We are so excited to welcome two new staff members to our family here at Children First!

Brittany Siewe and Courtney Thurston are joining the team as CASA Advocacy Coordinators and we can't wait to see what their individual passions and expertise bring to our CASA program. 

Get to know Brittany and Courtney a little bit below: 

Brittany Siewe
Brittany is passionate about making advances in racial, social, and economic equity.  Prior to joining Children's First, she was involved in fields focused on advocacy and social justice, including serving as an Election Fellow with RESULTS Educational Fund where she educated members of Congress on key RESULTS global policy issues, including maternal and child health, and access to education.  Brittany holds a B.A. from Hampton University, and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. When she isn't working, Brittany enjoys traveling, volunteering and spending time with her husband. 

​Courtney Thurston
Courtney is driven by the desire to give parents, caregivers & communities all the tools and support necessary in order to provide children with the opportunity to thrive in healthy and positive environments. 

Courtney has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Florida and a Master's of Social Work from UGA and has worked in the field of Child Welfare in various capacities, including Operations & Therapeutic Caregiving at the Child Abuse Prevention Center in San Francisco, an MSW internship with the CEASE law clinic in Athens, as well as Foster care case management with Barrow DFCS. Outside of work, Courtney finds joy in music, being outdoors, traveling, exploring new places and spending time with loved ones.

We hope you'll join us in giving a warm welcome to these two brilliant women! Happy to have you joining the family, Brittany and Courtney! 

 Bills That Passed

• HB 272, introduced by Mandi Ballinger, the chairman of the House’s Juvenile Justice committee, proposed raising the juvenile court jurisdiction age from 17 to 18. This means that any individual under the age of 18 who commits a crime (with certain obvious exceptions) will be tried in juvenile court. This change extends some grace specifically to 17 year olds allowing their cases to be heard in Juvenile Court and for them to be tried in a way that doesn’t give them a permanent record. The bill passed 113 to 51 in the House Chamber and is going to the Senate Chamber to be further reviewed. 
• HB 163, a bill introduced by the House’s Health and Human Services committee, sets out to streamline the process of enrolling individuals in Medicaid, with specific emphasis put on enrolling (and renewing) eligible children in Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids. The streamlining would be based off of applications for Georgia’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and would cut out any additional steps needed in order for children to receive the assistance they need. The bill passed 166 to 14 in the House Chamber and is going to the Senate Chamber to be further reviewed. 
• HB 146, a bill introduced by the House’s Health and Human Services committee, proposes the concept of “parental leave” for eligible employees of the state. This bill would grant three weeks (or 120 total hours) of dedicated paid leave per year to individuals who a) experience the birth of their child b) welcome a foster child into their family or c) adopt a child into their family. Part of the eligibility is contingent on the amount of time worked before the “life event” occurs. This bill is open to any employee, no matter gender and/or sex. The bill passed 155-25 in the House Chamber and is going to the Senate Chamber to be further reviewed. 
• HB 307, another bill introduced by the House’s Health and Human Services committee, tackles the concept of telehealth/telemedicine, which has become a regular practice in the face of the global pandemic. Due to its accessibility, it’s likely that telehealth may stick around beyond “quarantine times” and thus, policy needed to be explored to ensure that the individuals receiving such services aren’t penalized by insurance companies. This bill does just that - lays out, in no uncertain terms, that telemedicine IS medicine and thus, insurance companies are to be required with this new bill to see it as such. This bill emphasizes that no patient is to be given unrealistic expectations in order to be covered for telemedicine, and also protects the provider - giving them the confidence that they’ll be paid by the insurance companies what they are owed. The bill passed 158-22 in the House Chamber and is going to the Senate Chamber to be further reviewed. 
• SB 80, a bill introduced by the Senate’s Insurance and Labor committee, takes a look at the way in which prior authorization is approached in regards to healthcare services. This bill seeks to increase transparency, as well as hold insurance companies accountable in the decisions they make. There are many parts to this bill with jargon that is not always the easiest to follow, however, key points of the bill include:
  
  • Requiring insurance companies to provide information regarding their prior authorization requirements    on their websites
    
  • Prohibiting prior authorizations for emergency care
    
  • Requiring full disclosures regarding prior authorizations that are denied. 
    

           Ideally, this bill would allow for individuals to feel that they have a better understanding of the insurance “side” of             their healthcare. The bill passed 50-6 in the Senate Chamber and is going to the House Chamber to be further                  reviewed. 

​The journey for the bills that passed isn’t over yet, given that they now need to pass through the other chamber before they can be signed into law by the governor. Through the dedication and work of advocacy organizations, lawmakers, and other stakeholders, we hope to see by March 31, a future that includes these bills and the opportunities that will come with their provisions being passed.