1046 results for author: Mental Health Colorado

Webinars explore mental-health implications of COVID

By: BizWest Originally appeared in Biz West While the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated physical and economic health throughout the nation, it is likely also having an impact on mental health. A two-part series of webinars called Life Interrupted will examine those implications with its first segment Thursday, June 25, at 9 a.m. and the concluding segment on Thursday, July 9, also at 9 a.m. We are living in a stressful time with worries about our health, the health of our loved ones, our jobs, the economy and whether the healthcare system is prepared to handle the pandemic. That’s on top the stress we experience in “normal” times like ...

LEGISLATURE 2020 | Mental health advocates laud statehouse successes in trying times

By: Joey Bunch Originally appeared in Colorado Politics Read the whole story.

Mary Young

As a lifelong public educator supporting the mental health needs of students and their families first as a special education teacher and then as a school psychologist, one of my primary reasons for running for the legislature was to increase access for all Coloradoans to behavioral health care.  The pandemic has highlighted the need for ongoing increased access to behavioral health services. People need parity between their physical and behavioral health care.   One of the effects of the pandemic is that there is a greater recognition of these needs. As a school psychologist I was fortunate for many years to work in a model of delivering behavioral ...

Will the candidates on your ballot get this right?

Mental health matters to you. It ought to matter to your elected officials. At Mental Health Colorado, we can’t endorse candidates. But we can ask them where they stand. We want all Colorado voters to be confident that their leaders will guide us in the right direction when it comes to mental health. We asked candidates running for the state legislature, board of education, and district attorney what priorities they have in order to support the mental health of the population they seek to represent. We’ve created a platform for you to learn more about each candidate. Every candidate should have mental health on their minds. ...

Alexis King

The role of the District Attorney with respect to mental illness is to divert, wherever possible, those with mental illness from the criminal justice system.  Our healthcare system is woefully under-equipped to adequately address this healthcare issue. I support the development and expansion of highly successful co-responder programs to place mental health professionals with police responders, so that folks who can safely be managed with a healthcare response are.  For those who commit criminal offenses, I also support the expansion of adult pre-file diversion so that we keep folks for whom we can safely intervene with a healthcare response “off ...

Linda Stanley

My name is Linda Stanley and I am running for District Attorney in the 11th Judicial District (Fremont, Park, Custer, and Chaffee counties). As a prosecutor and former police officer, I have always tried to seek justice with compassion.  For someone that breaks the law, it is my job to prosecute but not necessarily to punish.  I always try to do what's right for all involved including the accused and the victim, while still maintaining public safety. There are consequences for actions, but I have found on many occasions that mental illness and/or the lack of resources for diagnosis and treatment has unfortunately resulted in the criminal ...

Dr. Karen McCormick

Society must address our whole health needs, which mean easier access to both physical and mental health systems. The access and benefits must have parity. Colorado needs better statewide coordination of mental health, physical health, and our criminal justice systems. To better serve those in the public dealing with mental health issues and substance use, we need to build out our mental health care system and shift this care away from law enforcement. Those in law enforcement are not adequately trained to help folks in crisis. Having this be a criminal justice issue is expensive and woefully ineffective. Shifting the care to social services makes ...

Andres Pico

I consider mental health to be a priority and a state responsibility to work closely with county and local municipalities to ensure access to mental health care is available. In years past, the state operated a network of state mental health hospitals to handle those with severe cases.  The state funding and operations have been cut over the years to where essentially only judicial referrals for those with criminal cases can be accommodated. Others are handled through private hospitals or end up homeless or in county jails, which have become de facto mental health facilities.  This has moved the responsibility and cost to local municipalities and ...

Kyra D. Storojev

Mental health is one of cornerstones of my platform of Common Sense for the Common Good. Growing up my mother suffered from depression episodes where she would stay in her room for days and I had to help take care of her, so I understand firsthand what it can look like. Underlying reasons for depression are the key to unlocking a person from this. I didn't know as a child, but now I understand that we need programs that address those issues and they start from early childhood on. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24, adults alike suffer from mental health issues and they need to be addressed. Here are ...

Galina Nicoll

Mental health and wellbeing are not just buzzwords to me; these are my work. An educator, a mother, and an advocate of equitable change in accessibility of mental health, I actively nurture it. As a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Trained Teacher and a Contemplative Neuroscience educator, I work to expand mental health programs in our educational institutions, social support organizations and law-enforcement. I support recent legislation put forth by Rep. Singer to expand services for persons with behavioral, mental health and substance disorders. I host weekly open meditation hours at Global Residential Academic Program at CU-Boulder. I publish ...