24 results for tag: #health

Watch: The Colorado Sun discusses mental health, improving life and care

June 26, 2024 By: Tatiana Flowers Colorado Sun Equity Reporter Tatiana Flowers spoke with a panel of experts about how they see mental illness falling through the cracks, what are some solutions or ways to address the issues, and much more. Speakers included: Sandra Sharp, Vice President of National Alliance on Mental Illness Denver Frank Cornelia, MS, LPC, Deputy Executive Director of Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council Deborah Harrell, Holistic Healing Practitioner Vincent Atchity, Ph.D., President & CEO of Mental Health Colorado Chief Judge Susan Blanco, 8th Judicial District of Colorado Watch the full video ...

New commission creates statewide standards for Colorado jails

June 23, 2024 By: Zachary Dupont The commission was made up of people with varied backgrounds, including members of law enforcement, victims' rights advocates and mental health specialists. Vincent Atchity, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado, who served on the commission, discussed how the variety of backgrounds was greatly beneficial. “It's an unusual space to be in where you've got, on the one hand, the health advocates, and on the other hand the jail-commander types,” Atchity said. “I think that there was all kinds of good ground for collaborative formulation of standards that made sense to people.” Among some of ...

This Pride Month, Recognize the Importance of Supporting LGBTQ Mental Health

June 21, 2024 By: Steven Haden Pride is a time for us to celebrate Colorado’s vibrant LGBTQ+ population, empower each other, and lean into the joy that this month can bring. But at the same time, we must acknowledge the anti-LGBTQ+ hate and violence that seeks to divide us and instill fear and despair in our communities, as well as the ongoing mental health struggles that many LGBTQ+ individuals face. As the founder of Envision:You, an organization that seeks to close the gaps in health outcomes for LGBTQ+ Coloradans, I am intimately aware of the barriers that make it difficult for these individuals to lead happy, healthy lives. LGBTQ+ ...

Colorado mandates new rules for eating disorder clinics in response to patient complaints

June 10, 2024 By: Seth Klamann Colorado’s eating disorder treatment industry will soon face tighter regulations of providers’ practices under a new state law spurred in part by former patients and providers’ accounts of punitive environments and treatment practices. The law, passed by lawmakers this spring as Senate Bill 117, charges the state Behavioral Health Administration with issuing new rules for eating disorder treatment clinics. Those must include requirements for private and clothed medical exams, outside the view of other patients; specific accommodations for transgender and nonbinary patients; guidance for the use of ...

‘Dance to find joy’: Mental health through movement celebrated this weekend

June 6, 2024 By: John Camponeschi “Mindfield” was recently awarded the “What’s Your Peace” award by Mental Health Colorado. This honor is bestowed on artistic works that improve the lives of individuals throughout the state of Colorado. On Saturday, Boulder Ballet’s Ben Needham-Wood and Sadie Brown will lead adult and youth movement classes at Steamboat Fit (385 Anglers Drive) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Needham-Wood has worked with the Boulder Ballet since 2022 as their Artistic Director. As a three-time Emmy award choreographer, Needham-Wood is a firm believer in the power of dance and its impact on the mind and body. ...

The Intersection of Mental Health and Independent Publishing

June 3, 2024 By: David Dahl "There is no over-stating the value of independent book publishing to the health of individuals, families, and communities in America and in all the human settlements around the planet that value their own and each other’s humanity and wish to thrive and prosper.Folks aren’t working in independent book publishing if they don’t already feel some strong sense of mission affinity. So that’s good. What they’re doing is vital to the principles that we like about the founding of America. In terms of believing that the first amendment is the first amendment for a good reason and believing that when you give people ...

Legislation aims to enhance eating disorder treatment standards statewide

May 29, 2024 By: The Sopris Sun Over the last two years, EDF and Mental Health Colorado (MHC), a Denver-based mental health advocacy nonprofit organization, have worked together to advocate for more comprehensive and humane legislation for those affected by eating disorders. Vincent Atchity, MHC president and CEO, said a stripped-down version of a similar bill (SB 23-176) passed in 2023. It prohibits insurance companies and treatment facilities from using a person’s BMI, or body mass index, to determine whether to cover eating disorder treatment and prohibits the sale of some diet pills to minors. However, treatment plan regulation ...

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

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 communities. A person falls on hard times, experiences a mental health or substance ...

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 attendance on Sunday while others will supply materials for fans to learn more ...