Editor’s Note: Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

988 Colorado Engages with Communities Statewide for Awareness of Mental Health Resources

Sept. 5, 2025

DENVER, CO- Governor Jared Polis has proclaimed Sept. 8, 2025, as 988 Colorado Mental Health Line Day in Colorado, part of the ongoing effort to raise awareness of the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line (988 Colorado). September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to emphasize the importance of prioritizing mental health, recognizing the warning signs for suicide and promoting mental health resources and support. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), in Colorado last year there were 20.83 suicide deaths per 100,000. To facilitate connections and encourage open conversations this month, 988 Colorado is engaging in-person with communities across the state.

988 Colorado is the state’s primary crisis and mental health line, connected to a national network of local contact centers offering free and confidential assistance to people feeling overwhelmed, panicked or out of control, to experiencing suicidal thoughts or anything in between. Anyone seeking mental health support can call or text 988 or live chat 988Colorado.com for free, 24/7.

“Our work to ensure every Coloradan has access to high-quality health care includes access to necessary mental health support. 988 Colorado is an important resource for many Coloradans and remains a critical part of Coloradans’ health care network, helping us to thrive. I encourage Coloradans to call 988 if you need support,” said Governor Polis.

“988 Colorado is more than a phone number. It’s a movement to build a culture of mental health support across our state. Whether through high-profile activations, statewide campaigns, or one-on-one conversations, we are committed to ensuring that every person in Colorado knows that help is just three digits away,” said 988 Colorado Director Gordon Coombes.

988 Colorado September Events: Meeting People Where They Are

In advance of 988 Colorado Mental Health Line Day, and throughout the month of September, 988 Colorado will be showing up in communities to meet people where they are and lift up voices representing our diverse population.

• Sept. 6: 988 Colorado is partnering with Colorado State University (CSU) Rams Athletics for the home-opening football game at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins against the University of Northern Colorado. The game also coincides with Ag Day at CSU, presenting a powerful opportunity to connect Colorado’s agricultural community. 988 Colorado will have a pop-up 988 Radio Lounge with special appearances by CSU student athletes to engage people in a positive, approachable way.

“College can feel like a constant state of pressure. Whether it’s classes, practices, or just life, it can be a lot. Talking about what you’re going through isn’t weakness, it’s strength. It’s okay to not be okay,” said Charlie Dortch, CSU basketball player.

• Sept. 6: 988 Colorado and Southern Ute Behavioral Health will host the 988 Youth Skatedeck Art Paint Party from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Local youth are encouraged to attend this community event to paint their own skateboard deck. The youth artwork will be created into stickers and displayed in community spaces. Supplies, food and beverages will be provided.

• Sept. 7: 988 Colorado will support Fiestas Patrias at Arapahoe Park, a community event with booths, food and live music from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

• Sept. 8: 988 Colorado will mark 988 Colorado Mental Health Line Day with a video campaign sharing voices from around the state about why mental health matters and why 988 Colorado is so important. On September 8, visit 988 Colorado Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts to see this video.

• Sept.13: 988 Colorado will support the community at Denver’s Out of Darkness Walk at Berkeley Lake Park starting at 9:00 a.m. This family-friendly event raises awareness for suicide prevention and honors lives lost to suicide.

Recognize the Warning Signs

• Eating or sleeping too much or too little

• Feeling like you have to keep busy

• Excessive smoking, drinking, or using drugs, including prescription medications

• Lack of energy or always feeling tired

• Trouble focusing or remembering

• Anger, feeling edgy, or lashing out at others

• Changes in behavior like isolating or taking risks

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 or visit 988Colorado.com to live chat.

Media Resources

• 988 Colorado Dashboard: Provides members of the public with usage information.

• 988 Colorado Media Kit: Assets in English and Spanish to help build awareness for 988 Colorado. Includes Official Proclamation for 988 Colorado Mental Health Line Day, logos and messages to accompany stories pertaining to mental health.

About the 988 Colorado Mental Health Line

The 988 Colorado Mental Health Line (988 Colorado) is the easy-to-remember three-digit number that allows anyone concerned about an emotional, mental health or substance use concern to be immediately connected with a trained specialist who will listen without judgment. 988 is free, confidential and available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 or visit 988Colorado.com to live chat.

