2018 CANDIDATE SURVEY RESULTS

At Mental Health Colorado, we can’t endorse candidates. But we can ask them where they stand—and that’s exactly what we did. Last month, we posed eight questions to the candidates running for the state legislature and for governor. We chose these questions because they touch the lives of every family in Colorado. We have assembled an ambitious agenda to address the prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

More than 100 candidates—a majority of those running—chose to respond. Most agreed on the issues:

• 94 percent supported increasing the availability of mental health services in schools and early childhood settings.
• 95 percent supported additional funding for follow-up care for individuals after a suicide attempt or an overdose.
• 84 percent supported extreme risk protection orders or “red flag” laws.
• 86 percent supported strengthening laws and transparency requirements compelling insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders that is equal to the coverage provided for a physical illness.
• 82 percent supported strengthening requirements that insurance companies have enough mental health and substance use professionals to guarantee their policyholders a choice of providers.
• 88 percent supported requirements that hospitals and other providers report information on treatment availability to help individuals, hospitals, and law enforcement locate available treatment for people in crisis.
• 88 percent supported providing state funds to expand capacity for mental health and substance use treatment in underserved areas of the state.
• 83 percent supported additional state investments in affordable housing with supportive services for people with mental health or substance use disorders.

We’ve listed the districts on this year’s ballot. The candidates who didn’t respond are shown in orange with their contact information. If your candidate didn’t respond, please encourage him or her to fill out our survey; ballots hit the mail next week.

Ten Colorado counties and school districts put mental health on the ballot.