Colorado BH system reforming amid rising suicides, OD deaths

A bipartisan bill Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law April 22 lays the groundwork for a new government entity to manage the state's myriad programs in one central place and streamline care, Colorado Newsline reported April 26. 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 (BHA), won't appear right away. But House Bill 21‐1097 — sponsored by Reps. Mary Young (D‐Greeley) and Rod Pelton (R‐Cheyenne Wells), along with Sens. Rhonda Fields (D‐Aurora) and Bob Gardner (R‐Colorado Springs) — directs the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to establish the BHA by July 2022. The BHA will be part of the CDHS until November 2024, after which it may become a separate department in the state government. “An estimated 1 million Coloradans live with a behavioral health condition, and we know the compounding traumas of the last year have only worsened mental health and substance use challenges for many,” Polis said in a statement from the CDHS following the bill signing. “We need a system that can deliver timely, affordable and responsive services that truly put people first.” The new law directs the CDHS to come up with a plan to establish the BHA by Nov. 1. The plan must include recommendations for funding and additional legislation to set up the new entity, which state programs should be managed by the BHA, how the BHA should be structured and ways the BHA could collaborate with local governments.