About the 988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise

In preparation for the launch of 988 in Colorado, Senate Bill 21-154 established the 988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise in the Department to:

• Impose a 988 surcharge and a prepaid wireless 988 charge;

• Fund the 988 crisis hotline;

• Work with third parties to provide crisis outreach, stabilization, and acute care;

• Authorize and issue revenue bonds payable from the newly created 988 Crisis Hotline Cash Fund; and

• Adopt, amend, or repeal policies to regulate its affairs.

The enterprise is governed by a board of directors appointed by the Governor.

The post Governor Polis Proclaims September 8 as 988 Colorado Mental Health Line Day appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s Note: Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2025

Democrats championed a host of legislation during the 2025 legislative session to support military-connected Coloradans

DENVER, CO – Three laws spearheaded by Colorado Democrats to support Colorado’s veterans and their families will go into effect August 6, 2025.

HB25-1132, sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen, D-Pueblo, and Jeff Bridges, D-Arapahoe County, and Representatives Sean Camacho, D-Denver, and Rebekah Stewart, D-Lakewood, allows funding allocated through Proposition KK, approved by voters last November, to fund eligible non-profit organizations that offer community-based mental health services to veterans and their families. To be eligible, organizations must offer evidence-based practices, provide proper competency training to staff and have established verifiable community partnerships. The bill also expands veterans’ access to complementary services, such as acupuncture and massage therapy, by directing available funds to providers.

“Since my time in the Army, I’ve become intimately familiar with the critical need for community-focused mental health services for veterans,” Hinrichsen said. “Our veterans and their families gave everything they had to protect and serve our country, and they deserve all the life-saving support we can give in return.”

“As a member of the Air Force, I have seen firsthand how military veterans and their families can struggle to access proper health care for their behavioral health issues,” said Camacho. “Voters approved Prop KK to boost funding for crime victim programs, public safety grants, and behavioral health crisis services just like the one this law funds. Military members and veterans need quality health care, and this law will boost lifesaving behavioral health support for Colorado heroes and their loved ones by implementing the will of the voters.”

“Too many of our state’s veterans struggle with PTSD, anxiety, and other life-altering mental health conditions without access to proper treatment,” Bridges said. “Voters approved Prop KK, which boosts funding for crime victim programs, public safety grants, and behavioral health services like the ones supported by this bill. This legislation provides crucial support for our service members while implementing the will of the voters.”

“Far too many military members and veterans suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and other behavioral health struggles that impact their day-to-day life without the proper treatment,” said Stewart. “With this law going into effect, we can fund community behavioral health programs and other beneficial services, improving access to the behavioral health care that veterans and their families deserve.”

HB25-1132 follows a law passed by Colorado Democrats referring a ballot measure to voters in the November 2024 election to create a new excise tax on the sale of firearms sold by gun dealers, gun manufacturers, and ammunition vendors to fund the Colorado Crime Victim Services Fund, Behavioral Health Administration, and school safety efforts. Nearly 54.5 percent of Colorado voters approved Prop KK to bolster crime victim support and behavioral health programs.

SB25-073, sponsored by Senator Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Rep. Matthew Martinez, D-Monte Vista, clarifies that Colorado students with disabilities who are children of active duty military members are entitled to the same rights to open enrollment and guaranteed matriculation as any student who lives in the public school district. It also requires school districts and charter schools to ensure those students receive the appropriate services.

“Changing schools and hopping from one military base to the next is difficult enough, and a lack of timely access to disability services exacerbates those difficulties tenfold,” said Marchman. “No child should be deprived of access to the educational pathways they need because of their background or ability. This law gives them the support they need to seize every opportunity available to them and ensure every student has the potential to succeed.”

“As a veteran and an educator, I’m excited that our new law is going into effect to break down barriers to education for students in military families,” said Martinez. “It’s very common for military families to move around every few years, and students suffer when unnecessary administrative delays prevent them from accessing the programs they need to succeed. I’m proud to have sponsored this bipartisan law that will streamline the process for military-connected children with disabilities to transition into Colorado schools to better support students and their families.”

SB25-282, sponsored by Senator Matt Ball, D-Denver, and Representative Lisa Feret, D-Arvada, protects veterans from unaccredited consultants, often called “claim sharks,” who charge money to help navigate the application process to receive benefits from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).

