News Clips
‘Dance to find joy’: Mental health through movement celebrated this weekend
June 6, 2024
By: John Camponeschi
“Mindfield” was recently awarded the “What’s Your Peace” award by Mental Health Colorado. This honor is bestowed on artistic works that improve the lives of individuals throughout the state of Colorado.
On Saturday, Boulder Ballet’s Ben Needham-Wood and Sadie Brown will lead adult and youth movement classes at Steamboat Fit (385 Anglers Drive) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Needham-Wood has worked with the Boulder Ballet since 2022 as their Artistic Director. As a three-time Emmy award choreographer, Needham-Wood is a ...
The Intersection of Mental Health and Independent Publishing
June 3, 2024
By: David Dahl
"There is no over-stating the value of independent book publishing to the health of individuals, families, and communities in America and in all the human settlements around the planet that value their own and each other’s humanity and wish to thrive and prosper.Folks aren’t working in independent book publishing if they don’t already feel some strong sense of mission affinity. So that’s good. What they’re doing is vital to the principles that we like about the founding of America. In terms of believing that the first amendment is ...
Legislation aims to enhance eating disorder treatment standards statewide
May 29, 2024
By: The Sopris Sun
Over the last two years, EDF and Mental Health Colorado (MHC), a Denver-based mental health advocacy nonprofit organization, have worked together to advocate for more comprehensive and humane legislation for those affected by eating disorders.
Vincent Atchity, MHC president and CEO, said a stripped-down version of a similar bill (SB 23-176) passed in 2023. It prohibits insurance companies and treatment facilities from using a person’s BMI, or body mass index, to determine whether to cover eating disorder treatment and prohibits ...
Your complete guide to Mental Health Awareness Night and our matchup with Minnesota United
May 23, 2024
By: Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are hosting Mental Health Awareness Night this weekend, where we will provide fans with mental health resources from around the community and celebrate those who help to reduce the stigma around mental health every day. Join us on Saturday as we kick off the night with a Block Party, host a drive for mental health-related donation items and finish with a matchup against Minnesota United FC... Fans will also have the opportunity to bid on player- worn New Day Kits, featuring the special numbers designed by Pat ...
Free mental health resources in May
May 22, 2024
By: Special to the Herald Times
“At Mental Health Colorado, we work to create healthier minds across the lifespan and advocate for every Coloradan who experiences a mental health or substance use condition. The unfortunate reality is that while many Coloradans are living with health needs, they don’t always get connected with the support and resources they need to heal. We are proud to partner with the State of Colorado to raise awareness of mental health in our state and help more Coloradans access the services they need to lead happier, healthier ...
Reform of Colorado courts’ competency system on chopping block at statehouse, supporters say
April 19, 2024
By: Shelly Bradbury
Criminal prosecutions are paused while defendants go through treatment designed to restore them to competency. If a person is restored, the prosecution can proceed; if a person can’t recover, the criminal charges must be dismissed.
“Right now the highest cost of what is happening around competency is paid in human suffering,” said Lauren Snyder, vice president of government affairs at Mental Health Colorado. “That to me should be a priority for our state in making sure we are not letting people languish in jail who are ...
Tennessee should not fall for tough-on-crime rhetoric, but rather embrace bail reform
April 18, 2024
By: Vincent Atchity
Welcome back to bail reform, Tennessee – sort of. Let’s hope your experiences are less fraught than those of some other states, although your initial return to the topic raises some concerns about the eagerness some have to put people who are innocent until proven guilty behind bars. It is still desirable to minimize the use of bail, because bail is a relic of colonial times that has no place in a society that seeks justice for all.
Bail, for those unclear on what it is, is a deposit that someone who’s been arrested can pay to ...
“I don’t think she was a lost cause”: How one Colorado overdose victim fell through the cracks
April 14, 2024
By: Meg Wingerter
People who have both a mental illness and a substance-use disorder often struggle to get treatment that addresses all their needs, because most providers still primarily focus on one or the other, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. Mental health facilities often won’t admit people in active addiction, he said.
The Denver area needs more “housing first” options, which get people off the street even if they aren’t ready to stop using drugs immediately, said Atchity, of Mental Health Colorado. ...
Colorado legislators push obesity prevention bill, governor’s approval is uncertain
April 12, 2024
By: Marissa Ventrelli
Erin Harrop of Mental Health Colorado echoed Chastain's concerns with the pharmaceutical industry profiting from weight loss medications whose long-term effects have not yet been fully studied. She said the longest trial of GLP-1 medications on obese individuals lasted only two years.
"Like the opioid epidemic, the pharmaceutical industry stands to make huge profits before the long-term studies are even completed as desperate patients and well-meaning providers seek solutions," she said.
Read the full article in Colorado ...
Colorado legislators set aside $7.2 million to fund longer psychiatric hospital stays
March 29, 2024
By: Seth Klamman
Once the money’s appropriated, a waiver expanding hospital stays would need to be approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But other states have already taken similar steps, meaning approval is likely. Much of the money set aside in the state’s budget — $5 million — is federal.
“By prioritizing funding for these Coloradans to be able to get the care they need rather than be prematurely discharged, we are saving state resources in the long run and creating healthier communities,” Vincent ...
