Perspective: Countering Colorado’s opioid crisis

February 9, 2025 By: Wendy Buxton-Andrade The opioid crisis remains one of the most pressing issues facing our nation and Colorado. While we are making significant progress in confronting and mitigating the problem, opioid trafficking and addiction continues to impact families and communities in every corner of our state. The problem has its roots in overprescription of medical opioids decades ago. People seeking relief from pain — whether from a medical condition, injury or surgery — would be prescribed opioids to manage that pain, and some would become addicted. Eventually they would seek more potent forms, and over time the problem ...

Colorado Suicide Prevention Advocacy Day Event to Be Held at Colorado State Capitol on March 12

February 20, 2025 By: Tricia Stortz On March 12, advocates, mental health professionals, and community members will gather at the Colorado State Capitol Building, in Denver, for an event held in conjunction with Colorado Suicide Prevention Advocacy Day. Hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) Colorado Chapter, Mental Health Colorado, the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado, and NAMI Colorado, the event aims to drive policy discussions and strengthen mental health initiatives statewide.The event provides a platform for advocates and the public to engage directly with state legislators. Participants will share ...

Colorado needs HB 1002 to ensure fair access to mental health care

February 26, 2025 By: Vincent Atchity House Bill 25-1002 is a critical step toward ensuring that mental health care is treated with the same urgency, transparency and fairness as physical health care. By establishing a clear, standardized definition of “medical necessity” in alignment with evidence-based clinical standards, this bill will help ensure that Coloradans receive the care they need and are already paying for. Too many Colorado families are being denied essential mental health care based on arbitrary or opaque insurance standards. A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis found that nearly 20% of all medical necessity denials ...

Mental health tips for election stress

November 6, 2024 By: Vincent Atchity “If you’re feeling anxiety or dread waiting for election results, chances are you are not alone,” said Vincent Atchity, president of Mental Health Colorado. “Take a moment to reach out to a family member, friend or neighbor. No matter what side of the aisle you are on or the outcome of the election, we all must come together to support each other’s mental health.” Don’t isolate yourself. Reach out to members of the community and check in on those who may also be feeling anxious about the election results. Go off the grid at least for a while. If possible, disconnect from smart phones and ...

Colorado Ballot Measure Aims to Remove Ban on Gay Marriage From State Constitution

October 30, 2024 By: Hannah Metzger This isn't the first time Colorado has asked voters to remove problematic language from the state constitution. In 2018, voters approved a ballot measure to abolish slavery in the state by removing constitutional language that banned slavery and servitude "except as a punishment." The campaign in favor of Amendment J, Freedom to Marry Colorado, raised over $760,000 as of Monday, October 28, according to state campaign finance records. No formal committee was established to oppose the measure. Some big names backing the effort include Governor Jared Polis, both of Colorado's U.S. senators, all of the ...

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 ...

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 ...

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