Colorado earns a 'C' on mental health services

Colorado gets a "C" for its efforts to battle mental illness, a higher mark than the nation as a whole but certainly nothing to brag about, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The state was lauded for its "vision" in integrating behavioral health services - specifically because of a state task force that has made recommendations on how to improve mental health treatment. But, like other states, Colorado lacks programs and funding for mental health services, especially for the uninsured, said the organization, which represents the mentally ill and their families.

States were graded based on four areas: health promotion and measurement; financing and core treatment/recovery services; consumer and family empowerment; and community integration and social inclusion.

Colorado received its highest mark, a "B," for its financing and core treatment/recovery services, but got an "F" for health promotion and measurement.

The nation received a "D."

Morris L. Roth, president and chief executive officer of Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group, the largest mental health care provider in Colorado Springs, said "the report and the grade is a fair one." He said Colorado serves two populations well: the severely and persistently mentally ill adult and the emotionally disturbed child. Those groups tend to receive Medicaid and state General Fund money.

For many others, such as people spiraling into depression from the economy or middle-class families on the brink of falling apart, there's little to no help available, especially for those without health insurance, he said.

Mental health has been a pressing public policy issue in Colorado Springs. Colorado has one of the nation's highest suicide rates, and Colorado Springs was ranked No. 2 in the nation for suicides a few years ago in a health inventory of major cities.

This comes as the city grapples with a rise in cases of post traumatic stress syndrome and traumatic brain injuries among Fort Carson soldiers returning home from war.

Mental health is also a key theme among the city's homeless population as the city tries new approaches to getting people off the streets.

Roth said stronger collaboration between mental health and substance abuse treatment providers to pool their resources, a stronger push toward prevention, and more educational efforts to tear down the stigma of mental illness could help the state earn higher marks in the future.

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