In the year 2000, our former President and Founding Partner, Mary Wise, had a desire to create something larger than herself which would have an impact on individual lives and the greater community; thus forming Georgia HOPE. A year later, Mary was joined by long-time friend and former colleague, Tanya Smith, who served as Business Partner and CEO until 2016. In the beginning, our partners worked diligently by not only building the infrastructure of our agency but also exuding their passion by providing direct services to families. By always placing importance on what would best serve the community, these partners set the tone for a culture of excellence at Georgia HOPE. With their continued leadership, along with the addition of current CEO, Nikki Raymond, we are proud to have vastly grown the access to services for residents in Georgia. It is this culture that continues to drive our commitment to high quality community-based services. This commitment aligns seamlessly with the values of our parent company, Health Connect America, with whom Georgia HOPE proudly joined in 2021.
The term “recovery” is oftentimes only associated with substance use. However, our definition of recovery includes any person who is working to regain stability of mind and body. We know that both mental health and substance use can be lifelong journeys. But we believe that achieving a life of recovery is possible for all.
In 2015, Georgia HOPE became one of the first behavioral health providers in the nation to be recognized as a Patient-Centered Specialty Practice. Essentially, this means that we are committed to serving the whole person. When an individual enters services with us, we begin communicating with their primary care provider to ensure that we understand how their mental health may be impacting their physical health, and vice versa. It truly does take a village.
Georgia HOPE believes in meeting our clients where they are, quite literally, which is why more than 90% of our services occur in the homes (either in home or via online therapy) or schools of those we serve. For a good portion of our population, transportation barriers cause a hindrance to access counseling services. Therefore, we do the only thing natural: we go to them. To further enhance our ability to see our clients in the most convenient way possible for them, Georgia HOPE is also able to see clients online through our Teletherapy program.
