Secretary Haaland highlights conservation efforts, investments in rural and tribal communities during Colorado visit indiancountrytoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from indiancountrytoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Colorado spends more than a billion dollars a year on mental health and substance use care, but many of those who need help have a hard time navigating the system.
A bipartisan bill that Governor Jared Polis signed into law on April 22 lays the groundwork for a new government entity to manage the state’s myriad programs in one central place and streamline care. In September, Colorado’s Behavioral Health Task Force unanimously recommended the state establish such an agency as one of several strategies for reforming the state’s behavioral health-care system.
This new entity, the Behavioral Health Administration, won’t appear right away. But House Bill 21-1097 sponsored by Representatives Mary Young (a Democrat from Greeley) and Rod Pelton (a Republican from Cheyenne Wells), along with Senators Rhonda Fields (a Democrat from Aurora) and Bob Gardner (a Republican from Colorado Springs) directs the Colorado Department of Human Services to establish the BHA by July 2022. The BH
Denver Post Pool Photo
Gov. Jared Polis delivers his state of the state address in front of the House of Representatives at the Colorado state Capitol building on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Updated at 3:45 p.m.
Gov. Jared Polis told lawmakers during his annual state of the state that Colorado has been “bruised, battered, and shaken to its core” over the last year.
But with vaccines being rolled out and coronavirus case numbers dropping he sounded optimistic about what lies ahead.
“Coming out of this traumatic year, we can finally live up to our fullest potential to truly create a Colorado for all,” he said. “There’s a lot of work ahead. But we’re more than ready.”