New Leadership Presents a New Way Forward for CBHC
Meet our CBHC Board Chair, Dante Gonzales In the often challenging landscape of behavioral healthcare, Dante Gonzales, the new Board Chair of Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (CBHC) and the Chief Executive Officer of Centennial Mental Health Center, stands as a beacon of innovation and compassion. His leadership, born from tribulation of his own challenging beginnings,…
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CBHC Statement on Senate Budget Bill
Statement from the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council on Senate Passage of Federal Budget Package As the Senate advances legislation that includes devastating cuts to Medicaid, CBHC stands in strong opposition. Medicaid is the backbone of Colorado’s behavioral health safety net—supporting care for individuals with mental health and substance use needs in every community across our…
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What’s at stake in the fight for Medicaid, substance use treatment
By Frank Cornelia | June 12, 2025 When I was three, my mom packed me and my little brother into the car and drove us to a restaurant about an hour from where we lived. We were going to meet my dad, who recently entered treatment at Project Turnabout, then a fledgling addiction recovery center…
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Solving challenges in Colorado’s Safety Net means recognizing our misconceptions
By Kara Johnson-Hufford | March 11, 2025 If you’ve seen the news, you know Colorado’s mental and physical health care safety net is in crisis. Lay-offs and closures in clinics, hospitals, and centers across the state have made that point visibly and abundantly clear. The number of uninsured in Colorado grows weekly, a reality that providers…
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Colorado providers call an array of funding woes a ‘perfect storm’
Mental Health Weekly | October 21, 2024 Colorado’s community mental health providers say they are experiencing many of the downsides that can come with a period of dizzying change. Facing declining Medicaid rolls, a shifting payment model and no prospects for new state funding to support restructuring, the state’s provider community is calling the current…
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We Must Be Champions of Our Mental and Physical Health Safety Net – Before It’s Too Late
By Kara Johnson-Hufford A teen struggling with mental health issues caused by a rocky home life finds support in their school-based clinic. A new mother facing postpartum depression seeks help at her local crisis clinic, ensuring stability for herself and her young family. A rancher, overwhelmed by the demands of maintaining their operation, shares stories…
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The mental health and substance use disorder safety net is plagued by uncertainty
By Kara Johnson-Hufford For Colorado’s safety net providers, these are challenging times. For Colorado’s Community Mental Health Centers, it’s hard to see the path forward because uncertainty in a host of areas clouds the picture. Why the apprehension? Because many of our state’s bedrock, community-based mental health and substance use disorder providers are on the…
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Mental Health First Aid Courses During May is Mental Health Month
As we get closer to May, a month dedicated to raising national awareness about mental health, we are reminded of the importance of prioritizing mental wellness and supporting each other in times of need. This year, Mental Health First Aid Colorado will be observing Mental Health Awareness Month by supporting a community initiative to promote…
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The Budget Realities of Colorado’s Community Mental Health Centers
By Kara Johnson-Hufford Here are two things we know about the state of mental health in Colorado: The number of individuals who need services and supports for all sorts of mental health conditions is increasing and the amount of funding the state has to invest in services and supports is not keeping pace. It’s an…
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Immediate action required to protect safety net behavioral health system
By Kara Johnson-Hufford We’ve all seen and heard a lot about the challenges we face as a state around our mental health and substance use disorder treatment systems. An increasing number of people in need of services and supports, a declining number of people working in the system and funding for all of this that…
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