News Clips
Prisons are housing mental health patients who’ve committed no crimes
By: Julianne Hill
January 2019
Photo by Benjavisa/Getty Images
Andrew Butler was a popular kid at Hollis Brookline High School in New Hampshire, an honors student who was captain of the football and wrestling teams.
Then, during college, Andrew tore his leg muscles, making even walking to class difficult. He started struggling with depression, and after talking with his dad, he decided to take time off from his chemical engineering studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.
One weekend in July 2017, Andrew went camping in Vermont with ...
When you die by suicide, you don’t end your pain — you transfer it
December 30, 2018
By: Andrew Romanoff
On the third Tuesday of each month, Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village hosts a meeting that no one wants to attend.
I visited the church in October, shortly after dusk. A sign pointed me to a meeting room in the back of the building, at the end of a dark hallway.
Inside the room, two dozen women and men sat quietly around a conference table. They each introduced themselves and then shared the names of their children — a son or a daughter who had died by suicide.
When my turn came, I talked about my cousin ...
Colorado attorney general grants $800,000 for mental health toolkits in classrooms
December 21, 2018
By: Byron Reed
View full story on 9News.
Mental Health Colorado is the state’s leading advocate for the prevention and treatment of mental health.
Back in May, it launched the School Mental Health Kit, which is aimed at bringing awareness to classrooms, like Andrew Romanoff, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
Photo by KUSA
“Suicide has become the leading cause of death among adolescents in Colorado,” Romanoff said. “We’re losing more than 1,100 people -- including 80 children -- to suicide ...
RED FLAG REDEMPTION
By: Kara Mason and Quincy Snowdon
Dec. 1, 2018
Even with notable Republican support, a divided Colorado legislature couldn’t put a “red flag” bill on Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk in 2018. But this upcoming session, with complete control of the House, Senate and governor’s seat, it’s near-certain the gun measure will be back and face little resistance following the state’s “blue wave” of elected Democrats.
Last year, lawmakers attempted to make Colorado the ninth state in the country to enact so-called “red flag” legislation, which ...
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL A BIG STEP FOR WELLNESS
By: The Daily Sentinel
Dec. 4, 2018
With the opening of an expanded in-patient psychiatric care facility in Grand Junction that will double its capacity to serve patients, the Western Slope is making its biggest gain yet in fixing an imbalance of health-care services.
The Grand Valley has an impressive history of collaboration to improve access to primary and specialty care. That's great for keeping people physically healthy. But the valley didn't even have a psychiatric hospital in western Colorado before Mind Springs opened West Springs Hospital in ...
ED BOARD DISCUSSES MENTAL HEALTH, ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS
By: Tyler Pialet
Nov. 28, 2018
The Estes Park School Board of Education received a special presentation from a mental health clinician and discussed reports from the school board and administration during their regular work meeting on Monday night.
Hannah Heckerson is taking on a new position within the Estes Park School District as a mental health clinician. Her position is under the umbrella of the social and emotional professional learning community. During the meeting, she presented what she called a "School Mental Health Toolkit" to the ...
SUCCESSFUL LOCAL TAX MEASURES ARE UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES
By: John Daley
November 19, 2018
Near the foothills of Larimer County, Laurie Stolen, the county’s Behavioral Health Project Director, points to a large, undeveloped parcel.
“The county owns like 320 acres right here on this plot of land,” she said.
This is where Larimer County will build a new $25 million treatment and detox facility. It became possible after voters passed a quarter-cent sales tax hike that raises $15 million a year. Stolen said that will pay for the building and a variety of services.
“I absolutely think that this will save lives,” ...
COLORADO TAKES STEPS TO COMBAT HIGH YOUTH SUICIDE RATE
November 19, 2018
By: Ali Budner, Mountain West New Bureau
A 9-year-old boy in Colorado took his own life during the first week of school this year. The tragedy highlighted a pervasive problem in the state — the high suicide rate among youth. As Ali Budner (@ali_budner) of the Mountain West News Bureau reports, the state has just set aside funding for better mental health resources in schools.
Originally appeared on Here & Now.
ANDREW ROMANOFF: MENTAL ILLNESS TREATABLE
By: Carie Canterbury
November 16, 2018
Andrew Romanoff went from running the Colorado House of Representatives to leading Mental Health Colorado, spearheading a fight to tackle mental illness and to tear down barriers that prevent people from getting the help that they need.
Romanoff, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, a nonprofit advocacy organization, served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009 and as Speaker of the House from 2005 to 2009.
He talked about mending mental health and obstacles we face as a ...
EAGLE COUNTY LEADS STATEWIDE MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING TREND
By: Pam Boyd
November 18, 2018
EAGLE COUNTY — When Eagle County voters approved a 2017 ballot measure instituting sales and excise taxes on marijuana products with the proceeds dedicated to mental health services, they may have started a movement in Colorado.
This fall, 10 counties across the state passed measures to improve mental health services in their communities.
"We had a few organizations give us a call about community engagement," said Eagle County Public Health Director Chris Lindley. "Seeing our success the year before made them more confident."
Aubree ...
