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.

Connecting Colorado to a Streamlined Network of Mental Health, Substance Use and Crisis Services

DENVER (July 9, 2025) – The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), today celebrated the launch of Colorado LIFTS (Linking Individuals and Families To Services). Colorado LIFTS is Colorado’s streamlined network of safety net behavioral health services, including crisis, substance use and mental health support. From today forward, anyone in Colorado, no matter their insurance status or where they live in the state, can connect directly with care navigation support to help them begin or continue their journey to whole-person health.

The behavioral health community gathered on the steps of the Capitol for a rally and resource fair, highlighting the kinds of services available through this streamlined network, which receives public funding, coordinated through newly created Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations, to provide low- or no-cost care to uninsured and underinsured people in Colorado.

“Since taking office, this administration has been committed to increasing behavioral health support for people across our great state. People deserve to have access to the care they need, when they need it. This new effort will help streamline services and break down barriers for Coloradans,” said Governor Jared Polis.

“Access to behavioral healthcare shouldn’t depend on your income, your zip code or your ability to navigate a complicated system,” said Lt. Governor and Director of the Office of Saving People Money on Health Care, Dianne Primavera. “With Colorado LIFTS, we’re breaking down those barriers and making it easier for people to get the care they need. This is a major step forward in our commitment to building a healthier, more accessible Colorado — where support is within reach for everyone.”

“With the launch of Colorado LIFTS, our state is leaping closer to a future where everyone in the state has easy access to high-quality behavioral healthcare. On Day One, all people in Colorado will now have a coordinated system to access when they need support navigating their way to the right care,” said BHA Commissioner Dannette R. Smith. “The first year of Colorado LIFTS will be all about identifying gaps in the system and working in close collaboration with our partners across the state to ensure that the Colorado LIFTS network can adapt over time to meet the unique and diverse needs of each community it serves.”

“We’re honored to help launch the Colorado LIFTS network as one of the first Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations,” said Meg Taylor, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Rocky Mountain Health Plans. “In its first year, Colorado LIFTS will focus on connecting people to care and working with providers and communities to build solutions that improve access to behavioral healthcare.”

“Change is one of the hardest things to achieve in healthcare, but thanks to theleadership of Governor Polis and Commissioner Smith, we have seen a commitment to addressing what has not been working in behavioral health,” said Daniel Darting, CEO of Signal. “It is an honor to play a role in creating the Colorado LIFTS network. As we enter this new era, we are committed to work each day to make access to high-quality care easier and better for the people of Colorado.”

There are three ways that uninsured or underinsured people in Colorado will be able to connect to low- or no-cost care in the Colorado LIFTS network: by calling the Colorado LIFTS care navigation line in their region, conducting their own search using the OwnPath Care Directory or receiving a screening from a Colorado LIFTS provider. Anyone seeking support with care navigation, including those with private insurance or Medicaid, can find their Colorado LIFTS care navigation phone number by entering their zip code at ownpath.co.

For more information, check out the Colorado LIFTS media toolkit and FAQs, or visit ownpath.co/about. A recording of the launch press conference is also available on YouTube.

The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is the state administration responsible for ensuring all people in Colorado have access to quality mental health and substance use disorder services, regardless of where they live, or ability to pay. As a regulatory body, BHA brings together community groups and governmental agencies to create a behavioral health system for all people in Colorado that is easy to access and offers high-quality care that considers the whole person and their needs. Find us online at https://bha.colorado.gov/.

The post BHA Launches Colorado LIFTS, Increases Access to Behavioral Health Support 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
June 25, 2025

DENVER, CO – Colorado Democrats passed legislation this year to ensure the state’s science-backed vaccine recommendations are protected in the event that federal guidance is undermined or overhauled.

“As a health care professional, following the science is non-negotiable. Science-based decision making should never be political, but unfortunately in this day and age we’re seeing misinformation and debunked studies weaponized in order to advance a dangerous public health agenda,” said Senator Kyle Mullica, D-Thornton. “That’s why this year we worked proactively to ensure that here in Colorado, we’re using well-informed recommendations about immunizations that keep our kids and communities protected. With this bill, we’re expanding CDPHE’s ability to incorporate recommendations from a broad group of trusted organizations that rely on science, not whoever happens to be in office.”

“Secretary Kennedy’s circulation of medical misinformation and the promotion of false information about vaccines has left many physicians and health care experts concerned about the long-term safety of our communities,” said Rep. Lindsay Gilchrist, D-Denver. “For years, I worked in the public health space, and I can say with confidence that vaccines are one of the best tools we have to fight disease and save lives. In the shadow of federal uncertainty, we stepped up to protect the health of our kids and community members, and under our law, Colorado can utilize vaccine recommendations from trusted organizations that follow the science.”

“For months, physicians have been fearful about what vaccine recommendations will come down from the federal government,” said Senator Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada. “Secretary Kennedy has been a longtime skeptic of vaccines and consistently chooses misinformation over science. Given his influence and the uncertainty in DC, we knew that we needed to take action to put science first and protect Colorado’s best interests. This legislation ensures that whatever happens federally, Colorado will continue to rely on scientific data that protects Colorado kids and builds healthier communities for us all.”

“Choosing science-based information to keep our kids safe shouldn’t be controversial, yet the Trump administration continues to unravel foundational health care tools trusted by doctors and public health experts,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville. “To protect the health and safety of Coloradans, our immunization policy must be driven by science, not misinformation. Under our law, Coloradans can rest assured knowing that their vaccine recommendations are coming from organizations that rely on fact-driven, scientific information to make their decisions.”

HB25-1027, sponsored by Senators Mullica and Daugherty, and Representatives Brown and Gilchrist, updates disease control statutes to direct the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to consider recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Physicians, in addition to federal guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Prior to this legislation, CDPHE only considered recommendations from the ACIP.

Earlier this month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired every member of the ACIP, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the safety, efficacy and clinical needs of vaccines. The newly-appointed ACIP is currently meeting to discuss the efficacy of several vaccines including: COVID-19, RSV, and Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (MMRV). The advisory committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on new recommendations regarding influenza and RSV vaccines. Secretary Kennedy has repeatedly spread widely-debunked misinformation linking vaccines with autism.

HB25-1027 also aims to improve health care outcomes by expanding patient access to testing for hepatitis C, which is currently difficult for many patients to obtain. Hepatitis C cases are on the rise nationally and in Colorado.

Democrats also passed SB25-196 to protect insurance coverage for preventive health care should the existing federal protections be repealed, dismantled, or disempowered. The new law gives state insurance agencies the authority to reinstate guidelines on preventive care from federal agencies that existed in January 2025, including from the ACIP.

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