Blog
AND THE WINNER IS…
June 21, 2018
Let’s say you’re running for governor. The primary is Tuesday, so you have just a few days left to make your case.
Here’s what we want to know: What will you do to improve Colorado’s mental health?
That’s the question we put to nine gubernatorial candidates earlier this year. Watch the full debate or a four-minute recap at mentalhealthcolorado.org/governor2018.
Most of the candidates said they wanted to boost mental health care. They differed when asked how they would pay for it, what steps they would take to address drug and alcohol ...
EVERY SCHOOL, EVERY STUDENT
May 17, 2018
Quick quiz: Which state ranks 48th in youth mental health? Here’s a hint: You live there.
Each year, an estimated 200,000 students in Colorado experience a mental health or substance use disorder; most go without the care they need.
The result: increased truancy, dropouts, suspensions, expulsions—and one of the highest suicide rates in the country.
We can do better, not only by recognizing and treating mental illness but by taking steps to strengthen every student’s mental health. That’s why Mental Health Colorado is releasing a new sch...
GOING, GOING…
May 10, 2018
One hundred and twenty days after they began, state lawmakers wrapped up their annual session last night. What do we have to show for it?
When it comes to mental health care, quite a bit.
We championed more than a dozen bills, almost all of which are now on their way to the governor’s desk. Among our top priorities: helping Coloradans navigate the insurance system (HB 1357); secure treatment and housing in the wake of a mental health crisis (SB 270); receive residential or inpatient care for substance use disorders (HB 1136); and obtain mental ...
SURVEY: BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS SYSTEM
The Crisis Steering Committee provides recommendations to the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) on how to improve and enhance the State’s behavioral health crisis system. Behavioral health includes both mental health conditions and substance use disorder. By taking this survey, you will help the committee identify system efficiencies that will improve response in all communities.
The Committee would like to solicit input from people who are using or have used the mental health and/or substance use system. This survey will be open until Friday, May 25th. ...
LEADERSHIP
May 2, 2018
What happens to a politician who bucks his party? If you’re the Assistant House Minority Leader, it doesn’t end well.
Full disclosure: I’ve known Cole Wist for nearly 25 years, and I’m glad to call him a friend. That's why I was sad and angry to see him denounced as a traitor and threatened with demotion.
Cole’s offense? Sponsoring House Bill 18-1436.
The bill would allow law enforcement officers to remove guns temporarily from the homes of individuals who pose a significant danger to themselves or others. Reps. Wist (R-Centennial) and ...
NOW
April 30, 2018
Colorado won’t be the first state to enact a “red flag” law, but we can make it the next.
Reps. Alec Garnett (D-Denver) and Cole Wist (R-Centennial) just introduced House Bill 18-1436. The bill would allow law enforcement officers to remove guns temporarily from the homes of people who pose a significant danger to themselves or others.
Nine other states have authorized extreme risk protection orders, and the results are encouraging. Connecticut prevented one suicide for every 10 guns removed.
HB 1436 faces its first hearing in the House ...
TRAPPED
April 26, 2018
You’re in the midst of a mental health emergency. You’re held for evaluation and treatment. Seventy-two hours pass.
Now you’re on your own.
For thousands of Coloradans, a crisis doesn’t always lead to care. That’s why we wrote Senate Bill 18-270.
The bill, sponsored by Sens. Cheri Jahn (U-Wheat Ridge) and Tim Neville (R-Littleton) and Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) and Cole Wist (R-Centennial), would help individuals with severe mental health or substance use disorders get treatment, housing and support. Without assistance, ...
Help us all
April 18, 2018
Jill Conner’s two daughters struggled with drug addiction. Both also had insurance coverage, but that’s where the similarities end.
Jill’s older daughter couldn’t find a treatment facility that would accept her insurance. Three days before her 27th birthday, she overdosed on fentanyl and died in her parents’ home.
Her younger sister found care—at a facility in Utah. She is now two years in recovery.
Jill shared her children’s stories, and her support for House Bill 18-1357, with the state legislature yesterday. The bill would ...
Countdown
April 11, 2018
Four weeks.
That’s all the time we have left before this year’s legislative session ends. But it’s enough time to pass a “red flag” law.
These laws create extreme risk protection orders, allowing guns to be temporarily removed from the homes of people who pose a significant danger to themselves or others. Six states have now enacted such laws; Colorado has not.
We’re urging lawmakers to introduce and pass this measure before time runs out. Please ask your state representative and your state senator to sign on today.
Extreme risk ...
OLDER BRAIN CELLS CAN CREATE NEW CELLS TOO
By Amy Norton, WebMD
THURSDAY, April 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to popular thought, older adults' brains can churn out just as many new cells as younger brains do, a new study suggests.
Using autopsied brain tissue, researchers found that healthy older adults had the same capacity to create new cells in the brain's hippocampus region as young adults did.
The hippocampus is involved in regulating memory and emotions, and it typically shrinks in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
The new findings give a snapshot ...
