Democratic legislators seek to save a mental health program for young people, arguing the results show the spending is worth it.   

Without legislative approval, I Matter, which is temporary, will expire on June 30.

Sponsored by Democrats Sen. Dafna Michaelson Jenet and Rep. Kyle Brown, Senate Bill 24-001, the chamber’s first bill of the session, would make I Matter, which provides up to six free therapy sessions annually to youth, permanent.

Michaelson Jenet said the positive results I Matter already accrued are too important to discontinue the program.

“We are the only state in the nation offering up to six free therapy sessions for youth,” said the Commerce City legislator. “We are going in the right direction. (Youth) suicide rates have decreased for the first time in a decade.”

The Colorado 2023 Kids Count report showed that in 2022, 56 teenagers and 17 younger children died by suicide, a 30% decrease from the year before.

Over the last decade, Colorado has been one of the top states in the nation for youth suicides.

Making I Matter permanent comes with a price tag. While the proposed 2024 bill does not break down costs, Michaelson Jenet said the state has spent around $9 million to get the “temporary” program going.

To make the program permanent, Michaelson Jenet told Colorado Politics she expects it would cost the state General Fund just over $3 million.

However, the costliest part of the program is paying providers, which is just over $6 million a year, according to a budget breakdown of the bill passed by the legislature in 2021.

The state has contracted with 93 agencies and 215 clinicians to provide free therapy sessions. Sixteen of the clinicians are Spanish speaking. I Matter is now available in all 64 counties and utilized to some degree in 62.

Maintaining I Matter already received support from the state’s top officials.

During his Jan. 11 State of the State address, Gov. Jared Polis praised the program, saying it’s successful and adding that Colorado must continue prioritizing mental health.

“Our budget calls for more support for behavioral health and autism care for youth, expanded care for youth facing acute behavioral health challenges, investment in mental health support for our rural and agricultural communities, and those involved in the criminal justice system,” he said.

In 2023, I Matter – which assists youth up to 18 years old and up to 21 for those under the special education program –  provided therapy services to 7,933 young people, according to the required bi-annual report from the state’s Behavioral Health Administration released in June last year.

Of the nearly 8,000 youth that benefited from the program through June, the behavioral health department reported that 5,024 got three or more state-funded therapy sessions, and 2,422 received all six.

The bulk of these sessions, 76%, have been provided via telehealth or conducted online. In-person therapy sessions made up 24%.

For all of 2023, the program helped 10,899 youth. Since implementation in 2021, Michaelson Jenet’s office said more than 50,000 youth have received services.

The I Matter program was developed during the 2020 pandemic, but the state’s mental health crisis for youth started years before, dating back to at least 2016. In 2021, Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a mental health emergency following the surge of suicide attempts and stressed that pediatric emergency rooms were getting more patients presenting with behavioral health issues than physical injury.

In the coming year, Michaelson Jenet said more young people will need I Matter, as more vulnerable youth are identified in another state-funded program.

The state legislature passed House Bill 23-1003, creating a $2.8 million school mental health assessment program where sixth and 12th grade students can receive mental health screenings through the state’s Behavioral Health Department though 2025.

As students needing added therapy are identified, Michaelson Jenet said not all parents carry insurance that will cover recommended therapy sessions and this is where I Matter becomes a vital program because it will provide up to six free sessions to the students.