8 results for tag: #crisis
Larimer County’s mental health center lays off 75 people, blames rise in uninsured and Medicaid reform
August 8, 2024
By: Jennifer Brown
It’s hardly surprising that safety-net mental health centers are feeling the loss of Medicaid coverage for 600,000 Coloradans in the span of about a year, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
“It’s an earthquake that takes a segment out of a highway,” he said. “It’s a crisis for sure.”
Atchity, who advocated for payment reform and more transparency in public spending on community mental health centers, said it’s likely there is “some seismic shifting that occurs when a system is flipping itself as much as this.”
But it’s unclear this early on in the ...
Motel Owners Sue Greenwood Village Over Ordinance That Limits Homeless Motel Stays
August 5, 2024
By: Bennito L Kelty
In March 2020, John Jackson, the Greenwood Village city manager, sent Bharucha a letter warning that she was violating the ordinance because her motel isn't a medical facility, according to the lawsuit. Jackson also called on then-Denver Mayor Michael Hancock to cancel the partnership with CCH, "and the partnership was canceled," the lawsuit notes.
A month later, Bharucha formed a new partnership with SAFER, an initiative supported by Mental Health Colorado, to offer 23 rooms at her motel for two years as a temporary shelter for people suffering from mental health problems or drug addiction.
Greenwood ...
Climate change is exacerbating Colorado’s mental health crisis. We need leaders who will tackle it head-on.
July 31, 2024
By: Vincent Atchity
Of course, a central part of the solution to eco-anxiety lies in desperately needed policy change. That means bolstering environmental protections at the federal, state and local level. The best treatment for eco-anxiety is collective action around climate and commitment from those in power to prioritize this issue before it’s too late.
We can’t wait, however, for policy changes to come about before helping Coloradans who experience eco-anxiety. We must acknowledge and validate these feelings among our friends and neighbors, and mental health providers must be prepared to help clients navigate these ...
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 ...
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 care is an unacceptable tragedy,” he said. “Not only are their rights being ...
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 centers and outreach programs that send mental health professionals out with RTD ...
