4 results for tag: #capacity

Bridges of Colorado: Formerly homeless, jailed vet headed home with new coping skills

July 21, 2024 By: Mary Shinn Mental Health Colorado President and CEO Vincent Atchity said his organization supported the new program that will help people leave the justice system and focus on their mental well-being. He expects it will help those facing charges such as trespassing, public nuisance and other lower-level crimes, and free up the court system for those who have committed more egregious crimes. “There's a significant chunk of the population with the lower charges, that can just be steered away from the pursuit of prosecution,” he said. Ultimately, Mental Health Colorado would like to see far more mental health ...

Colorado leaders launch website this week to help improve the state’s mental health system

July 3, 2024 By: Tatiana Flowers The Behavioral Health Administration will host public conversations in the coming months to help people learn to use the tool. Those dates will be published on the Behavioral Health Administration’s calendar soon. “It’s important for a public system to have this kind of visibility to show how it’s improving access for people,” Atchity said. “And for our purposes, as advocates, it’s handy — if we can trust this to be thorough and comprehensive.” Mental Health Colorado leaders recently released Know Your Rights information for Coloradans who need mental health and substance use services....

Report: Colorado suicide, mental health crisis lifeline system needs more work

July 1, 2024 By: Eric Galatas Two years after the National 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was introduced, a new report by the group Inseparable says Colorado and other states have work to do in order to fully staff call centers and connect people with the care they need when they need it most. Colorado is answering just 75 percent of 988 calls, and lacks critical resources including care providers, beds and other facilities. Vincent Atchity - CEO of Mental Health Colorado - said like many other states, Colorado is experiencing a workforce shortage. "Those people don't grow on trees," said Atchity. "So it is difficult to create a system ...

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 there just because they have a mental health condition.” The state has poured ...