The law mirrors regulations the federal government uses to regulate Social Security benefits from the Social Security Administration. It requires that businesses must unambiguously notify veterans that they can receive the same services for free from the DMVA, clearly state that they are not affiliated with the DMVA, and limit the amount of money consultants can receive from veterans’ back pay.

“Too often, those who have bravely served our country are misled into paying thousands of dollars in fees and even going into debt for services they receive for free from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs,” Ball said. “Without preventing honest consultants in the industry from doing business, this law will address the backlog in claims from the DMVA while cracking down on bad actors who mislead and defraud our nation’s veterans.”

“My fellow veterans deserve fair and safe access to services that help them get benefits they earned through their service and sacrifice for our country,” said Feret. “‘Claim sharks’ rake in millions of dollars each year from excessive fees on service members’ disability claims, sometimes when they don’t even win. Our law helps create guidelines in this unregulated space to protect disabled veterans while allowing companies to address the backlog of disability claims. I will not back down as dark money groups try to scam veterans who put their lives on the line for our country.”

The post Trio of Bills to Support Veterans and Their Families Go Into Effect appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s Note: Press Releases are provided to Yellow Scene. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), a new state entity to lead, promote and administer the state’s behavioral health priorities beginning July 1, announced the names of five individuals selected to participate in the College for Behavioral Health Leadership’s Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program pilot this spring. The program’s goal is to empower and equip leaders to take bold action to unravel systemic racism and create equitable behavioral health systems in their communities. The five individuals will join a broader cohort of cross-sector leaders from across the country who will spend the next six months providing feedback in real time to refine and co-create this groundbreaking program.

“Equity is at the center of our work as we set up the BHA, and we were thrilled with the tremendous response we received to our request for applications,” said newly appointed BHA Commissioner Dr. Morgan Medlock, who is experienced in developing curricula, as well as writing and teaching about how to achieve health equity for minority communities. “We know we have a lot to accomplish in terms of addressing racism, economic inequality and other structural determinants of health, and we are grateful to our partners for their commitment to ensuring the behavioral health system we create in Colorado truly puts all people in Colorado first.” 

The Equity Fellows will each have personal goals and benefit from individualized coaching as they progress through this program. This initiative is designed to empower participants to step into their own communities as change agents for dismantling systemic racism, and to equip them as they take actions to create equitable systems. Each fellow will have the opportunity to learn and apply skills in a collaborative in-person and virtual environment. They will also develop solutions complementary to or in support of existing efforts in their organizations, communities or regions.

The five Equity Fellows are from urban and rural (mountain and plains) communities, and represent a diverse and inclusive group of individuals with experience offering multicultural and gender-affirming care:

     Marco Antillon (El Paso County) is a licensed marriage and family therapist who brings lived experience in the intersections of culture/race/privilege/education to his work. Marco currently oversees the areas of human resources, marketing and communication strategy, community relations and business development, and compliance for Diversus Health.

     Brad Barfield (Denver County) is a program manager with Envision:You overseeing programming for queer and questioning youth; LGBTQ+ folks living in rural Colorado; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives; and grant-writing. As a queer biracial person in recovery, Brad is passionate about creating culturally responsive and affirming resources for the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.

     Lesley Brooks, M.D. (Larimer County) is the chief of addiction medicine for SummitStone Health Partners and the assistant medical director for the North Colorado Health Alliance. She is a board-certified family physician and has practiced full-scope family medicine, including prenatal care, chronic pain, and substance use disorder/addiction in Northern Colorado for more than a decade.

    Michelle Colarelli, Psy.D. (Pueblo County) has been with the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo for 25 years working with individuals who have concurrent substance abuse and trauma histories. Michelle is passionate about educating providers on culturally responsible practice and cultural humility, as well as the need for strong voices and advocacy within forensic behavioral health.

    Alexandra Hulst, Ph.D. (Mesa County) works for Rocky Mountain Health Plans as a clinical program manager specializing in integrated behavioral health, where she has coached more than 40 practices across Western Colorado in best practices to support integrated care. Since 2012, she has provided therapy for individuals, couples and families in various primary and specialty care settings.

The Behavioral Health Administration will be partially operational by July 1 and will be the lead entity, collaborating across state agencies and payers, implementing a transparent and accountable system that ensures Coloradans’ lives are enriched when they interact with our state’s behavioral health system.

The post Fellows Named to National Equity-Grounded Behavioral Health Leadership Program appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.