News Clips
Housing measures, gender-identity names bills considered by legislature this week
February 26, 2024
By: Seth Klamman
Elsewhere Monday, a group of legislators and advocates unveiled HB24-1072 at a press conference in the Capitol. The bill would expand the state’s rape shield law and tighten evidentiary limits on sexual assault cases, including barring the use of a victim’s manner of dress or hairstyle as evidence of their consent.
The measure is bipartisan and is backed by a broad coalition of groups, including the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council and Mental Health Colorado. But it’s opposed by the Criminal Defense Bar, which worries ...
Fix archaic medical policy failing Coloradans with mental health needs | OPINION
February 20, 2024
By: Vincent Atchity
Many are aware Colorado is in a dire crisis of mental health, substance use and homelessness. We see every day too many of our friends, family members and neighbors are experiencing difficulties. We see we don’t have the proper supports and safeguards in place to stop people from experiencing preventable worst outcomes. What most are unaware of, however, is how outdated and seemingly benign policies perpetuate this vicious cycle in which so many Coloradans are trapped.
We’re constantly seeing tragic stories play out in our ...
For Coloradans already struggling with their budgets, the cost of mental health care is increasingly out of reach
February 9, 2024
By: Tautiana Flowers
The high cost of mental health care has long influenced who can get the care they need and who cannot, perhaps since its origin, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
When it originated, for example, psychotherapy was mostly accessible to wealthy Americans who could afford to pay hundreds of dollars per hour to those professionals, who would spend hours examining their life experiences to identify root causes of distress and discomfort, he said.
“It’s always been kind of a culture of the ...
Denver Gymnastics to Host First ‘My Ribbon, My Reason’ Meet
February 7, 2024
By: The University of Denver
The University of Denver gymnastics team will host its first "My Ribbon, My Reason" meet on Sunday, February 11, when DU competes against Iowa State and SE Missouri State in Magness Arena.
During the competition, gymnasts from all three teams will wear colored hair ribbons that represent causes that each student-athlete has identified as important to them. DU has partnered with campus and local organizations to help raise awareness for the causes that the Denver gymnasts have selected. Some organizations will be in ...
First MindFest mental wellness and health fair coming to Conifer Feb. 17
January 31, 2024
By: Jane Reuter
Eight speakers are scheduled throughout the day, talking about subjects ranging from cyberbullying to anxiety. Keynote speaker Vincent Atatchy, president of Mental Health Colorado, will talk about the definition of a mentally well community and how to create one.
Games like self-esteem bingo, a scavenger hunt and a mood jar assembly station are also on the docket, as well as raffles and swag bags.
“We all know laughter is the best medicine, so there will be a number of opportunities to be silly and laugh,” Lipson said. ...
Colorado doctors highlight patient safety and preparation as key priorities in state’s development of psilocybin therapy rules
January 29, 2024
By: Shane Ersland
Colorado is in the process of developing rules for the rollout of its psilocybin therapy program, and mental health experts highlighted some components that will factor into those decisions last week.
Mental Health Colorado and Healing Advocacy Fund will host a series of webinars about the rollout of psilocybin services in the state over the next couple months, and held the first session on Thursday.
“We know that natural medicines have been used safely for millennia by cultures for healing, and Colorado can do better to ...
Colorado has the nation’s third-longest waitlist for people charged with crimes and ordered into psychiatric treatment
January 24, 2024
By: Jennifer Brown
But private hospitals typically do not take patients who have been ordered into treatment through the criminal justice system. And private hospitals often do not take people with the most severe behavioral problems or those who cannot pay, which means state hospitals are sometimes the only option.
Mental Health Colorado president Vincent Atchity called on Colorado to “disentangle” mental health care from the criminal justice system.
“The number of people being held in Colorado jails when they should be getting health ...
Finding a nonprofit board that fits
January 3, 2024
By: Jeanne Souldern
Over the last five years as a Sopris Sun freelance reporter, I’ve written many articles on mental health. Early in my reporting, I found a steady and reliable mental health advocacy source with Mental Health Colorado, a non-governmental, nonprofit organization based in Denver that, according to their website, “advocates for every Coloradan who experiences a mental health or substance use condition each year. We engage policymakers, providers, the public, and the press to promote mental well-being, ensure equitable access to ...
Decades-old rule pushes mentally ill Coloradans out of hospitals too soon. Legislators may finally change it.
December 11, 2023
By: Seth Klammann
Barbara Vassis keeps a spreadsheet to track her daughter’s years-long journey through Colorado’s patchwork mental health system.
The sheet goes back 11 years, a third of Erin’s life. There are holes in the narrative: Her daughter is schizophrenic bipolar, Vassis said, and she’s moved around different parts of the country. Still, even incomplete, Vassis’ growing tracker provides a glimpse at the revolving doors that Erin and hundreds of other Coloradans are stuck in every year.
From April 2021 to April 2022, for ...
Two Colorado mental health centers merge, creating largest in the state
November 16, 2023
By: Jennifer Brown
Two of Colorado’s community mental health centers will merge in July, creating the largest behavioral health center in the state. WellPower, which provides mental health services and homeless outreach in Denver, is combining with Jefferson Center, the safety-net mental health organization for Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties.
Together, the two have almost 2,000 employees and serve about 48,000 people per year. The centers have mobile medication-assisted treatment for patients addicted to opioids, walk-in crisis ...
