behavioral health
-
58 lawmakers get perfect score from Mental Health Colorado, 3 get zeros
—
by
More than half of Colorado lawmakers received perfect scores for their work addressing mental health issues during the 2023 legislative session. The advocacy organization Mental Health Colorado released its annual legislative scorecard on Thursday. In addition to grading each lawmaker, the report applauded the session, as a whole, for taking steps to “remove systemic barriers…
-
Colorado passes first legislation for eating disorder prevention — with some rollbacks
—
by
For the first time in state history, the Colorado legislature last week passed measures to specifically address the issue of eating disorders. If signed into law by the governor, Senate Bill 14 will create a statewide program to educate and maintain a resource bank on disordered eating research, prevention, intervention and treatments. Senate Bill 176 will prohibit insurance providers…
-
Proposal for mental health screenings in middle, high schools sent to Polis
—
by
Colorado schools could soon offer mental health screenings to sixth through 12th graders if a bill that cleared the General Assembly is signed into law. House Bill 1003 would create a mental health assessment program for Colorado middle and high school students, allowing schools to opt-in to identify mental health concerns and refer students to support…
-
Polis signs Bradfield’s prescriptive authority for psychologists bill | FOCUS ON THE SPRINGS
—
by
Psychologists working in Colorado will soon be eligible to apply to prescribe mental health medications to their patients, thanks to House Bill 1071 from Colorado Springs’ Rep. Mary Bradfield. Currently, if a psychologist providing therapy or counseling decides their patient needs medication such as antidepressants, they must refer the patient to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to get a…
-
Colorado legislature OKs allowing psychologists to prescribe medication
—
by
A bill to certify psychologists to prescribe and administer psychotropic medications passed the Colorado legislature Thursday, now only needing the governor’s approval to go into law. Currently, if a psychologist providing therapy or counseling decides their patient needs medication such as antidepressants, they must refer the patient to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to get…
-
Committee advances bill to let psychologists prescribe medications in Colorado
—
by
A Colorado legislative committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would allow licensed psychologists be certified to prescribe and administer psychotropic medications. Currently, if a psychologist providing therapy or counseling decides their patient needs medication such as antidepressants, they must refer the patient to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to get a prescription. But due to…
-
Proposal to add suicide hotlines to college student IDs advances
—
by
In Colorado, suicide is the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults. Lawmakers want to help address this with one small change. If passed, House Bill 1007 would require higher education institutions to print the numbers of suicide hotlines on the back of their student identification cards. Bill sponsor Rep. Judy Amabile, D-Boulder,…
-
Gov. Polis pledges to improve school safety at state summit
—
by
Gov. Jared Polis vowed to improve students’ mental and physical safety in classrooms while speaking at Colorado’s annual School Safety Summit on Thursday. Colorado is no stranger to school tragedies, from the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, to the STEM School Highlands Ranch mass shooting in 2019, to the string of shootings outside of Aurora…
-
2022 SESSION: CONFRONTING CRISES | Actions of the 2022 General Assembly
—
by
2022 offered legislators the first real opportunity to set an ambitious agenda after two years of limping through the global pandemic, but Colorado’s emergence out of the COVID-19 crisis also unleashed a torrent of challenges. There were many familiar problems, such as housing, behavioral health and wildfires, as well as new ones, notably soaring inflation…
-
Polis signs bill to create 125 more behavioral health beds
—
by
Gov. Jared Polis signed into law Wednesday a measure that sets the stage for creating at least 125 more inpatient beds for Coloradans with severe mental illnesses. The law, passed with overwhelming support in both the House and Senate, requires the human services and health departments to “create, develop or contract” at least 125 new…
