4 results for tag: #homeless

Coloradans with Medicaid and serious mental illness could soon receive better care at certain facilities

March 18, 2024 By: Tatiana Flowers The IMD policy was passed during the deinstitutionalization movement and the goal was to get people out of asylums and back into their communities while also increasing availability of publicly funded, community-based mental health services. “The thought was, states would be less likely to institutionalize people with serious mental health conditions, if the federal government wouldn’t pay for long lengths of stay and would instead pay for services in the community, which was wonderful,” said Lauren Snyder, vice president of government affairs for Mental Health Colorado, which is part of a coalition ...

Some of the 1,400 patients of a Western Slope clinic are still struggling to find care a month after its abrupt closure

March 13, 2024 By: Tatiana Flowers Mental health experts said they understand state leaders needed to shut down the clinic to ensure patient safety. But the national behavioral health crisis is making it difficult for some former Integrated clients to find competent care, especially in rural areas, where mental health care options are scarce and the distance between medical offices is vast. But when a clinic shutters in a small, rural community, that’s an emergency too, said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. Patients can lose access to their medications, they can face long wait times while trying to access new ...

Fix archaic medical policy failing Coloradans with mental health needs | OPINION

February 20, 2024 By: Vincent Atchity Many are aware Colorado is in a dire crisis of mental health, substance use and homelessness. We see every day too many of our friends, family members and neighbors are experiencing difficulties. We see we don’t have the proper supports and safeguards in place to stop people from experiencing preventable worst outcomes. What most are unaware of, however, is how outdated and seemingly benign policies perpetuate this vicious cycle in which so many Coloradans are trapped. We’re constantly seeing tragic stories play out in our communities. A person falls on hard times, experiences a mental health or substance ...

Colorado has the nation’s third-longest waitlist for people charged with crimes and ordered into psychiatric treatment

January 24, 2024 By: Jennifer Brown But private hospitals typically do not take patients who have been ordered into treatment through the criminal justice system. And private hospitals often do not take people with the most severe behavioral problems or those who cannot pay, which means state hospitals are sometimes the only option. Mental Health Colorado president Vincent Atchity called on Colorado to “disentangle” mental health care from the criminal justice system. “The number of people being held in Colorado jails when they should be getting health care is an unacceptable tragedy,” he said. “Not only are their rights being ...