1046 results for author: Mental Health Colorado

Rachel Zenzinger

One of the main priorities I have for mental health in my community is to increase mental health parity with physical health. I was very supportive of HB18-1357 on Behavioral Health Care Ombudsperson Parity Reports, which required compliance with mental health parity laws and helped to increase access to care. But this was just a start. We must do a better job of integrating mental health into the full continuum of health where it is not seen differently than physical health. Right now, mental health costs are significantly higher, there is a lack of insurance coverage, and we need more providers.  Another priority I have is ensuring that our ...

Passing Laws!

June 26, 2020 Colorado took meaningful steps toward healthier minds across the lifespan despite the historic, interrupted 2020 legislative session, which officially ended just last week. The reduced state revenue resulting from the pandemic inevitably had an impact on our mental health and substance use policy work—and the fact that we made progress against such strong headwinds is cheering testimony to the prominence of mental health among the priorities of elected officials in both parties. Our 2020 Legislative Report and Legislator Scorecard—hot off the press!—shows how Colorado fared on mental health this ...

David Ortiz

One of the most overlooked aspects of healthcare is mental healthcare. After surviving a catastrophic helicopter crash on deployment to Afghanistan, which left me paralyzed from the waist down, my most challenging days during rehab and recovery were not because of the physical injury but were caused by my mental health struggles. Having access to quality and affordable mental healthcare was critical to my recovery. A focal point of my work in the community is mental health. If elected, I would, first, increase the number of counselors in our schools. Second, I would also advocate for a “special forces” group of mental healthcare professionals ...

¡Aprobando leyes!

Colorado dio pasos significativos hacia mentes más saludables a través de la vida, a pesar de la histórica e interrumpida sesión legislativa de 2020, cual apenas terminó oficialmente la semana pasada. Como resultado de la pandemia, los ingresos estatales reducidos inevitablemente tuvieron un impacto en nuestro trabajo de política de la salud mental y el consumo de sustancias— y el hecho de que hayamos progresado a pesar de los fuertes vientos en contra, es un testimonio animador de la importancia de la salud mental entre las prioridades de los funcionarios electos en ambos partidos políticos.  Nuestro 2020 Legisl...

Tim McCormack

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 ...

LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health

Mental Health Colorado believes that love is love—and love is one of the best medicines we have to support health across the lifespan. We are committed to pursuing equity for all Coloradans, especially those who have historically been and currently remain neglected and oppressed—or much worse—on account of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals often face shame and discrimination, sometimes—and most painfully—within their own families. This takes a toll on their mental health and makes it difficult to access care. ...

Mark Bromley

I do support House District 34 Constituent needs for a fit state of mind and do believe in the help they can receive from qualified professionals based on empirical scientific qualifications. I believe from looking further into the website for Mental Health Colorado we are diametrically indifferent and not congruent. I discovered a devout page on your website that revealed a few partisan legislative efforts that do not address mental health and have been used to target Law Abiding people in good standings with their communities while exonerating those of a criminal drug addiction. The two house bills you oppose do need to be repealed and reconsidered. ...

LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health

Mental Health Colorado believes that love is love—and love is one of the best medicines we have to support health across the lifespan. We are committed to pursuing equity for all Coloradans, especially those who have historically been and currently remain neglected and oppressed—or much worse—on account of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals often face shame and discrimination, sometimes—and most painfully—within their own families. This takes a toll on their mental health and makes it difficult to ...

Tom Sullivan

Since my son Alex was murdered in the Aurora Theater massacre I have made a commitment to do what I can so that other families don’t experience what we have. A part of that is being vocal and upfront with how it has impacted us emotionally. I wear the pain of Alex’s murder every day and I share that publicly. I believe that is an important part I can play in mental health awareness. I can talk about the pain and work with others on plans to work on solutions all while being in the public eye. That fact I believe will help others know that they too can work through their pain and that they aren’t alone in their struggle. An example of someone ...

Ballot Information

What do your candidates have to say about mental health?  We asked them. Check out their answers here!**   The June 30th primary election is coming up in Colorado, and we want to make sure you have all of the information you need to VOTE. June 22nd was the last day to vote by mail to ensure your ballot arrives at the polls in time. If you haven’t already mailed in your ballot, drop it off in person by 7 pm on June 30th! Contact your county clerk and recorder for drop-off and drop-box locations. If you’re not registered to vote, it’s not too late! You may register in-person at a voter service and polling center in ...