News Clips
Colorado ski-resort county hopes to tax pot to fund mental health services
By David O. Williams
When Eagle County Public Health and Environment director Chris Lindley moved up to the Vail Valley from Denver a few months ago, he was stunned to learn his new home doesn’t have a single bed for people dealing with mental health or substance abuse issues.
“Being new to the county and coming up here from Denver, I’m shocked that in a community as wealthy and with as many resources and in this beautiful natural environment that we lack the mental health resources for the people that live and work here,” said Lindley, who worked for the ...
World Mental Health Day Presentation
World Mental Health Day Presentation from Eagle County Government TV on Vimeo.
Andrew Romanoff, President and CEO, Mental Health Colorado discusses his organization's mission to advocate for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.
Proponents of Eagle County marijuana tax say, if passed, it will provide a mental health-funding model for all of Colorado
EAGLE — Suicide kills an American every 12 minutes — 44,000 Americans every year and 10 in Eagle County so far this year.
"Think about that," said Andrew Romanoff, with Mental Health Colorado. "If someone attacked the United States and killed an American every 12 minutes and wiped out 44,000 of us in the course of a year, we would declare war."
"In some ways, we have declared war, and this is a war we can win," Romanoff said.
Romanoff was in Eagle on Tuesday, Oct. 10, to help proponents kick off their campaign for 1A, the ballot measure that would institute county...
Removing barriers to mental health care access
What stops Coloradans from getting the mental health care they need? You can learn a lot by asking them.
That's one of the things we've been doing over the past 18 months, as part of a statewide listening tour.
A new report from the Colorado Health Institute confirms what we've heard.
The report shows that more Coloradans than ever have health insurance. But an estimated 380,000 Coloradans, including 51,500 in El Paso County, still go without mental health care - figures that have barely budged over the last four years.
The single biggest barrier: cost. More ...
Summit County could be leader in fight against mental illness, says president of Mental Health Colorado
By Jack Queen
Last year, a record 13 people died of suicide in Summit County, which translates to a rate three times higher than the national average.
That disturbing reality has caught the attention of local officials and advocacy groups, who are working to improve access to care and change the way people think about mental illness.
That energy has contributed to some tangible results, including a recent announcement by the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health that a crisis-stabilization unit will soon be coming to Summit County.
Last week, the OBH came to Frisco as ...
National suicide prevention week highlights growing suicide rate
By Nicole Brady
DENVER -- September 10th through 16th marks National Suicide Prevention Week. Colorado has one of the highest rates of suicide in the nation, averaging about three deaths from suicide every day.
Mental Health Colorado President and CEO Andrew Romanoff lost his cousin to suicide in 2015. Since then he has made it his mission to spare other families the anguish his family has experienced.
"What gets me up in the morning the notion that we don’t have to accept the status quo--we can do something. In fact, we could make Colorado a national leader in the ...
It’s National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
KUSA - Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. According to government data, Colorado continuously has among the highest suicide rates in the county trailing Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho.
This video originally appeared on 9News.
Suicide prevention experts focus on talking about suicide
DENVER (CBS4)– Colorado is ranked 9th in the U.S. for suicides, that’s about 20 suicides for every 100,000 people.
CBS4’s Alan Gionet interviewed Mental Health Colorado President and CEO Andrew Romanoff on CBS4 This Morning to discuss suicide prevention.
When asked about the rising rate of suicide, Romanoff replied, “Easy access to firearms, stigma, some folks attribute the “Western mentality” of pull yourself up by your bootstraps, don’t get help. And the truth is half a million Coloradans aren’t getting the mental health care they need and ...
Why is Colorado’s suicide rate so high?
KUSA - Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.
And according to government data, Colorado continuously has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, trailing Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho.
Andrew Romanoff with Mental Health Colorado and Maureen Johnson Ediger with the Second Wind Fund joined us on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
They answered questions about Colorado’s high suicide rate, what’s being done about it and what to do if you see a loved one struggling with suicidal thoughts.
If you need help, call the ...
