Please note that this post contains affiliate links and MageeNews.com receives a small commission for sales made through such links, at no extra cost to you.
Jackson, Miss—The first public hearing date for the K-12 and Higher Education Mental Health Task Force, established by Senate Bill 2727, has been set for July 17-18. Committee members will hear testimony on the current state of child and adolescent mental health in Mississippi and will list public resources currently available in the state.
The 24-member task force is chaired by Rep. Rob Roberson, chairman of the House Education Committee, and Sen. David Parker, a member of the Senate Education Committee and appointed acting chair by Senate Education Chairman Dennis Dever.
“We need to establish a foundation for the task force to develop recommendations,” Parker said, “and I look forward to exploring how Mississippi compares to other states in the country when it comes to youth mental health.”
Roberson agreed.
“After this initial meeting, we plan to expand our reach to other non-government non-profits and experts. In the meantime, we invite the public to submit written testimony to MHTF@peer.ms.gov,” he said.
Other members of the task force are:
- Dr. Jonathan Baker, UMMC child and adolescent psychiatrist
- Senator Kevin Blackwell, Chairman of the Senate Medicaid Committee
- Senator Nicole Boyd, Chair of the Senate Committee on Universities and Colleges
- Senator Hob Bryan, Chairman of the Senate Public Health and Human Services Committee
- Wendy Clemons, Deputy Superintendent, Mississippi Department of Education
- Rep. Sam Creekmore, Chairman, House Committee on Public Health and Human Services
- John Damon, CEO of Canopy Children’s Solutions
- Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Commissioner
- Heather Garrett, teacher and science chair at Brandon Middle School
- Joy Hodge, Executive Director, Families as Allies
- Emily Johnson, Clinical Psychologist
- Sarah Jones, counselor at Jones College
- Melody Madaris, executive director of Communicare Mental Health Center
- House Medicaid Chair Missy McGehee
- Heidi Nelson, Director of Student Counseling at USM
- Rep. Donnie Scogin, Chairman of the House Committee on Universities and Colleges
- Kate McMillin, Director of the Medicaid Department’s Mental Health Bureau
- Linda Stewart, Director of Children and Youth Services, Department of Human Services
- Julie Thornton, head nurse for the Pearl Public School District
- Jonathan Tritley, school psychologist for the Jackson County School District
- John Robert Walker, student member of the Mississippi Youth Council
- Carla Weir, assistant professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Mississippi State University
Maggie News is your online news source for Simpson County and surrounding counties, as well as the state of Mississippi and beyond.
