If you have a mental illness or you know someone who does, here are some Macon-area agencies that offer help:

• River Edge Behavioral Health Center, 175 Emery Highway, (478) 751-4518. Serves Bibb, Jones, Monroe and Twiggs counties.

• Phoenix Center Behavioral Health Services, 202 N. Davis Drive, Warner Robins, (478) 322-4000. Serves Crawford, Houston and Peach counties.

• Oconee Community Service Board, Milledgeville, (478) 445-3201. Serves Baldwin, Hancock, Jasper, Putnam, Washington and Wilkinson counties.

• CSB of Middle Georgia, 2121A Bellevue Road, Dublin, (478) 272-1190. Serves Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler and Wilcox counties.

• To contact the Region 8 Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Office in Dublin, call (478) 274-7912. The Region 8 office is in charge of planning, budgeting and oversight for 23 Middle Georgia counties served by the River Edge, Phoenix Center, Oconee CSB and CSB of Middle Georgia.

OTHER GROUPS

These nonprofit organizations provide advocacy and some services for mentally ill people and their families. Here is their contact information, to call for help or to offer financial or volunteer support: • NAMI-Georgia, the Georgia affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, lobbies on behalf of people with mental illness and their families. 3050 Presidential Drive, Suite 202, Atlanta, 30340, (800) 728-1052. Online: http://ga.nami.org/

• NAMI-Central Georgia, a nonprofit corporation, provides advocacy and services for people with mental illness and their families. Provides residences, job training and placement, and family education and support. 209 Elberta Road, Warner Robins, (478) 328-0508. Online: http://namicentralga.org/

• Georgia Advocacy Office, an independent agency that seeks to speak up for people with a variety of disabilities. 100 Crescent Center Parkway, Tucker, 30084, (800) 537-2329. Online: http://www.thegao.org/