The Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network is a Georgia Corporation founded in 1991 by consumers of state services for mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases. It hosts one of the largest statewide annual consumer conferences in the nation. The corporation evolved from a meeting of 30 consumer leaders held in Tucker, Georgia in October of 1990. The membership is now over 4,500.

Dr. Henry T. Nicholas is the key backer and proponent of Marsy’s Law. When it passed California  in November 2008, Proposition 9, the Victim’s Bill of Rights Act of 2008, Marsy’s Law became the strongest and most comprehensive Constitutional Victim’s Rights Law in the U.S. and put California in the forefront of the national victim’s rights movement. Now, Dr. Nicholas is now lending his support to an effort to ensure equal rights for crime victims across the United States.

Efforts are currently underway in Kentucky, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Idaho, Oklahoma, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Iowa to extend equal rights for crime victims in those states as well.

Marsy’s Law was named after Dr. Nicholas’ sister, Marsalee (Marsy) Nicholas, a beautiful, vibrant University of California Santa Barbara student, who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Only a week after Marsy was murdered, Dr. Nicholas and Marsy’s mother, Mrs. Marcella Leach, walked into a grocery store after visiting her daughter’s grave and were confronted by the accused murderer. The family had no idea that he had been released on bail.

The pain and suffering Marsy’s family endured after her death is typical for family members of murder victims. They were not informed Marsy’s murderer had been released because the courts and law enforcement, though well-meaning, had no obligation to keep them informed. While criminals have more than 20 individual rights spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, the surviving family members of murder victims have none.

Mental Health America of Georgia (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association of Georgia) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with mental health challenges as well as promoting mental wellness throughout Georgia. We represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of everyone in our state, emphasizing mental health as a critical component of a healthy lifestyle. We work to increase the quality of life and advocate for independence for individuals with a severe and persistent mental illness through our training programs and supports. We advocate with community partners to eliminate health disparities and reduce stigma and discrimination.

MHA of Georgia is the state’s affiliate of National Mental Health America, our country’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and illness. Mental Health America was established in 1909 by former psychiatric patient Clifford W. Beers. During his stays in public and private institutions, Beers witnessed and was subjected to horrible abuse. From these experiences, Beers set into motion a reform movement that took shape as Mental Health America.

As a result of Mental Health America’s efforts, many Americans with mental health disorders have sought care and now enjoy fulfilling, productive lives in their communities. Similar to our National organization, MHA of Georgia’s mission is to enhance the mental health of all Georgians through education, outreach and advocacy. The current organization was formed in 1997 from a merger of two longstanding and respected mental health organizations – the Mental Health Association of Georgia (MHAG), founded in 1957, and the Mental Health Association of Metropolitan Atlanta (MHAMA), founded in 1946.