23 results for tag: #policy

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

Bill to improve eating disorder care passes Colorado House Committee

February 28, 2024 By: Alexander Brunet "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 KRDO

Housing measures, gender-identity names bills considered by legislature this week

February 26, 2024 By: Seth Klamman Elsewhere Monday, a group of legislators and advocates unveiled HB24-1072 at a press conference in the Capitol. The bill would expand the state’s rape shield law and tighten evidentiary limits on sexual assault cases, including barring the use of a victim’s manner of dress or hairstyle as evidence of their consent. The measure is bipartisan and is backed by a broad coalition of groups, including the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council and Mental Health Colorado. But it’s opposed by the Criminal Defense Bar, which worries the bill is unconstitutional. Read the full article in The Denver Post

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 ...

Colorado doctors highlight patient safety and preparation as key priorities in state’s development of psilocybin therapy rules

January 29, 2024 By: Shane Ersland Colorado is in the process of developing rules for the rollout of its psilocybin therapy program, and mental health experts highlighted some components that will factor into those decisions last week. Mental Health Colorado and Healing Advocacy Fund will host a series of webinars about the rollout of psilocybin services in the state over the next couple months, and held the first session on Thursday. “We know that natural medicines have been used safely for millennia by cultures for healing, and Colorado can do better to promote health and healing by reducing its focus on criminal punishments for ...

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 ...