1046 results for author: Mental Health Colorado

Monica Duran

I previously served on the Board of Directors for the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, where I was dedicated to serving all in need. Our mission was to improve the lives and to strengthen our communities by providing essential mental health needs, along with other related services for individuals and families on the road to support recovery. My work as a board member was to increase access to health care, meaningful employment, childcare, and education, so our vulnerable communities have the opportunity to thrive and be healthy. Healthy communities are fostered by strong healthy families, which produce healthy individuals. I believe mental health ...

Opinion: Addressing racism is a mental health priority

By: Vincent Atchity, President & CEO, Mental Health Colorado Appeared in the Steamboat Pilot and Today "I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence ― it’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have lower quality care; in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of ...

Addressing racism is a mental health priority

By: Vincent Atchity, President & CEO, Mental Health Colorado Appeared in the Boulder Weekly “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin  In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence. It’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have lower quality care; in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color ...

Mental Health Colorado compiles 2020 legislative report

Originally appeared in the State of Reform By: Michael Goldberg Mental Health Colorado – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to promote mental wellness and ensure equitable access to mental health and substance use care – compiled a legislative report for the 2020 session. The 2020 legislative session was thrown off course by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing lawmakers to adjourn in March. When lawmakers returned at the end of May, they were forced to shelve many pieces of legislation in favor of addressing the immediate impacts of the pandemic, such as shoring up the public health system and budgeting for revenue shortfalls. ...

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Mental Health Month

Addressing racism is a mental health priority. The systemic inequities that permeate all our lives prevent any of us from achieving healthier minds—and they cannot be ignored. Join us for the virtual event, where you'll hear from Dr. Apryl Alexander, D.U. Graduate School of Professional Psychology; Jason Vitello, Denver Public Health; and Neva Martinez-Ortega, Servicios de La Raza. Some questions our speakers will discuss include: How do systemic racism and cultural incompetence within systems of care affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color? What barriers prevent access to care and support for Black, Indigenous, and ...

Mes de la Salud Mental Negra, Indígena, y de Gente de Color

Únase con nosotros para un seminario web el 23 de Julia a las 12pm.   Abordar el racismo es una prioridad de salud mental. Las inequidades sistémicas que impregnan toda nuestra vida nos impiden a cualquiera lograr mentes más saludables – y no pueden ser ignoradas.   Únase con nosotros para este evento virtual, donde escuchara de la Dra. Apryl Alexander, Profesora de D.U. de la Escuela Graduada de Psicología Profesional; Jason Vitello, Salud Pública de Denver; y Neva Martinez-Ortega, Servicios de La Raza.                    Algunas preguntas que discutirán nuestro...

5 Things Colorado: Rep. Emily Sirota, Medicaid wave?, Convening Panel

Originally appeared in the State of Reform By: DJ Wilson We are about to start getting our band back together…! Meaning, it’ll soon be time to pull together our Convening Panel ahead of our 2020 Colorado State of Reform Virtual Health Policy Conference! The conference, held each year in October, will be a chance to reconnect with senior market executives and health policy leaders, yet will do so in the safety of a virtual setting. If you have suggestions on topics for this year’s Convening Panel, or if you’d like to participate in the process, I’d welcome hearing from you. We can get you in the mix! 1. Q&A: Rep. Emily Sirota...

OPINION: Addressing Racism is a Mental Health Imperative

Appeared in the Pagosa Daily Post By Vincent Atchity “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” – James Baldwin Vincent Atchity In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence ― it’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have lower quality care; in a country where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color experience discri...

Amy Padden

It is far past time that we treat mental illness like a medical condition, which it is.  We need to stop stigmatizing and criminalizing mental health issues.  For far too long, we’ve been focused on punishing behavior rather than identifying causes and treating those in a sensible way. One of my top priorities as the next District Attorney is to ensure that we have a robust diversion program, similar to the one that I set up and ran in another district.  Rather than seeking prison sentences for non-violent felony cases, we took those who had been charged with those crimes and connected them with mental health resources in the community (which ...

Chris Kennedy

I believe our mental health infrastructure in Colorado needs to be dramatically improved. I've supported strengthening our mental health parity laws, requiring better insurance and Medicaid coverage of mental health care, integration of physical and behavioral health care systems, and better mental health care in our schools. As a member of the Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Interim Study Committee for the last three summers, I've sponsored numerous bills to improve prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery systems, as well as addressing substance use issues in the criminal justice system.