News Clips
Mental Health Needs Growing During Coronavirus Pandemic
By: Jamie Leary
Originally appeared on CBS4
DENVER (CBS4) – Colorado hospitals have been ready for a second wave of critical coronavirus patients for months. While this has been the primary focus of health care needs, there’s another surge the industry is concerned about: mental health.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of speculation that this current coronavirus pandemic might be followed by a second wave, which is a mental health pandemic associated with prolonged isolation as well as with the various impacts on our economy that this is having,” said ...
COVID-19’s toll on mental health: Aspen and state experts discuss pandemic’s effect on our collective psyche
May 3, 2020
By: Andre Salvail
Originally appeared in the Aspen Daily News
Mental health professionals from Denver to Glenwood Springs to Aspen say there was a slowdown in the demand for therapy just after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis seven weeks ago.
But, they also point out, demand began rising in April, and even busier times may lie just around the corner for counselors as local governments lift stay-at-home restrictions, more businesses reopen and individuals attempt to navigate their way through the uncertain landscape of a “new normal” way of life ...
‘Prolonged Uncertainty’ Continues For Coloradans As Mental Health Awareness Month Kicks Off During Coronavirus Pandemic
May 1, 2020
By: Mekialaya White
Originally appeared in CBS Denver
DENVER (CBS4) – It’s been nearly two months since the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Colorado, and the current crisis is affecting daily life in profound ways. It’s taking its toll on mental health, and state leaders want to illuminate the topic so Coloradans know they’re not alone in their fight.
On Friday at noon, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, Mental Health Colorado President & CEO Vincent Atchity, state Rep. Lois Landgraf and state Sen. Pete ...
Colorado Edition: Through A Screen
By: KUNC
On Colorado Edition: why nursing homes are so susceptible to COVID-19. Plus, we’ll get tips for maintaining mental health during challenging times. We’ll also look at how online learning works for English as a second language students, why museums are making collections available virtually, and we'll get some advice about how to start watching Alfred Hitchcock films.
LISTEN HERE
Mental Health Colorado Expands its Focus on Criminal Justice
Originally appeared in the Pagosa Daily Post
Apr 17, 2020 | Education/Health
Jails and prisons have become the largest mental health facilities in the U.S. It’s a painful intersection that The Equitas Project has worked to disentangle since its founding by the David and Laura Merage Foundation in 2013. As of April 16, The Equitas Project is part of Mental Health Colorado, the state’s leading advocate for mental health, under the leadership of President and CEO Vincent Atchity.
Through their foundation, David and Laura Merage launched The Equitas ...
Mental health is the next coronavirus wave
April 5, 2020
By: Joey Bunch
The cost of the pandemic that can’t be calculated is the mental illness toll.
While policymakers and the private sector sort out the debris of the global coronavirus tragedy, the mental health of many will factor heavily into the losses, as certainly as a washed-out bridge in a flood.
When this gets sorted out, you can count on the influence of state Rep. Jonathan Singer, a Democrat from Longmont, a social worker by training and a man I know to be of remarkable compassion and character. He is hosting a series of weekly webinars on ...
The second pandemic, mental illness, could come roaring at us as the COVID-19 virus spreads
April 1, 2020
By: Pam Zubeck
Originally appeared in the Colorado Springs Indy
‘I’M SUPER STRESSED RIGHT NOW. Everything’s stressful.” That was a text message from a friend that lit up my phone on March 22. The COVID-19 virus was invading the country, and Colorado already reported nearly 600 positive cases and six deaths.
Things would get worse in the days to come.
But already people were grasping for ways to anchor their psyches in a time when everything is out of whack. Many fled their offices to work from home. Schools were dismissed. Events ...
COVID-19: Mental health and physical health are not two separate things
By: Vincent Atchity
Statement appeared in the Pagosa Sun
Mental Health Colorado President and CEO Vincent Atchity released the following statement:
If you’ve ever doubted that mental health and physical health are closely related, you’re probably not so doubtful anymore.
As we learn about more cases of COVID-19 and all the measures that are being taken all over the world, you may find yourself growing increasingly anxious. Our mental health and physical health are not two separate things.
Some anxiety is normal, especially in times like these. But we need ...
Mental health care in Colorado has gone virtual thanks to coronavirus. For some patients, it’s long overdue.
March 30, 2020
By: Jennifer Brown
Community mental health clinics are still open during the pandemic, but therapists are meeting with clients in privacy-protected online sessions.
eby Williamson used to take note of her clients’ body language and the vibe that filled the room when they came to see her for mental health therapy. That’s not happening now, since she meets them via computer.
Williamson, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Colorado Springs, is one of thousands of mental health professionals in Colorado who have switched to ...
ESSAY: Don’t Let Anxiety Get the Best of You
March 30, 2020
Posted By: The Pagosa Daily Post
Author: Vincent Atchity
If you’ve ever doubted that mental health and physical health are closely related, you’re probably not so doubtful anymore.
As we learn about more cases of COVID-19 and all the measures that are being taken all over the world, you may find yourself growing increasingly anxious. Our mental health and physical health are not two separate things.
Some anxiety is normal, especially in times like these. But we need to be careful not to let our anxiety get the better of us. Our anxiety has ...
