2019 Priorities

At Mental Health Colorado, we’re bringing a broad range of proposals to state lawmakers.

Among other requests, we’re asking the General Assembly and the governor to:

■ Fund the Zero Suicide framework, training health care, education, and law enforcement personnel to spot the early warning signs of suicidal ideation.

■ Strengthen the enforcement of mental health parity laws, requiring public and private insurers to provide sufficient coverage for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

■ Create a statewide bed tracking system, enabling Coloradans to find the nearest available psychiatric or substance use facility.

■ Adopt a “red flag” law, allowing judges in certain circumstances to order the temporary removal of weapons from individuals deemed a significant danger to themselves or others.

■ Expand the School Health Professional Grant Program, placing nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists in more schools.

■ Boost funding for school-based health centers, particularly in rural Colorado.

■ Increase access to housing and supportive services for individuals with serious mental health or substance use disorders.

It’s an ambitious agenda. And with only 120 days until legislators adjourn, we don’t have much time to enact it.

With your support, we can make Colorado a national leader in the prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.  We’re not there yet, but we’re making progress.