Tag: Behavioral Health Administration
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Gov. Polis names new leaders for Colorado health agencies in wake of Medicaid turmoil
Gov. Jared Polis, on Thursday, announced he was appointing Gretchen Hammer to serve as acting executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and deputy executive director Stephanie Beasley to become the next commissioner of the Behavioral Health Administration. Hammer’s nomination will have to be confirmed by the state Senate. As…
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Costs explode for Colorado program covering pregnant women and children living in the U.S. illegally
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A state program providing health care to pregnant women and children living in the country illegally is costing far more than lawmakers expected, with expenses nearly tripling in just a year and threatening to squeeze Colorado’s budget amid a nearly $1 billion shortfall. The program, launched in 2024, now enrolls more than 30,000 people and…
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Colorado 988 officials speak out after Trump administration eliminates LGBTQ hotline
Officials of Colorado’s mental health line said Tuesday it is working to marshal resources following a decision by the Trump administration to cut funding for a special hotline line dedicated to LGBTQ callers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on June 17 that it will nix the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline…
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‘Failure to launch:’ Polis’ plan to improve mental health faltering | Vince Bzdek
Three years ago, Gov. Jared Polis said he was going to get serious about Colorado’s mental health care crisis. He established the Behavioral Health Task Force which then created a brand new state agency, the Behavioral Health Administration, to streamline and improve Colorado’s fragmented mental health care system, promising to bring better care to those…
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Colorado crisis call center set to lay off 330 employees in Denver
The Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners call center is preparing to lay off the majority of its staff after seemingly losing out on the procurement of a new contract with Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). The nonprofit announced the upcoming permanent layoffs of 330 employees in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) listing on…
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Mental health — and care options — in Colorado remain ‘distressing’ after years in survival mode
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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Colorado no longer ranks as the worst state in the nation for the prevalence of mental illness and access to treatment for adults, a spot it held in the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report.— The recently released 2023 report from Mental Health…
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Colorado names new head of Office of Behavioral Health
The Colorado Department of Human Services announced Monday that Leora Joseph has been named director of the Office of Behavioral Health. The office was reconfigured after the legislature set up a new Behavioral Health Administration, which went into effect July 1. Previously, the OBH had oversight over community behavioral health services, including the Community Mental…
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Lawmakers seek audit of community mental health centers
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save The Legislative Audit Committee authorized the state auditor to draft a bill that would investigate 17 nonprofit community mental health centers that were granted “non-compete contracts and a privileged rate status for nearly 60 years, without meaningful oversight.” The audit was requested in January by…
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State mental health safety net is ‘failing’ Coloradans. Will planned reforms fix or further the problems?
This investigation is part of the ongoing “On Edge” series about Colorado’s mental health by the Colorado News Collaborative, the nonprofit that unites more than 160 communities and news outlets like ours to ensure quality news for all Coloradans. The series title reflects a state that has the nation’s highest rate of adult mental illness…