14 results for tag: #cost
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 ...
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 avoid waiting in jail for their charges to be resolved.
People who can afford ...
“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. Offering wraparound services where people live increases the odds they’ll agree ...
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 Politics
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 Atchity, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, said in a statement. “Pol...
Coloradans with Medicaid and serious mental illness could soon receive better care at certain facilities
March 18, 2024
By: Tatiana Flowers
The IMD policy was passed during the deinstitutionalization movement and the goal was to get people out of asylums and back into their communities while also increasing availability of publicly funded, community-based mental health services.
“The thought was, states would be less likely to institutionalize people with serious mental health conditions, if the federal government wouldn’t pay for long lengths of stay and would instead pay for services in the community, which was wonderful,” said Lauren Snyder, vice president of government affairs for Mental Health Colorado, which is part of a coalition ...
Some of the 1,400 patients of a Western Slope clinic are still struggling to find care a month after its abrupt closure
March 13, 2024
By: Tatiana Flowers
Mental health experts said they understand state leaders needed to shut down the clinic to ensure patient safety. But the national behavioral health crisis is making it difficult for some former Integrated clients to find competent care, especially in rural areas, where mental health care options are scarce and the distance between medical offices is vast.
But when a clinic shutters in a small, rural community, that’s an emergency too, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
Patients can lose access to their medications, they can face long wait times while trying to access new ...
Oregon psilocybin facilitators share their experiences with professionals preparing for rollout of mushroom distribution in Colorado
March 13, 2024
By: Shane Ersland
The meeting was the third part of an ongoing webinar series hosted by Mental Health Colorado and the Healing Advocacy Fund to discuss the impact of psilocybin legalization in the state. Nearly 1.3 million residents voted affirmatively for Proposition 122 in 2022, making Colorado the second state in the nation to approve a state-regulated program for legal access to psilocybin therapies.
Ashley Perales, partnerships and development manager for Mental Health Colorado, said the organization is dedicated to promoting mental health and well-being, and believes in exploring all avenues that show promise in allevia...
Eating disorder survivors say new law is needed to establish standards of care
February 29, 2024
By: Carly Moore
Vincent Atchity with Mental Health Colorado said this bill would put in place standards of care for eating disorder treatment programs.
"Until now, there had been no such thing as formalized standards of care in those settings," Atchity said. “And the testimony on the part of consumers of eating disordered care is sort of hair-raising when it comes to the kind of experiences that folks have had in those settings. And that’s what has really motivated this work to bring this bill about that Senator Lisa Cutter has sponsored.”
Read the full article in 9News
Bill aims to improve regulations at Colorado eating disorder care centers
February 29, 2024
By: Carly Moore
"We are grateful to Colorado legislators for prioritizing compassionate, culturally-competent and gender-affirming care for all patients seeking treatment for an eating disorder, one of the most prevalent and deadly mental health conditions. When the treatment is worse than the illness, we know we will not see the positive outcomes our communities and patients need. This legislation is an important step forward to put more Coloradans on the path to recovery." - Vincent Atchity
Read the full article in KDVR
