Our History

The 1960s brought significant advancements in advocacy, marked by the expansion of community mental health services, improvements to mental health hospitals, and increased outreach to young people. 

In 1960, the Colorado Association for Mental Health (CAMH) hosted the 10th Annual Meeting and Mental Health Assembly of the National Association for Mental Health. For an admission of $2, attendees participated in sessions, luncheons, and banquets addressing topics such as psychiatric services in general hospitals, research, information and referral services, and careers in mental health. 

Recognizing early on the importance of a strong workforce, CAMH partnered in 1961 with the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE) to launch a Summer Work and Study Program designed to attract interns to the mental health field. That same year, CAMH hosted Careers Day at Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo, inviting high school students from across the state to explore careers in mental health. The program grew rapidly—from 40 students to 425 within just a few years. 

CAMH’s commitment to systems planning also deepened during this decade. In 1963, Colorado became one of the first five states to receive a federal planning grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to establish long-range mental health service planning. By 1966, CAMH played a key role in developing Colorado’s Plan for Comprehensive Mental Health Services, which emphasized community action, coordination, and comprehensive care. CAMH members assumed leadership roles to bring this vision to life. 

Alongside these efforts, CAMH collaborated with Denver Public Schools to deliver 12 training workshops for teacher coordinators, equipping educators with tools to address the psycho-educational aspects of classroom management. Education and community learning remained central to the organization’s mission. 

In the early 1970s, CAMH adopted guiding principles to advance comprehensive mental health services for all Coloradans. These priorities included establishing coordinated networks for substance use treatment, improving funding mechanisms for state-supported programs, securing capital construction for mental health facilities in Grand Junction and forensic psychiatry services at Colorado State Hospital, and creating 24-hour adolescent treatment programs across the state. 

As the organization evolved into the Mental Health Association of Colorado (MHAC), advocacy increasingly focused on parity and patients’ rights. In 1975, MHAC successfully advocated for legislation requiring mental health coverage in group insurance policies sold in Colorado beginning January 1, 1976—an important step toward inclusion at a time when employers often excluded mental health benefits due to minimal cost increases. 

Another landmark victory followed with the passage of reforms to Colorado mental health law (CRS 27-10). Effective July 1, 1976, individuals previously ruled mentally ill by Colorado courts regained full legal rights, including the right to vote, marry, obtain a driver’s license, and sign legal contracts. Prior to this reform, even a single day of institutionalization could result in the loss of fundamental rights. 

MHAC worked closely with the Division of Mental Health to ensure these restored rights reached those impacted by developing a patients’ rights handbook for state hospitals and notifying nearly 3,000 formerly institutionalized individuals that their rights had been reinstated. 

Throughout the 1980s, MHAC focused on expanding services for youth, families, and individuals living with chronic mental illness. 

In 1981, MHAC launched the TEANS (Teach Early Adolescents New Skills) Program, providing more than 14,000 Denver-area adolescents with stress management strategies, peer pressure navigation skills, and problem-solving tools. This momentum continued in 1982 with the introduction of the Early Intervention Program, later renamed Building Self-Esteem in Preschoolers. 

A defining moment came in 1986 with the creation of the Pro Bono Counseling & Referral Program—MHAC’s signature community initiative. The program recruited licensed mental health professionals to provide free counseling services to homeless and low-income adults, children, and families through partnerships with host site agencies. The first program of its kind in the nation, it quickly became a nationally recognized model. 

In October 1989, the Pro Bono Counseling & Referral Program received a national award from the American Psychiatric Association’s Institute of Hospital and Community Psychiatry, selected from more than 100 programs nationwide. 

The 1990s marked a period of heightened public education and reduction of health-based discrimination at both the state and national levels. Beginning in 1989, MHAC partnered with the National Institute of Mental Health to promote the Depression Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment (D/ART) Program, helping the public recognize symptoms of depression and connect to appropriate treatment while educating healthcare providers on emerging therapies. 

Community engagement expanded through initiatives such as the inaugural Mile High Friendship Walk in 1990, co-sponsored with NAMI Colorado and the Colorado Psychiatric Society. Participation in the walk doubled between 1990 and 1993, reflecting growing public involvement. 

MHAC also responded during times of crisis. In 1991, the organization provided information and support services to military families during the Gulf War. Following the tragic 1999 Columbine High School shooting, MHAC helped organize community support groups, staffed mental health helplines, and co-produced A Partner for Parents: A Handbook for Healing with Jefferson Center for Mental Health. The handbook was distributed to more than 70,000 households. 

Similar support efforts followed in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, Colorado wildfires, and the war in Iraq. 

