mental health
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Colorado Coalition for the Homeless workers rally, citing low pay, high turnover
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Dozens of Colorado Coalition for the Homeless frontline workers and members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 105 rallied Thursday outside of a downtown CCH office building on north Broadway, calling on the nonprofit to address low wages and poor working conditions. The rally also comes on the heels of the city’s recent…
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Lawmakers, advocates seek reforms after cases expose gaps in Colorado’s competency system
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After a series of high-profile crimes throughout the state last spring and summer exposed gaps in Colorado’s legal system for individuals declared incompetent to stand trial, lawmakers and an advocacy organization are pushing for changes this year. Extensive media coverage of cases such as Solomon Galligan’s — a convicted sex offender arrested last year for…
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Aurora Mental Health and Recovery opens ‘one-stop’ facility for health, substance use care
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Aurora Mental Health and Recovery is opening a new facility that the organization said will provide “one-stop access” to mental healthcare and substance use care. AMHR’s Potomac Pavilion, a new 48,000-square-foot facility at 1290 S. Potomac St. in Aurora, is opening services to the public later this month. Kathie Snell, AMHR’s chief strategy and operations…
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Colorado Supreme Court reverses Jeffco judge’s order for fender-bender plaintiff to undergo mental evaluation
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The Colorado Supreme Court concluded on Monday that a Jefferson County judge improperly ordered a plaintiff in a personal injury case to sit for a mental health examination after the defendant’s experts suggested her injuries were actually psychological. The justices sided with plaintiff Spring Charlson, whose attorneys warned against allowing defense attorneys to delve into…
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Psychedelics are a safe, novel approach to Colorado’s mental health crisis | OPINION
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By Sarah Markey and Dafna Michaelson-Jenet We all have moments in which we experience feelings of anxiety and depression. This is part of what it means to be human in today’s world — there is no shortage of suffering. The problem arises when these feelings are no longer moments, but a prolonged, recurrent state of…
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Colorado justices ponder ‘gotcha’ for defendant after messy process impacted mental health evidence
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Some members of the Colorado Supreme Court were uncomfortable last week with letting a defendant’s murder conviction stand after a series of missteps resulted in a trial judge blocking jurors from hearing an expert’s assessment of the defendant’s mental health. Although the details were complicated, the legal issue was more streamlined: State law requires defendants…
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Colorado Supreme Court signals intervention in 4 ongoing cases
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The Colorado Supreme Court recently signaled that it may intervene in four cases from various trial courts, two criminal and two civil. At least four of the court’s seven members must agree to initiate the process of granting relief in a case outside the usual appellate procedure. The cases address an expert’s insight into child-parent…
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Parental rights group seeks to repeal competency law
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A group of parental rights advocates and Republican lawmakers is urging the Colorado legislature to repeal a 2024 law that made changes to the state’s competency procedures. Established over the summer, the group called We The Parents includes members of the Colorado Parental Advocacy Network and legislators from the more conservative wing of the Republican…
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Veteran suicide declines after years of focused prevention in El Paso County
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Editor’s note: Those who are in crisis or facing suicidal thoughts are encouraged to call the 988 crisis hotline. Former Marine Corps Sgt. Heath Miller was facing prison for theft when he decided to get clean. Like many others, his introduction to opioids started with a prescription. He received oxycodone while in the Marines to…
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Budget cuts threaten Youth Mental Health Corps for rural students
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In rural Colorado, a single school counselor can face impossible odds. With limited staff, students in crisis are at high risk of slipping through the cracks, and having their emotional, social, and academic needs unmet. At Moffat Schools in the San Luis Valley, school counselor Sarah DeLeon knows those challenges firsthand. “School counselors can be…
