mental health
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10th Circuit upholds violations, sanctions against Colorado Springs mental health hospital
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The Denver-based federal appeals court agreed earlier this month that the government properly cited and penalized a Colorado Springs psychiatric hospital for failing to protect its staff from known risks posed by patients. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspected Cedar Springs Hospital in 2019. OSHA then issued a citation alleging that Cedar Springs violated…
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Colorado lawmakers target ‘ghost networks’ to expand access to mental health care
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A few years ago, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance conducted a “secret shopper” survey on health insurance plans across six states, including Colorado. Of the 120 providers called, one-third were either inaccurately listed in the carrier database, out of service, or did not return the call. Only half of all calls to providers in…
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Coaches can help improve Colorado kids’ mental health | OPINION
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By Vincent Atchity and Mark Allen Colorado’s kids need help. Last summer, Children’s Hospital Colorado reported a 26% spike in emergency room visits for youth mental health concerns. Doctors told reporters it wasn’t just more overall hospital visits — kids’ struggles were also more severe and more acute. We’ve made real progress since 2021, when…
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Colorado needs to modernize mental health treatment | PODIUM
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By Dafna Michaelson-Jenet and Sean Camacho Our country is in the midst of a mental health crisis. Nearly one in five adults in the United States is living with anxiety, depression, or another serious mental health condition. These are debilitating diseases that oftentimes go undiagnosed, significantly decreasing quality of life and carrying a heavy economic…
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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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Governor, legislators, advocates seek changes 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…