By Melanie Dallas, LPC

As one of the largest public behavioral health providers in Georgia – serving 13 counties with a combined population of nearly 1.8 million – Highland Rivers Behavioral Health does so much each year, it’s nearly impossible to capture it all. But as I look back on 2024, what struck me was how new partnerships and innovation have allowed Highland Rivers to continue expanding access to behavioral health services in northwest Georgia.

One way we do this is by being present in our communities. Highland Rivers staff attended more than 100 community events this year – health fairs, community festivals, back-to-school fairs, mental health forums – and in every one of our 13 counties. When someone approaches our table, takes a brochure and says, “I didn’t know Highland Rivers did this – I’m going to pass this along to my (husband, daughter, neighbor),” we know our presence makes a difference.

This year, with the help of our partners, Highland Rivers continued to bring services to locations outside our walls. In 2024 we added mental health discharge planners in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center, as well as mental health navigators at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, and a veteran peer specialist in the Cherokee County Veterans Court. We also began offering onsite mental health and substance use assessments at the Cobb County Courthouse. All of these partnerships help people connect with our services.

One place we would rather not have had to go this year was Winder – yet we were needed, so we went. Highland Rivers was one of several Georgia Community Service Boards who sent therapists to Barrow County following the tragedy at Apalachee Highland School in September. And it is a credit to our therapists who, knowing they would be walking into unimaginable trauma, nonetheless went and offered a listening ear, a helping hand and a healing heart. That, too, is who we are.

Because we know people who struggle often just want someone to talk to, Highland Rivers began operating our own peer warm line in 2024. Called the Connections Line, it is staffed by Highland Rivers peer specialists and is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to midnight; the number is 855-246-4475.

Highland Rivers also added two more co-response partnerships in 2024 – with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and the Marietta Police Department. Co-response programs pair a licensed mental health clinician with a uniformed law enforcement officer to respond to individuals in the community in behavioral health crisis. Because of our leadership in co-response in Georgia, Highland Rivers was chosen by the International Co-Responder Alliance to co-host the National Co-responder Conference in Atlanta in June 2025.

As Veterans continue to be a priority for Highland Rivers, our agency was proud to be certified as a Veteran Ready Organization (VRO) by PsychArmor, a national nonprofit training provider for military cultural awareness. Ninety-six percent of Highland Rivers staff completed PsychArmor’s training courses on military culture, trauma-informed care and specific Veteran challenges. We also became a partner provider with the Atlanta-based Warrior Alliance, which links Veterans to healthcare and other resources. You can see a new video with the personal stories of two Veterans we serve on our website (it is actually one of four new videos about our agency you can see on the Highland Rivers website).

Finally, we were saddened by the passing of our Floyd County governing board representative Larry Maxey in November. As a Floyd County commissioner for many years, Larry brought a great amount of knowledge about the Floyd County community to our board, and his wisdom and steady manner will be missed.

As I said, it is nearly impossible to list everything we accomplished in 2024, and really, we are always looking ahead. But know that Highland Rivers Behavioral Health is proud to be a part of so many communities in northwest Georgia and is always here for you. I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a happy and healthy New Year.

Melanie Dallas is a licensed professional counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, which provides treatment and recovery services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a 13-county region of northwest Georgia that includes Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Floyd, Fannin, Gilmer, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk and Whitfield counties.