Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)
Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Child Services (DFCS)
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ)
Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH)
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA)
Nonprofits
American Academy of Pediatrics – GA Chapter (GAAAP)
California Children’s Trust
Carter Center, The
Community Service Board of Middle Georgia
Georgia Alliance of Therapeutic Services
Georgia Appleseed
Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS)
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
Georgia Parents Support Network (GPSN)
Georgia Superior Court Clerks Authority
Georgia Voices
Jesse Parker Williams Foundation
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Georgia
Resilient Georgia
Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
Silence the Shame
Strategic Health Partners
Together GA
United Way of Greater Atlanta
View Point Health
CMEs/CMOs
Amerigroup Community Care
CareSource
Centene
View Point Healthcare Management Entity
Universities
Center for Leadership in Disability, Georgia State University
Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health & Wellbeing, Georgia Health Policy Center, Georgia State University
Family/Youth Agencies
Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority
Juvenile Court of Cobb County
Managed Care
Anthem
Centene
Strategic Health Partners: Healthcare Consulting Services
Federal Partners
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Children’s Health Systems
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Who can participate in Mindworks and how can they get involved?
Mindworks is a statewide collaborative that brings together child-serving state agencies, nonprofit organizations, care management entities, youth and family partners, health systems, and community-based organizations to strengthen Georgia’s behavioral health system for children, youth, and young adults. Anyone whose work touches children’s behavioral health—including providers, educators, state leaders, payers, family support organizations, and youth-serving agencies—can participate.
Partners can get involved by:
- Joining collaborative workgroups that align people, policy, and practice across the Georgia System of Care.
- Participating in trainings, learning communities, and statewide capacity-building efforts to advance prevention, early intervention, and integrated care.
- Sharing data, best practices, and lessons learned to help eliminate silos and strengthen coordination across agencies.
- Engaging in state plan development and implementation through Mindworks’ role as the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council’s formal workgroup.
Mindworks welcomes participation from organizations and individuals who want to improve access, equity, and outcomes for Georgia’s children and families. Interested partners can connect through Mindworks’ collaborative meetings, statewide initiatives, or direct outreach via mindworksga.org or info@mindworksga.org.
How do I access and use Georgia’s System of Care?
Georgia’s System of Care is designed to help children, youth, young adults (ages 0–26), and their families navigate behavioral health services across multiple agencies, providers, and community settings. The System of Care is coordinated through Mindworks, the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, Local Interagency Planning Teams (LIPTs), care management organizations, and youth-serving partners statewide.
Families can access the System of Care in several ways:
- Connect through local community resources: Schools, pediatricians, early care and learning centers, community service boards, youth clubhouses, wraparound providers, and crisis services can help identify needs and connect families to supports across the continuum of care.
- Utilize Local Interagency Planning Teams (LIPTs): LIPTs coordinate services for youth with complex behavioral health needs by bringing together providers, schools, agencies, and families to create shared plans.
- Engage with care management entities and state agencies: Agencies such as DBHDD, DPH, DOE, DFCS, DJJ, and Medicaid (managed care organizations) help determine eligibility, coordinate care, and ensure access to needed services.
- Leverage statewide initiatives supported by Mindworks: Mindworks strengthens access by promoting early screening, integrated behavioral and primary care, crisis stabilization, peer support, telehealth, intensive in-home services, and related supports.