Policy leadership remained a cornerstone of MHAC’s work. In response to the ColoradoCare healthcare reform study released in 1993, MHAC convened the Coalition for Mental Health in Health Care Reform, uniting 30 organizations to advocate for equitable mental health benefits. This work culminated in 1997, when Governor Roy Romer signed HB97-1192 into law, establishing limited parity by requiring insurance coverage for six biologically based mental disorders. 

During this period, MHAC also strengthened relationships with consumer-led advocacy groups, including WE CAN!—now the Colorado Mental Wellness Network—and launched training programs to ensure individuals with lived experience testified regularly at the Colorado State Capitol, helping legislators connect policy decisions to real lives. 

The 2000s brought renewed advocacy and collaboration as MHAC deepened partnerships and advanced systemic reform. 

In 2005, MHAC and partners released the Summit Report, documenting the far-reaching impacts of state budget cuts on mental health services. The report played a key role in the passage of Referendum C, which restored critical funding and services. 

Achieving full parity between physical and mental health coverage remained a major focus. Legislative advocacy culminated in 2007, when Governor Bill Ritter signed Senate Bill 36, significantly expanding insurance benefits for mental health treatment. 

MHAC also helped incubate programs that would become independent pillars of Colorado’s crisis response infrastructure. In 2006, MHAC convened early discussions that led to The Triage Project, ultimately contributing to the creation of Metro Crisis Services, which then became Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners. By 2007, this collaboration produced a plan for a seven-county crisis intervention system, including a 24/7 call center, shared emergency response protocols, and walk-in crisis centers. 

In the 2010s, MHAC expanded both its geographic reach and its policy influence. A 2010 Statewide Strategic Use Fund grant enabled the Pro Bono Counseling & Referral Program to expand to Pueblo. 

Following the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, mental health emerged as a statewide priority. In 2013, Governor John Hickenlooper signed legislation allocating more than $20 million to establish a statewide behavioral health crisis response system—an effort in which MHAC played a leading role. 

That same year, the Colorado Mental Wellness Network became an independent organization, continuing its close collaboration with MHAC to promote peer-led initiatives and reduce health-based discrimination. 

As Mental Health Colorado, the organization sharpened its focus on advocacy, education, and outreach—building a statewide network of advocates, convening community conversations to identify local barriers to care, and prioritizing the behavioral health needs of adolescents across Colorado. 

The early 2020s tested Colorado’s behavioral health system in unprecedented ways. As the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing gaps in care, Mental Health Colorado responded with urgency—advancing policy solutions, standing up emergency programs, and strengthening its role as a statewide convener and systems leader. 

Building on momentum from the previous decade, Mental Health Colorado continued to shape policy focused on accountability, early intervention, and consumer protections. The organization’s advocacy helped enforce and modernize mental health parity laws, expand the use of psychiatric advance directives, strengthen transitions following emergency mental health holds, and ensure families could access care for their children without relinquishing custody. These efforts reinforced a shift away from crisis-driven responses toward prevention, continuity of care, and dignity. 

During the pandemic, Mental Health Colorado operated an emergency shelter and support program designed to meet the immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, justice involvement, and unmet health needs during a time of acute system strain. This time-limited, COVID-era response, provided shelter and wraparound supports until the program closed in 2025, having demonstrated the power of housing-centered, health-first interventions. 

The organization also continues to incubate and evolve initiatives aimed at long-term systems change. Course Corrections (formerly part of The Equitas Project, supported by The David and Laura Merage Foundation) advances national conversations about decriminalizing mental illness and reducing the harmful intersection of the justice system and unmet health needs through policy, education, and cross-sector collaboration. Envision:You, an established program focused on advancing behavioral health for Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community, became an initiative of Mental Health Colorado in 2024. The partnership concluded in early 2025, when Envision:You transitioned to the Denver Family Institute, reflecting the organization’s ongoing commitment to alignment and sustainability. 

Throughout the decade, Mental Health Colorado deepened its emphasis on movement building. Its statewide network of advocates, the Brain Wave, continues to grow, empowering people with lived experience, family members, providers, and community leaders to shape public policy and public opinion. Alongside this work, Mental Health Colorado provides technical assistance to local governments pursuing voter-approved funding for mental health and substance use services, helping communities secure sustainable, locally driven solutions. 

As the organization moves further into the 2020s, Mental Health Colorado has solidified its role not only as an advocate, but as a catalyst for systems transformation—working to ensure that every Coloradan has access to the conditions needed for well-being, and that mental health is treated as essential to the health of individuals, families, and communities.