1041 results for author: Mental Health Colorado

‘Maybe You Should Pay Them More’: Insurance Not Compensating Mental Health Providers

By Stan Bush DENVER (CBS4)– Mental health care advocates are blaming insurance companies for an alarming gap in service, according to a study. The survey, conducted by Mental Health America and The Kennedy Forum, concludes that mental health patients are forced to look for care outside of their insurance network seven times more than physical care patients. Andrew Romanoff, CEO for Mental Health Colorado blames insurers for not compensating mental health providers, estimates to be 40 percent less than their counterparts in physical care. “We said ‘Maybe you should pay them more. You’re not victims of this market, ...

Study reveals mental health care providers are hard to find in Colorado

Anastasiya Bolton, KUSA November 30, 2017 DENVER - Results of a national study released Thursday revealed mental health care providers are difficult to find, hard to pay for and often make less than other physicians. The study was sponsored by Mental Health Colorado’s national organization Mental Health America, The Kennedy Forum, and other large mental health and substance use organizations. "The study shows that mental health providers aren’t making as much as other health care providers and as a result,” said Andrew Romanoff, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “Consumers are faced with very few options. They have ...

Breaking news

November 30, 2017 Need mental health care? Got insurance? A new report says it’s not that simple. The report shows that Coloradans are going out of network seven times as often for mental health care as for physical care. And one reason mental health professionals are so scarce: they’re making 40 percent less than other health care providers. These disparities aren’t just alarming. They may be illegal. We worked hard to pass laws requiring mental health parity. Now we’re asking you to help us enforce them. Educating consumers. Eradicating stigma. Expanding treatment. Everything we do at Mental Health Colorado depends on ...

If Your Insurer Covers Few Therapists, Is That Really Mental Health Parity?

By Jenny Gold | NOVEMBER 30, 2017 It’s been nearly a decade since Congress passed the mental health parity act, with its promise to make mental health and substance abuse treatment just as easy to get as care for any other condition. Yet today, in the midst of the opioid epidemic and a spike in the rate of suicide, patients still struggle to access treatment. That’s the conclusion of a report published Thursday by Milliman Inc., a national risk management and health care consulting company. The report was released by a coalition of mental health and addiction advocacy organizations. Among the findings: In 2015, behavioral care ...

I made it out alive

November 27, 2017 “I didn’t understand why I felt so empty inside.” Lea’s story begins with her father. He struggled with depression and died by suicide when she was nine years old. Devastated, Lea turned to alcohol, drugs, and self-harm. But with therapy and support, she says, “I made it out alive. Too many Coloradans don’t. More than 1,000 die by suicide every year. The good news: You can make a difference. Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 5, but you can schedule your tax-deductible donation right now. Lea and survivors like her are living proof that mental health care works. To make such care available to more Coloradans, ...

New mental health tool to help communities

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) -- One local non-profit group is making it easier to find mental health statistics in your community. Mental Health Colorado created the data dashboard. You can select your county, like El Paso County. Then you can scroll over each picture to see the numbers for where you live. For example, 12 percent of residents in El Paso County reported eight or more days of poor mental health. That's higher than the state average. We sat down with the CEO to talk about how you can use this new tool. “Now we put all this data in one place so we can see how we’re doing when it comes to suicide rates, binge drinking, ...

Cross Currents: Mental Health Colorado

By CHRISTIN KAY • NOV 21, 2017 One out of every four Coloradans experience a mental health or substance use disorder every year.  That’s nearly a million of us. Today on Cross Currents, host Christin Kay speaks with Andrew Romanoff. He’s president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, a nonprofit which advocates for mental health treatment. He’s also a former speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives. We spoke about what’s being done, both across the state and locally, to improve mental health care. Listen to the interview here.

Colorado mental health data moves in wrong direction despite some promising trends

By Jack Queen More High Country residents are saying they experience at least one week of poor mental health days per month than two years ago, and the percentage who say they needed mental health care but didn't get it increased as well, according to state survey data. Despite promising trends in Summit County mental health care, including a suicide rate near a 10-year low, those figures and a host of behavioral-health-risk-factor data show there is plenty of work left to be done. "The fact that suicides are down doesn't necessarily mean people are experiencing more mental wellness," said Sarah Vaine, assistant county manager and former Summit ...

Survey Says

November 14, 2017 Can you make it to Golden, Aspen, Littleton, or Fort Collins before Thanksgiving? That’s our schedule over the next seven days. We’re crisscrossing the state to promote mental health care. But even if you can’t join us in person, you can now follow our progress—and Colorado’s—online. Our new data dashboard allows you to track key outcomes at a state and local level. Learn how your county compares to the rest of Colorado in the prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders and the availability of treatment. Our new data dashboard allows you to track key outcomes at a state and local level. Learn how ...

Group aims to boost Coloradans’ mental health

Colorado routinely makes the list as one of the physically healthiest states in the union, but a new effort by the organization Mental Health Colorado strives to make Colorado the mentally healthiest state too. The group’s president, former Colorado state Rep. Andrew Romanoff, said the new data dashboard that just launched on the group’s website offers Coloradans a chance to see where they stand in terms of mental health and substance abuse disorders. “Previously you would have had to go to several dozen sources to get all this information,” said Romanoff. The dashboard — available here — presents information including suicide ...