News Clips
COVID disrupts mental health of workers
By: Ken Amundson
Originally appeared in BizWest
COVID-19 has disrupted, quite obviously, the lives of workers — both at work and in personal terms, resulting in negative effects.
Anxiety, depression, increased addictions, increased alcohol use, disrupted sleep patterns, reduced energy and anti-social behaviors have all been documented since the pandemic began in mid-March.
Yet mental health experts say that life has always been lived in a state of uncertainty. The current situation hasn’t changed that.
Several mental health and human resources experts gathered ...
Opinion: Addressing racism is a mental health priority
By: Vincent Atchity, President & CEO, Mental Health Colorado
Appeared in the Steamboat Pilot and Today
"I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin
In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence ― it’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely ...
Addressing racism is a mental health priority
By: Vincent Atchity, President & CEO, Mental Health Colorado
Appeared in the Boulder Weekly
“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” — James Baldwin
In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence. It’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous and people of color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have ...
Mental Health Colorado compiles 2020 legislative report
Originally appeared in the State of Reform
By: Michael Goldberg
Mental Health Colorado – a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to promote mental wellness and ensure equitable access to mental health and substance use care – compiled a legislative report for the 2020 session.
The 2020 legislative session was thrown off course by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing lawmakers to adjourn in March. When lawmakers returned at the end of May, they were forced to shelve many pieces of legislation in favor of addressing the immediate impacts of the pandemic, such ...
5 Things Colorado: Rep. Emily Sirota, Medicaid wave?, Convening Panel
Originally appeared in the State of Reform
By: DJ Wilson
We are about to start getting our band back together…! Meaning, it’ll soon be time to pull together our Convening Panel ahead of our 2020 Colorado State of Reform Virtual Health Policy Conference! The conference, held each year in October, will be a chance to reconnect with senior market executives and health policy leaders, yet will do so in the safety of a virtual setting.
If you have suggestions on topics for this year’s Convening Panel, or if you’d like to participate in the process, I’d ...
OPINION: Addressing Racism is a Mental Health Imperative
Appeared in the Pagosa Daily Post
By Vincent Atchity
“I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
– James Baldwin
Vincent Atchity
In July, Americans celebrate the birth of independence ― it’s the month of the national holiday when we gather and celebrate our freedom from tyrannical government. But in a country where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are less likely to have access to mental health services and more likely to have lower quality ...
Unmasking the debate: A look at the psychology behind mask wearing
By: Kari Harden
Originally appeared in The Steamboat Pilot
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — There is something unique about the intensity of the debate around mask wearing during a pandemic, and there are strong opinions on both sides about the efficacy of masks, the social responsibility of mask wearing and the role of personal freedom.
Whereas in many other countries mask wearing during a pandemic isn’t given a second thought, in recent months, it has become a trigger point in Routt County and across the U.S. — inciting outrage, and in some instances, even violence ...
Lawmakers pass multiple mental health bills
By: Andy Koen
Originally appeared on KOAA News
DENVER — Colorado lawmakers passed multiple bills during the abbreviated session aimed at improving access to mental health services. The bills help school-aged children with access to crisis treatment, expand access to services in rural areas via telehealth, and give employees more flexibility to seek mental health care.
Moe Keller, Director of Advocacy for the nonprofit group Mental Health Colorado, said in a virtual media round table discussion Thursday that a growing number of students contact the Safe2Tell ...
Activists Seek to Change the Relationship Between Mental Health and Policing
Original appeared on SpectrumNews1
By: David Mendez
On June 15, Kendrick Sampson testified alongside four other members of the People’s Budget L.A. coalition to make his pitch: that the city of Los Angeles must listen to the will of the people — or at least the respondents to the People’s Budget survey — and defund police.
“We know that ‘public safety’ is not policing. If policing kept us safe — you’ve got tons of police in the 'hood, right? Fortune 500 CEOs would line up, waiting for spots in the hood. And they’re not, because it doesn't keep ...
Webinars explore mental-health implications of COVID
By: BizWest
Originally appeared in Biz West
While the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated physical and economic health throughout the nation, it is likely also having an impact on mental health.
A two-part series of webinars called Life Interrupted will examine those implications with its first segment Thursday, June 25, at 9 a.m. and the concluding segment on Thursday, July 9, also at 9 a.m.
We are living in a stressful time with worries about our health, the health of our loved ones, our jobs, the economy and whether the healthcare system is prepared to handle ...
