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Mental Camouflage: My Mind Gone AWOL

The views and opinions expressed in the following story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Mental Health Colorado. Reader Discretion Advised: Some details in this story may be difficult to read.  By: James (Name has been changed for privacy purposes) and Peggy Simpson While serving in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” in the 1980s, James and his family faced death threats. James himself faced two targeted attempts on his life. The horrors of living, first as a child and then into adulthood, with the war on his own ...

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Mental health advocates propose change to responding to mental health emergencies and crisis situations

March 17, 2021 By: Kasia Kerridge Watch the new report on KKTV 11 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado mental health advocates are proposing a change to responding to mental health emergencies or crisis situations. Mental Health Colorado introduced the “Secure Transportation Bill” to improve mental health crisis response and reduce the burden on law enforcement. “When you call 911 for a heart attack or a stroke, the chances are is that you’re going to get EMT response and paramedics and transportation in an appropriate vehicle to a healthcare setting. ...

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Legislative Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD) Agenda

  12:00 – 12:10 | Welcome - Vincent Atchity, Mental Health Colorado President & CEO, A Message from Sponsors (Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Mental Health Center of Denver, CityWide Banks) 12:10 – 12:12 | Introduction | Jordan Chavez, Host, 9News Reporter 12:12 – 12:16 | A Strong Start For All Children, Support for Families | Shannon Van Deman, Vice President of the Pediatric Mental Health Institute at Children’s Hospital 12:16 – 12:20 | A Strong Start For All Children, Support for Families | William McCall, Incoming Freshman and Mental Health ...

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I choose me: a story of eating recovery

The views and opinions expressed in the following story are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Mental Health Colorado. By: Raya Patel Privilege. There are so many different ways to define this simple world. Webster’s Dictionary defines privilege as, “a special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group.” There is no specificity to race, there is no specificity to gender, and there is no specificity to events. I was born into privilege. I never feared for my life, had a roof over my ...

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Messages from our sponsors

Citywide Banks passion for mental health wellness goes back to the late 1960’s. It accelerated when the bank played an instrumental role in the development of a major mental health center in 1975. Since then, our focus on mental health advocacy has significantly grown. While we have deep roots in supporting economic development, cancer prevention, mentoring and education, Citywide Banks has a long history of advocating the cause of mental health wellness in Colorado. Citywide Banks has expanded its support by serving on boards, sponsoring advocacy campaigns, promot...

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Representative Julie McCluskie

Julie McCluskie State Representative for House District 61 In 2018, Julie was elected State Representative for House District 61 which includes five of the most beautiful counties in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and along the Western Slope.  In her first session, she was appointed to serve on the Rural Affairs & Agriculture, Education and Appropriations committees. Over the 2019-2020 fiscal year, she was selected to Chair both the School Finance Interim and Appropriations Committees.  Most notably, she was honored to receive an appointment to the prestigious ...

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Stakeholder Meeting: Emergency Mental Health Procedures

Please join Mental Health Colorado, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health, to discuss how services are provided to individuals experiencing a mental health emergency and ways to improve emergency mental health procedures in Colorado. Stakeholder meetings will be held on the second and fourth Monday of each month from 11:30am to 1:30pm using the same zoom link provided below. Stakeholder meetings will be held from February - November of 2021, with expected legislation to be introduced in the 2022 session. Any ...

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Colorado Counties Virtual Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice Participant Roster

Thank you for attending the Colorado Counties Virtual Summit on Mental Health and Criminal Justice! Below you will find the roster of participants. We hope you will stay connected!   ***If you attended the Summit, please edit or add your information. If you have trouble editing, please email the following information to ahughes@mentalhealthcolorado.org - Name, Title, Organization, and whether or not you'd like to share your email. 

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The Depression Hole

Written and illustrated by C. Fulsty Cee, the panda, is stuck in a hole. It happened to Cee as he was taking a stroll. Cee didn’t mean to fall right in. No one plans on having depression. The hole is deep, but Cee is at the top. With every bad thought, Cee begins to drop. The ledges crumble and Cee falls deeper. The lower Cee gets, the hole gets steeper. Cee doesn’t know others are stuck too. They’re in a depression hole, Cee never knew. Cee thinks, “My life is good. I shouldn’t feel sad.” Cee falls further because of thoughts ...

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Report: 2017-2018 Mental Health Ballot Measures in Colorado Counties

Posted January 12, 2021 Executive Summary Mental Health Colorado sought to better understand the stories behind 2017 and 2018 local ballot measures that provide funding for mental health services in five Colorado counties. We collected information from publicly available documents and spoke with key informants from the counties, all of whom play leadership roles in the passing, implementation, or sustainability of their respective ballot measures. This was an effort to hear more about the work being done, what successes and challenges were experienced, what further ...

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