Interview with Thomas Bornemann, April 12, 2017

Thomas Bornemann discusses his reaction to the series of articles published by The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. The interviewer, Lei Ellingson, and Bornemann discuss meetings held with advocates from the Georgia mental healthcare system with the initial goal of pursuing litigation against the State of Georgia for the conditions of their state run mental health institutions. Bornemann talks about the process of creating official goals for advocacy groups. Bornemann and Ellingson describe the reaction by stakeholders and advocacy groups to the settlement agreement. Bornemann and Ellingson describe the first meeting held among advocacy groups, and they credit public officials for their part in facilitating the reform. Bornemann and Ellingson talk about their regrets of not also focusing on major reform for people with developmental disabilities. Bornemann ends the interview with his reflection on the cooperation of Georgia citizens during the reformation of the state mental health care system.
Dr. Thomas H. Bornemann has served in a variety of positions throughout his career including, Chief of the refugee program at the Office of International Health; leading the design and developmental team that created patient care services at the National Institute of Mental Health; mental health advisor in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence of the World Health Organization. Dr. Bornemann has had experience in many concentrations including: research, clinical practice, administration, and policy development. Presently, Dr. Bornemann serves as the director of The Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, a position he has held since 2002.

2017-04-12

RBRL391GDC-011

33 minutes