January 2023

With the 2023 Legislative Session underway, Mental Health Colorado is ready for the new year. Check out some of our updates & opportunities below and be sure to stay tuned for this monthly newsletter throughout the coming year!

Brain Wave Policy Corner

• Over 300 bills have been introduced since the 2023 legislative session began, many of which address behavioral health.

• The following webpage hosts Mental Health Colorado's positions: www.mentalhealthcolorado.org/2023legislation

Click here for more info on our current political landscape, statewide & nationally.

Earlier this month, Mental Health Colorado hosted its first webinar of 2023 on this year's legislative session. Our team discussed the current political and legislative landscape, our legislative priorities, and how you can get involved.

Click here to access the webinar recording.

This year's Legislative Education & Advocacy Day (LEAD) will take place during our first ever 3-day advocacy event.

This multi-day event will include (1) an educational webinar to discuss Mental Health Colorado's policy agenda, (2) our signature, virtual LEAD program featuring local legislators and a panel and keynote speaker with lived experience, and (3) an opportunity to join us in person at the Capitol to share your story with policymakers.

#CareNotCuffs - Monthly Reports & Updates
 

Every month, Mental Health Colorado convenes our Monthly Reports & Updates meeting with fellow Coloradans across the state who are working to disentangle mental health and criminal justice. Each meeting features different speakers who share information on their respective efforts. The first meeting of 2023 featured a presentation by Mental Health Colorado's CEO & President, on the goals for our #CareNotCuffs campaign in the coming year.

Access the recording here: https://marketing.mentalhealthcolorado.org/e/972023/updates-cjmh/b9fb8/235224415?h=d7rM5CMyA0uheQ1RDtklL8ziGR6cCaiWslf0UwvC1Tw

'A Look Within' Collaborate Art Exhibit by Owen Braley

"A Look Within is a collaborative art show that explores mental health and the way we see ourselves. Using art as a conduit, the exhibit aims to open up the conversation about mental health and provide participants with a space to explore their emotions in a new way. The show will consist of mixed media art pieces, a short film, booths from Mental Health Colorado and The Heartfelt Club, interactive stations, music, and guest speakers on mental health. Through the event, we hope to shed a light on mental health in Denver as well as raise funds to be donated to local organizations." - Owen Braley
 

Click here to RSVP / Donate / Learn more

Funding Opportunity: Address the Competency Wait List in Colorado

The Fines Committee (described below) is interested in helping to fund projects that show potential to reduce Colorado's competency restoration wait list.

Priority areas include:

• Supportive housing
• Diversion and deflection interventions
• Innovative court initiatives (i.e. competency dockets, multidisciplinary stakeholder problem-solving groups)

Interested in learning more?
Email Competency Project Cultivator, Lynn Unger:
lunger@mentalhealthcolorado.org.

The Fines Committee is the small board that oversees the Competency Wait List Fines Fund. This fund was established by the Consent Decree that resulted from the litigation addressing Colorado’s Competency to Stand Trial system (Case No. 1:11-cv-02285-NYW). The Fines Committee includes a representative from Disability Law Colorado (DLC), the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), and the Special Master (appointed in the Consent Decree). The Committee ensures that funds are allocated according to the Consent Decree, in a manner that does not replace existing CDHS functions, but nevertheless serves people involved (or likely to be involved) in competency services. The Committee is exclusively interested in projects that show the potential to reduce the State’s competency restoration wait list (i.e., those awaiting competence evaluation or restoration services).

Get involved!