News Clips
DEMOCRAT-LED BILLS THAT DIE EVERY YEAR IN SENATE COMMITTEE COULD SOON STAND A CHANCE
By: Faith Miller
September 26, 2018
You’ve heard it: Talk of a so-called “blue wave” sweeping the nation that could change the balance of power. If the wave hits Colorado’s Legislature it could mean the passage of bills representing longtime Democratic goals that have been thwarted, sometimes for years, by a narrow Republican majority in the state Senate.
Republicans have held the Senate since 2014, where they now hold a two-seat majority, while the House has been led by Democrats since 2012, now by a solid seven-seat majority. ...
COLORADO SPRINGS TEEN RECOGNIZED FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION EFFORTS
By: Jessica Barreto
September 22, 2018
DENVER – A state-wide annual gala is honoring Governor John Hickenlooper — along with a teen and a company out of Colorado Springs for being leaders in the mental health and substance abuse treatment community.
Mental Health Colorado honored 17-year-old Macy Klein at their annual Tribute Gala for starting the non-profit Project Reasons after she overcame her own struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide.
Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and Don Brown from the Governor’s Cabinet presented her with the “Indi...
NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK
September 16, 2018
Life in Colorado News/Talk - KNUS
Listen to the podcast here.
This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Over the last few years suicide rates increased nationally and in our state. Currently Colorado is ranked ninth in the nation for suicide fatalities. We speak with Andrew Romanoff. He is the President and CEO for the non-profit group Mental Health Colorado. He shares his insights on this alarming trend and the steps his organization is taking to raise awareness and provide avenues of hope.
NONPROFIT SURVEYING STATE LAWMAKER CANDIDATES ON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
By: Alasyn Zimmerman
September 15, 2018
COLORADO- This fall’s election is less than two months away and a non-profit wants to know where hopeful lawmakers stand on mental health issues.
‘This is a teachable moment for candidates,’ said Andrew Romanoff, President & CEO of Mental Health Colorado.
The survey asks candidates how they plan to address mental health concerns in the legislature.
‘If you’re running for office you’ve got to answer tough questions all the time you got to tell where you stand on abortion, gun control and other hot topics ...
SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH
September 14, 2018
COLORADO – September is National Suicide Prevention month, a time for shedding more light on the sometimes taboo and stigmatized topic.
In Colorado, suicide is the leading cause of death among adolescents. Just last month a 9-year-old boy took his own life in Denver.
Mental Health Colorado says suicide is oftentimes the result of an untreated mental health condition. And it’s important to remember that mental health is not a character flaw or a figment of the imagination, it’s a medical condition that’s treatable.
“The trouble ...
GE JOHNSON CONSTRUCTION OFFERING HELP TO EMPLOYEES STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND ADDICTION
By: Kyla Galer
September 14, 2018
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) More Americans than ever are dying from drug overdoses.
Just last year, 72,000 people died from an overdose. That number is double what is was ten years ago.
Colorado is no exception to the trend. Since 1999, the Rocky Mountain State has also seen a steady rise in deaths from drug overdoses, including right here in El Paso County.
President of GE Johnson Construction Jim Johnson says his family is one of many families across the region impacted by mental health and addiction. He says ...
MENTAL HEALTH COLORADO WORKING TO PROVIDE RESOURCES FOR ALL
By: JoAnne Busing
September 12, 2018
Mental Health Colorado is an organization founded in 1973. "Their purpose is to advocate for the more than one million Coloradans who experience a mental health or substance abuse disorder each year. They engage policy makers, providers, the public and the press to promote intervention, expand access to affordable services and eradicate the stigma and discrimination that is often put on people with mental health problems," as stated on their web page.
Andrew Romanoff, President and CEO of this organization, said he has a very ...
OPENING UP: LEARNING TO TALK ABOUT SUICIDE
By Angela K. Evans
September 13, 2018
“The thing that I was really amazed by is that nobody ever asked me, ‘Why did you kill yourself?’” Dave tells me as we talk about his attempted suicide that left him dead for somewhere between 10 and 13 minutes in 1994. “Nobody really asked me.”
So I ask him.
“It was like, this is the last thing I’m taking in this world, I’ve had enough. I’d already lived with too much pain,” he says. “I just said no more. I said this is it, I’ve already had enough insults, I don’t like this, ...
SCHOOLS ARE OFFERED MENTAL HEALTH TOOLKIT TO DEAL WITH SOARING SUICIDE RATES
By: Ali Budner
Sept. 11, 2018
A nine-year-old boy in Colorado took his own life on the first week of school this year. The tragedy highlighted a pervasive problem in the state and in the Mountain West region as a whole -- the high suicide rate -- especially among youth. Goal Academy in Pueblo, Colorado is a charter program with high schools around the state that focuses on both academic and mental wellbeing.
Camille Vallet is a junior. She wants to become a zoologist. And just like any high schooler, she said sometimes she feels stressed.
Right ...
DENVER CREATES TASK FORCE TO TACKLE GROWING SUICIDE RATE
Sept. 10, 2018
DENVER (CBS4)– Community leaders in Denver gathered to deliver an important message on World Suicide Prevention Day: There is help.
The message comes as health experts say deaths by suicide are on the rise in Colorado.
In the first nine months of the year, Denver has seen 15 more people die of suicide compared to all of 2017.
The City of Denver is working to address behavioral health issues by creating a specific task force. Some of the solutions being discussed include a social worker accompanying first responders to 911 calls.
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