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A new walk-in program provides immediate, in-person support for urgent mental health and substance use needs for anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, whether or not they are an existing client, or speak English. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Mental health urgent-care facility now available in northeast Boulder

Boulder and Broomfield County residents can now access mental health services the same way they can access urgent medical care. Dr. Nadia Haddad…

Colorado's community mental health centers provide a wide range of behavioral health services to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. (Adobe Stock)

Filling behavioral care gaps for Coloradans with acute mental illness

Behavioral health providers in the Denver metro area are tapping new technologies to ensure people with acute mental health needs don't fall through t…

The stigma around mental health issues continues to be a barrier for many to access care. (Adobe Stock)

Getting help to San Luis Valley residents with severe mental illness and addiction

Coloradans struggling with persistent and severe mental illness in the San Luis Valley are getting special outreach and support, and that effort is …

The Fort Lyon campus has a long history in Colorado, dating back to 1860 as a military post, veterans hospital, neuropsychiatric facility, and state correctional facility. (Alexis Whitham)

Fort Lyon celebrates 10 years of recovery-based housing

It's been ten years since Fort Lyon, a 19th century military post in rural Bent county, opened its doors to people experiencing homelessness with …

Intimate-partner violence includes violence, abuse and controlling behavior committed by a partner or former partner. It can result in long-lasting adverse mental-health outcomes, and is a leading cause of homelessness and housing instability. (Adobe Stock)

Housing First Model Helps Domestic-Violence Survivors

Victims of domestic violence who are able to access housing -- at their own pace, and with support for as long as the survivor needs help -- …

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics help patients navigate the intersections between behavioral health care, physical health care, social services and other programs. (Adobe Stock)

Clinics Improving Mental and Behavioral Health Standards

A state-federal partnership is helping safety-net mental health centers in Colorado deepen the services they provide, which is improving access and …

Among adults in Colorado who reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, 28.7% reported needing counseling or therapy but not receiving it in the past four weeks. (Adobe Stock)

Telehealth Expands Access to Mental Health Services in CO

The COVID public health emergency created a spike in the adoption of a wide range of telehealth services, and Coloradans are continuing to access …

Young people are learning how to get their peers to open up about mental health and substance use challenges, and how to connect them with trusted adults and mental health professionals. (Adobe Stock)

Tapping Teens to Connect Youth in Mental Distress with Support

One in five teens in the U.S. will experience a mental health challenge before they turn 18, but 64% of them won't seek help. A new training program …

One in three Coloradans age 65 and older face significant housing cost burdens, according to a new report. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado Ranks 3rd Nationally for Senior Health Outcomes

Colorado ranks third nationally when it comes to caring for its most vulnerable adults, according to a new UnitedHealthcare report. The strong …

A new training program developed by the High Plains Research Network Community Advisory Council is helping community members intervene and prevent suicides in rural areas across Colorado. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado's Rural Communities Mobilizing to Prevent Suicide

Community advisory committees across rural Colorado are working to better understand the mental-health needs for community members including farmers…

It costs taxpayers $13,400 to provide supportive housing per person each year, compared with between $21,000 and $40,000 for medical care, incarceration, detox treatment and shelter services. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Denver Mayoral Candidates Off the Mark on Homeless Crisis

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness are pushing back against proposals by several Denver mayoral candidates who are including forced mental…

Stigma continues to be one of the biggest barriers for addressing mental health, and telehealth provides a confidential option. (Adobe Stock)

Post-Pandemic Telehealth Visits Remain High for Mental Health

The use of telehealth has dropped since its peak during the height of the COVID-19 public health emergency, but more Coloradans continue to opt for …

Since 1999, the number of opiate-related deaths has increased every year, and overdoses have risen by 44% since the onset of the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

Moving Opioid Treatment into Primary Care to Expand Access

Each year some 68,000 people in Colorado and across the U.S. die from opiate overdoses, largely due to lack of treatment, and federally qualified …

Across the nation, one in five children is living with a mental health disorder, but fewer than half will ever receive treatment. (Adobe Stock)

Moving the Needle on Children’s Mental Health

Children's Hospital Colorado has increased its mental-health inpatient, outpatient and day services by more than 50% to address what it called a …

