Mental Health Colorado Kicks Off Listening Tour
PUEBLO, Colo. (CBS4) - An advocate group for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders kicked off a statewide listening tour on Wednesday. It's an effort to engage more citizens in the attempt to break through barriers to mental health care.
Mental Health Colorado held their first "Conversation with Colorado" in Pueblo. Problems from waiting too long for appointments to insurance issues, cost, and not knowing how to navigate the system all came up.
The event allows participants to discuss the problems they've experienced in accessing or providing mental health care, and work to explore the most promising solutions. The goal is to build a plan to make Colorado a national leader in addressing mental health and substance use disorders.
Mental Health Colorado says over a million Coloradans experience a mental health or substance use disorder each year. The majority goes without treatment, and Colorado's high suicide rate is one of the results.
"We know what can happen when we don't treat mental illness," said Mental Health Colorado President and CEO Andrew Romanoff. "It's time to change course."
"Conversation with Colorado" will stop in Greeley in, Fort Collins in June, Colorado Springs in July, Brighton in August, Grand Junction in September, and Aurora in October.
