40 results for tag: #mentalhealth

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 ...

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 ...