At least 269 people experiencing homelessness passed away in Denver in 2021, an increase from the previous year. (Adobe Stock)

New Health Center Serves Homeless-Shelter Residents Onsite

People experiencing homelessness in Denver can now access medical and behavioral care at a new health center set up inside a shelter operated by Denve…

In 2021, the Pueblo Community Health Center delivered one out of every three babies born in Pueblo County. (Adobe Stock)

New "Green" Health Center Expands Access in East Pueblo

When the Pueblo Community Health Center opened its 14,000 square-foot facility in 2003, Pueblo's east side, home to mostly minority residents…

Parents' poor mental health due to pandemic-related disruptions can be a contributing factor in negative mental-health outcomes for children. (Pixabay)

Helping Children Navigate Through Trauma

DENVER, Colo. -- School closures, social isolation, gaps in health-care access and other pandemic-related disruptions have taken a toll on children's …

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveys found that 38% of respondents reported symptoms of anxiety or depression from April 2020 through last February, up from 11% in 2019. (Pixabay)

Need for Mental, Substance-Abuse Treatment Increased During COVID

FORT LUPTON, Colo. -- Suicide rates, overdoses and substance abuse all are on the rise since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a …

A recent study by the Food and Drug Administration found that a quarter of all high school students used e-cigarettes in 2019, up five percentage points from last year. (TBEC Review/Wikimedia Commons)

Study: E-Cigs Could Be More Dangerous Than Traditional

DENVER — In the wake of recent reports of fatal lung illness connected with the use of e-cigarettes, new research seems to confirm concerns …

A 2018 survey of 1,800 Coloradans found LGBT Coloradans experience increased rates of stress compared with the general population. (Pixabay)

Report Spotlights Challenges Facing LGBT Coloradans

DENVER – Colorado's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents face unfair and avoidable challenges when it comes to financial stability…

Studies show that people who struggle with depression during the winter months can sometimes improve their symptoms with frequent exposure to bright light or sunshine. (pawelkozera/Pixabay)

Addressing Holiday Depression and Stress

DENVER – While many people look forward to holiday festivities with friends and family, for others this time of year can intensify stress…

More than 10 times as many Americans are now imprisoned for drug offenses than in 1980. (Pixabay)

Study Shows Harsher Sentences Don’t Stop Drug Use

DENVER – A new, 50-state study finds that putting more people in jail for drug offenses doesn't reduce drug use or overdose deaths. President …

Colorado continues to struggle to improve access to mental and behavioral health care. (Pixabay)

Colorado Slow in Progress on Behavioral Health Care

DENVER — As the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo continues to struggle with staffing shortages and rising caseloads, a program in …

In 2015, 33,000 lives were lost due to opioids in the United States, and community health centers are exploring alternative treatments. (Getty Images)

Health Centers to Offer Opioid-Alternatives for Pain Management

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado's community health centers are going back in time to help blunt what has been called an opioid epidemic…

En 2015 se perdieron 33 mil vidas en los Estados Unidos por opioides, y unas 91 personas mueren cada d�a. (Getty Images)

Centros de Salud ofrecen alternativas no-opioides para manejar dolor

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - Los centros comunitarios de salud de Colorado (Colorado Community Health Centers) están regresando el tiempo y …

Industry groups topped individual contributors in Colorado's ballot battles over health care, cigarette taxes and constitutional amendments. (Pixabay)

Following Money Behind Colorado's Ballot Battles

DENVER – Coloradans for Coloradans, the group working to defeat Amendment 69 on the statewide ballot, a measure that would create a universal …

One in four people nationally has a mental health or substance-use disorder. (Pixabay)

Tackling Mental Health on November's Ballot

DENVER -- Two measures on the November ballot could affect how Colorado delivers behavioral and mental health care to residents across the state…

For people suffering from mental health issues, stigma is a major barrier to seeking help. (Pixabay)

Study: Even When Help is Just a Click Away, Stigma Still a Roadblock

DENVER - For people struggling with mental health issues, stigma is a major barrier to seeking help, according to a new Iowa State University report…

A statewide listening tour heads to Greeley Tuesday, May 24 in an effort to learn more about barriers to accessing mental health care. (Counselling/Pixabay)

Conversation on Mental Health Moves to Greeley

DENVER - Mental Health Colorado is bringing its statewide listening tour to Greeley on May 24 in an effort to engage more residents in breaking throu…

