I’m not sure how to explain it, as I still felt very welcome and no one said anything to make me feel otherwise, but it was clear – at least to me – that I didn’t necessarily belong, even though I was welcomed. I reflected on this feeling when I recently listened to “The Heart of the Matter: Belonging is an Antidote to Racism,” a conversation recently hosted by The Colorado Health Foundation.

In the coming months, we are asking people with lived experience and their family members to join us on this journey to reform our behavioral health system. While there are many stakeholders who participated in developing the recommendations resulting from the Behavioral Health Task Force, they were – for the most part – representatives who manage different pieces of the behavioral health system, such as providers, advocates, state and local government agencies, hospitals, and community-based organizations. We need people who are using the system to help us design it so that it works for people who need it. We’ve talked about this in different ways: engaging them, asking them to have a seat at the table, to meet with us, etc. But if we want to truly achieve equity, maybe we really need to ask: What does belonging mean for people who want or need behavioral health services?

Let’s find out together.

Onward, 
Summer Gathercole
Senior Advisor for Behavioral Health Transformation

HB 21-1097 directs the Colorado Department of Human Services to create a Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) by July 2022 and temporarily house it through November 2024. Colorado Representatives Mary Young (D-50) and Rod Pelton (R-65) and Senators Rhonda Fields (D-29) and Bob Gardner (R-12) are sponsoring the bill. 

BHA Equity Work Is Underway 

In addition to the Tribal Nations, CCC will convene a diverse group of users of the behavioral health system from across the State, including people with brain injuries or intellectual/developmental disabilities; people who identify as Black, Indigenous, Spanish speakers, LGBTQI+, deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind; veterans, older adults, youth/young adults, and parents/caregivers of children with complex behavioral needs; and those who have lived experience with violence, incarceration, or homelessness.

CCC is leveraging the existing relationships and support systems that advocacy and peer support organizations have with their constituents across the state. The focus of the spring co-creation sessions will be care coordination and developing a grievance policy to inform future planning efforts. If your organization, or you personally, is interested in representing your community, please contact Amy@intentionalinquiry.org.

Please take advantage of the following opportunities for you to share your ideas, questions and concerns regarding the functions of the BHA. Your contribution will help inform solutions on how the BHA can best meet the needs of stakeholders and most importantly Coloradans.

• Thursday, March 18 from 10:30 a.m. to noon MST. This virtual forum is open to all to join.
• Wednesday, March 24 from 3:45 to 5 p.m. MST. This forum is open to individuals, peers and family members with behavioral health lived experience

Colorado Public Radio: In Gunnison, Neighbors Step Up To Support Each Other Amid A Mental Health Crisis Only Made Worse By The Pandemic

Denver Gazette: Op-ed: Lower the barriers to mental health care

State of Reform: Colorado could soon have a Behavioral Health Administration

Colorado Sun: Coronavirus is straining Colorado kids’ mental health. The state hopes free counseling sessions will help.

Denver Post: One of our basic needs is each other”: Months of social isolation changed us. How do we get back what we lost?

 

9News anchor Jordan Chavez will moderate a conversation with OBH Director Robert Werthwein, Dana Licko, a small business owner from Denver, and Laura Negley of Eads, Colorado as they share their experiences with behavioral health conditions and ways they are successfully managing their mental health.

There are many ways to support this work:

• Join a work group! Current work groups include (1) Co-Occurring Disabilities and Behavioral Health; (2) Medicaid; (3) Private Insurance; and (4) Workforce. Sign up here! 

• Keep an eye on our webpage for upcoming meetings.

• Encourage friends and colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter.

• Send an idea or suggestion to cdhs_bhtf@state.co.us.