May Is Mental Health Month Proclamation

Whereas, Mental Health Month has been observed since 1949 to raise awareness of mental health conditions and the importance of mental health; and
Whereas, we are all affected by mental health. And one in four Coloradans experience mental health conditions or substance use disorders, or both each year; and
Whereas, 50% of all people with mental health conditions experience them by age 14, and 74% by age 24; and
Whereas, increased focus on the prevention of mental health conditions and substance use disorders among children and adolescents through screening and early intervention helps improve lives, and
Whereas, people with lived experience of mental illness and/or substance use disorders get better, live in recovery, and provide invaluable knowledge of how to improve and transform systems of care, and
Whereas, greater trauma informed care and peer support services are needed to support and facilitate recovery; and
Whereas, the stigma against mental health conditions remains one of the greatest barriers to improving the lives of all Coloradans through better mental health; and
Whereas, Colorado is dedicated to becoming the healthiest state in the nation by ending stigma and focusing on the integrated role of mental health in all our lives,
I therefore, John W. HIckenlooper, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim May 2016 as Mental Health Month.