Rocky Mountain High On Fixing Youth Mental Health Gap

Colorado legislators, caregivers, patients, and community members will assemble the Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force in August to allocate the $450 million dollars dedicated to behavioral health from the American Rescue Plan Act. As the Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency for youth mental health in June, transformational changes are desperately needed in the states mental healthcare system. Mental Health Colorado President and CEO suggests the funds be used to address homelessness, promote substance use harm reduction and recovery, and end the use of jails and prisons as de facto psychiatric facilities.