Tony Exum (D)
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Do you support school policies and funding that increase the availability of mental health services in schools and early childhood settings?
- Yes: Children need access to support services that offer a safe place to turn to for help and establish plans to address mental health issues as soon as they are identified.
Do you support additional funding for follow-up care for individuals after a suicide attempt or overdose?
- Yes: We need to be able to provide readily available access to caring, expert professionals in a comfortable, supportive setting for follow-up care.
Do you support extreme risk protection orders?
- Yes: As a legislator, I voted in support of the bill regarding extreme risk protection orders both because of its safety factor, and because it protects due process rights. There has to be court order to remove the weapons, providing protections to the gun owners. As long as we implement this program carefully, we can protect our communities while honoring the rights of responsible gun owners.
Do you support strengthening laws and transparency requirements compelling insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders that is equal to the coverage provided for a physical illness?
- Yes: Just as I believe no one should go without the medication they need for a physical illness due to high costs, I believe that no one should go without mental health care just because it’s unaffordable.
Do you support strengthening requirements that insurance companies have enough mental health and substance use professionals to guarantee their members have a choice of provider?
- Yes: Everyone should be able to choose a healthcare provider that makes them feel comfortable, mental health and substance use healthcare should not be an exception to that.
Do you support requirements that hospitals and other providers report information on treatment availability to help individuals, hospitals and law enforcement locate available treatment for people in crisis?
- Yes: Transparency by all health facilities is vital to getting anyone in crisis to the facility that can help them immediately.
Do you support providing state funds to expand capacity for mental health and substance use treatment in underserved areas of the state?
- Yes: State funding is limited and we need to budget wisely. I also believe access to mental health and substance use treatment should be available to anyone in Colorado that needs it.
Do you support additional state investments in affordable housing with supportive services for people with mental health or substance use disorders?
- Yes: If the state has the funds, we need to be doing everything we can to provide assistance to those in need.