Un Tour Estatal para Escuchar se dirige a Greeley, donde estar� el 24 de mayo para averiguar m�s sobre las barreras que hay para recibir atenci�n a la salud mental. (Counselling/Pixabay)

La "Conversación sobre Salud Mental" se dirige a Greeley

DENVER – El Tour Estatal “Conversation with Colorado” (Conversación con Colorado), cuya finalidad es escuchar, se dirigirá…

A new bill to protect minors from conversion therapy cleared the Colorado House on Thursday. According to the group One Colorado, LGBT youth are six times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. (Pixabay)

Ban on Conversion Therapy Clears Colorado House

DENVER - A bill that would ban mental-health professionals licensed in Colorado from engaging in so-called "conversion therapy" with a patient younger…

Behavioral-health advocates are meeting with elected officials today to put a face to mental illness and substance abuse in the state. (Irais Esparza/Wikimedia Commons)

Families Push Legislators to Tackle Mental, Substance-Use Disorders

DENVER - Mental Health America of Colorado is hosting its 23rd annual lobby day today in Denver. Andrew Romanoff, the group's president and CEO…

New research indicates such distractions as mobile phone use that interrupt a parent's care and bonding time with infants may impair a child's brain development. (Galatas Stock Image)

Parent Cell Phone Use Could Disrupt Child Brain Development

DENVER – Parents, put down your smartphones when you're taking care of your baby. That's the message from University of California …

ColoradoCare's Amendment 69 on next year's ballot promises to cover more residents than the Affordable Care Act at a lower cost to consumers. (Jeremy Campbell/Wikimedia Commons)

Universal Health Care Ballot Initiative Wins Ally in Colorado

DENVER - One of the state's leading non-partisan voices has endorsed ColoradoCare, a health care plan on next year's November ballot. Barb Mattison…

PHOTO: A bill that would make driving under the influence a felony on a fourth conviction is getting bipartisan support in the state Legislature. Photo Credit: Bev Sykes/Wikimedia Commons.

Felony DUI Bill Moves Forward in Colorado

DENVER - Lawmakers have advanced a bill that would make a fourth DUI conviction a class-4 felony. The original proposal was amended after it became …

PHOTO: Colorado continues to work with the cannabis industry to make sure proper rules and safety guidelines are in place. Photo courtesy of the Cannabis Business Alliance.

Legalization Check-in: Colorado and Cannabis Industry Work Together

DENVER - Colorado continues to work with the cannabis industry to make sure rules and safety guidelines are in place, six months after the …

FOTO: Hacer divertida la Educaci�n F�sica es la estrategia que sigue la Escuela Media de Pagosa Springs, Ha sido nombrada como una de las

Para las “Escuelas Campeonas de la Salud” de CO es un maratón, no una carrera

PAGOSA SPRINGS, Colo. – Las escuelas de Colorado están siendo premiadas por ser "Campeonas" en materia de salud y bienestar. Sus esfuerzos…

PHOTO: It's estimated that about one in six adults in the U.S. drinks

Excessive Drinking in Colorado Costs Billions

DENVER - At least 38 million Americans drink too much, according to a new report from the CDC, and experts say the costs and dangers of binge …

Gr�fico: �Y si Colorado fuera el N�mero 1? Cortes�a de Colorado Health Foundation.

¿Y si Colorado fuera el Número 1?

DENVER – La Colorado Heath Foundation (Fundación de la Salud de Colorado) publica hoy su Colorado Health Report Card (Reporte Anual Informa…

35 Years at the Center: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

DENVER - The GLBT Community Center of Colorado turns 35 years old this year - and they're putting on the black tie and rolling out the red carpet…

Environmental Health Risks: Not Just Cancer

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A recent report delivered to President Obama by a special panel appointed by President Bush warned that the risk of cancer from …

New Report: Tobacco Use Impairs Military Readiness

COLORADO SPRINGS - The days when American soldiers got cigarettes with their food rations are long gone, but the military still has higher smoking …

Troopers Urge Safe, Smart and Sober Driving During This Deadly Week

Do what you can to be sure the only crashes and bangs you hear this week come from fireworks. That's the message from the Colorado State Troopers…

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