News Clips
Mental Health Colorado endorses bill to help those at risk of institutionalization
By: Kara Rowland
March 30, 2019
Mental Health Colorado today endorsed legislation that would alleviate the strain on jails and other institutions by ensuring the state’s community behavioral health safety net system adequately serves the needs of all Coloradans. SB19-222 would establish safeguards so that those with serious mental health and substance use disorders, including co-occurring conditions, cannot be refused care.
The bill represents a critical step in addressing Colorado’s longstanding competency restoration crisis, which may cost state taxpayers ...
Legislation Would Help Address Colorado’s Mental Health Crisis
By Kara Rowland
April 2, 2019
Mental Health Colorado has endorsed legislation that would alleviate the strain on jails and other institutions by ensuring the state’s community behavioral health safety net system adequately serves the needs of all Coloradans. SB19-222 would establish safeguards so that those with serious mental health and substance use disorders, including co-occurring conditions, cannot be refused care.
The bill represents a critical step in addressing Colorado’s longstanding competency restoration crisis, which may cost state taxpayers ...
Can Poor Mental Health Reduce Life Expectancy As Much As Diabetes, Smoking?
By: Beth Leipholtz
April 1, 2019
Experts were surprised with the findings of a new report on healthy communities.
A new report says that poor mental health can have as strong an impact on life expectancy as diabetes, smoking and even a lack of physical activity.
These new findings are part of the Healthiest Communities rankings by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation.
The rankings examined almost 3,000 different communities across 81 different health-related spectrums, like nutrition, housing and educati...
Bill prioritizes mental treatment instead of jail cell
By: Charles Ashby
March 30, 2019
DENVER — The state's main leader in mental health matters is hailing a new bill introduced into the Colorado Legislature on Friday designed to get immediate treatment for people and keep them out of the criminal justice system.
The measure, SB222, calls on the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to work with managed care entities to create incentives to get mental health care providers to accept Medicaid recipients with severe behavioral health disorders.
The bill also creates a community ...
Poor mental health reduces life expectancy, says study
By: Kumasi Aaron
March 26, 2019
Douglas County in Colorado is ranked the healthiest county in the country.
The news doesn’t surprise Colorado natives Amber Jaworsky and Kristin Gibowicz, who are both yoga instructors.
They say physical activity is contagious in Douglas County.
“If you're sitting at your kitchen table looking out the window and there’s 15 people riding their bikes by and everybody is walking their dogs, you're [kind of] like, ‘Dang, I got to get my butt moving!’” says Jaworsky.
The pair says say their mental health is just ...
By law, mental health benefits are supposed to be as good as medical coverage. In practice, that’s not happening.
By: Jennifer Brown
March 27, 2019
Like most dads, John Cooke would have done anything to save his daughter.
He was lucky he had the money. To make her well, to make his teenager want to live and stop planning her suicide, Cooke and his wife would end up paying $150,000.
With each denial from the family’s insurance company, the Cookes wrote another check. When the company deemed it no longer “medically necessary” for their teenager to stay in a residential treatment center in Wisconsin, or another center in Utah, the Cookes paid out of pocket until the doctors ...
How Daughter’s Suicide Attempt Inspires Victor Mitchell’s Support of Red-Flag Bill
By: Michael Roberts
March 26, 2019
Red-flag legislation, which would create a framework for temporarily taking guns away from those considered a danger to themselves and others, is making its way through the Colorado legislature. It's already been approved by the state House of Representatives, and while a Senate vote expected yesterday, March 25, was delayed, the bill is scheduled for more floor work in the chamber beginning at 9 a.m. today.
Democrats are expected to continue supporting the idea, while Republicans have been reacting with scorn. But one ...
Columbine survivors offer support after two teen suicides in Parkland
By Alex Rose
March 24, 2019
DENVER -- The tragedy even more heartbreaking after two survivors of the Parkland Florida school shooting took their lives within days of each other, the latest happening Saturday night.
“Things like this happen, people rush to the community and they’re there but then as time goes by they slowly go away, but they need help. They don’t have resources,” said Missy Mendo with the Rebels Project.
Mendo was a Freshman at Columbine when the shooting happened nearly 20 years ago.
“Every event is just heartbreaking,” ...
Unmasked: A Masquerade Party Benefiting Mental Health Colorado – 6/22
By: Adam Wilson
March 21, 2019
Who: Mental Health Colorado
What: Unmasked
When: Saturday, June 22nd from 6p – 9p
Where: The Haven in the Pines
FOX31 and Colorado’s Own Channel 2 are proud to again support the Unmasked masquerade party benefiting Mental Health Colorado. Join anchor Deborah Takahara as she emcees this elegant evening supporting a great cause.
By attending Unmasked you will be assisting Mental Health Colorado in their mission of prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. The evening will feature ...
Victor Mitchell: Extreme risk bill is thoughtful, balanced
March 15, 2019
As a one-time state lawmaker who had an A-plus NRA rating and a former Republican candidate for governor, I'm strongly supportive of HB-1177 — a bill that would provide extreme risk protection orders to temporarily remove firearms for those in the midst of a crisis.
My perspective on this issue is personal. Our family was in constant fear of losing our eldest daughter to suicide nearly a decade ago. She was just a child of 17 years at the time. Today, she's healthy and successful.
Our family took action and removed all the firearms in our home. ...
