News Clips
Her brother was shot by an officer, now she’s sharing his struggle with mental illness
By: Jennifer Meckles
January 16, 2019
DENVER — Brittany Baker's brother, Derek Baker, was shot by a police officer this week in the parking of a Frisco grocery store. She said her 33-year-old brother has battled mental illness for years.
Police said Derek Baker was acting erratically at the Whole Foods store around 7:30 p.m. Monday night. When they responded, Derek Baker allegedly threatened officers with his car. One officer fired at Derek Baker and struck him in the arm, police said. Derek Baker survived and the officer was uninjured.
Brittany Baker ...
Psychiatrists hard to come by in Colorado Springs
By: Faith Miller
January 2, 2019
Need to make an appointment with a psychiatrist in Colorado Springs? Good luck.
In 2013, the last time the community collected data on the number of psychiatrists per capita, there were only 9.1 practicing for every 100,000 people in the metropolitan area, according to Pikes Peak United Way’s Quality of Life Indicators Report. That was 37 percent below the national average at the time.
According to Mike Ware, CEO of the El Paso County Medical Society, the shortage has probably gotten worse — given the area’s explosive ...
Colorado lawmakers prioritize mental health in 2019 session
January 8, 2019
DENVER —As the 2019 legislative session kicks off, Mental Health Colorado applauded lawmakers for making mental health a priority by introducing key bills to improve prevention and treatment services throughout the state.
One measure addresses the critical shortage of mental health resources in schools by bolstering the existing School Health Professional Grant Program to allow schools to team up with community partners to provide behavioral health services. A provision letting schools take advantage of telehealth technology would be especially ...
Youth Suicide Study Shows Unemployment Is A Risk Factor
By: Ali Budner
January 7, 2019
The Mountain West has some of the highest teen suicide rates in the country. A new report out of the region looks at what conditions contribute to the high rate of youth suicide.
The yearlong study came out of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
"Colorado has a teen suicide rate that’s twice as high as the national average,” said Andrew Romanoff, the director of Mental Health Colorado. “Just a staggering heartbreaking statistic.”
The Attorney General’s study focused on the ...
New report details what may be causing youth suicide crisis
COLORADO – A new report from the Colorado Attorney General’s office takes a look at what may be causing the state’s youth suicide crisis.
The report is almost 90-pages long and it specifically lists stress factors like rigorous school day schedules that don’t allow children any time to decompress and cyberbullying from social media.
Key findings:
Risk factors attributing to youth suicide:
Pressure and anxiety about failing.Social media and cyber bullying.Lack of prosocial activities.Lack of connection to a caring adult.Judgement and lack of ...
Prisons are housing mental health patients who’ve committed no crimes
By: Julianne Hill
January 2019
Photo by Benjavisa/Getty Images
Andrew Butler was a popular kid at Hollis Brookline High School in New Hampshire, an honors student who was captain of the football and wrestling teams.
Then, during college, Andrew tore his leg muscles, making even walking to class difficult. He started struggling with depression, and after talking with his dad, he decided to take time off from his chemical engineering studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.
One weekend in July 2017, Andrew went camping in Vermont with ...
When you die by suicide, you don’t end your pain — you transfer it
December 30, 2018
By: Andrew Romanoff
On the third Tuesday of each month, Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village hosts a meeting that no one wants to attend.
I visited the church in October, shortly after dusk. A sign pointed me to a meeting room in the back of the building, at the end of a dark hallway.
Inside the room, two dozen women and men sat quietly around a conference table. They each introduced themselves and then shared the names of their children — a son or a daughter who had died by suicide.
When my turn came, I talked about my cousin ...
Colorado attorney general grants $800,000 for mental health toolkits in classrooms
December 21, 2018
By: Byron Reed
View full story on 9News.
Mental Health Colorado is the state’s leading advocate for the prevention and treatment of mental health.
Back in May, it launched the School Mental Health Kit, which is aimed at bringing awareness to classrooms, like Andrew Romanoff, the president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
Photo by KUSA
“Suicide has become the leading cause of death among adolescents in Colorado,” Romanoff said. “We’re losing more than 1,100 people -- including 80 children -- to suicide ...
RED FLAG REDEMPTION
By: Kara Mason and Quincy Snowdon
Dec. 1, 2018
Even with notable Republican support, a divided Colorado legislature couldn’t put a “red flag” bill on Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk in 2018. But this upcoming session, with complete control of the House, Senate and governor’s seat, it’s near-certain the gun measure will be back and face little resistance following the state’s “blue wave” of elected Democrats.
Last year, lawmakers attempted to make Colorado the ninth state in the country to enact so-called “red flag” legislation, which ...
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL A BIG STEP FOR WELLNESS
By: The Daily Sentinel
Dec. 4, 2018
With the opening of an expanded in-patient psychiatric care facility in Grand Junction that will double its capacity to serve patients, the Western Slope is making its biggest gain yet in fixing an imbalance of health-care services.
The Grand Valley has an impressive history of collaboration to improve access to primary and specialty care. That's great for keeping people physically healthy. But the valley didn't even have a psychiatric hospital in western Colorado before Mind Springs opened West Springs Hospital in ...
