Last year Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue created the Mental Health Service Delivery Commission after dangerous conditions were revealed in state mental hospitals. After eight months of work, the sixteen-member commission of state legislators, mental health advocates, law enforcement officials and mental health professionals released its report.

 

The Georgia report lists its “values” statement almost word to word with a 2004 Michigan report on mental health. In addition, seven of the eight “findings” are identical to the Michigan report. Large sections in the report were also taken from the American Psychiatric Association and the University of Texas. Some of the stylistic emphases in the Michigan report, such as bold print, are copied the same way in the Georgia report. The Georgia report even mentioned an “Appendix E”, just like the Michigan report. Unfortunately, there is not an “Appendix E” in the Georgia report.

 

 

“The reason it didn’t catch our eyes was this all generalizes from state to state. It’s stuff we’ve heard of and we knew about,” said the commission’s chair, Abel Ortiz.

 

 

Georgia taxpayers must be thrilled that government funds went to address the unique concerns of their state. Just think a copy of the Michigan report and an afternoon at Kinko’s could have replaced eight months of work nicely.