May 2026

Carrying Mental Health Awareness Forward

Join Us in Breckenridge:

2026 Conference Updates

The 2026 CBHC Annual Behavioral Health Conference is quickly approaching, and we’re excited to bring our community together this fall in Breckenridge, CO. Centered around this year’s theme, Meeting the Moment for Communities, the conference will feature keynote speakers Johnny Crowder and Dr. Amer Kaissi, along with timely sessions designed to inform, inspire, and connect leaders across the behavioral health field.

We’re pleased to share that the hotel room block is now open—attendees are encouraged to book early to secure their stay. Conference registration is also officially open, and a schedule at a glance is now available to help you start planning your experience. The full program will be released in mid-June.

We look forward to gathering with partners from across the state for a meaningful and energizing event.

Reflections on the 2026 Legislative Session

The 2026 legislative session came to a close under the weight of one of the most difficult state budget environments in recent memory. A significant budget shortfall shaped nearly every conversation at the Capitol, shifting the focus away from major new investments and toward stabilization, sustainability, and preservation of existing services.

For Colorado’s behavioral health system, this was largely a year of mitigation. Much of CBHC’s work centered on protecting the behavioral health safety net, minimizing disruption for providers, and advancing longer-term conversations about financing reform and system sustainability.

While fiscal constraints limited opportunities for large-scale investments, lawmakers continued to advance major policy discussions impacting behavioral health. Key themes of the session included behavioral health workforce development, artificial intelligence in health care, competency system reform, crisis response infrastructure, and youth behavioral health services.

Additional behavioral health priorities advanced during the session included:

• HB26-1002, supporting behavioral health workforce development by requiring commercial carriers to reimburse for services provided by supervised pre-licensed behavioral health professionals and reducing the clinical hour requirement for licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs). The bill aims to strengthen workforce recruitment, supervision pathways, and long-term provider capacity across the behavioral health system.

• HB26-1195, establishing guardrails and transparency requirements related to the use of artificial intelligence in psychotherapy and behavioral health settings. The legislation prohibits AI systems from independently providing psychotherapy services, restricts deceptive use of AI-generated therapeutic interactions, and creates consumer disclosure requirements intended to preserve clinical oversight and patient protections as AI tools continue to evolve in health care.

• SB26-149, addressing Colorado’s competency system through the creation of new civil pathways for a small subset of individuals found permanently incompetent to proceed and considered dangerous. CBHC appreciated the many members who participated in testimony and stakeholder discussions to help ensure the provider perspective and the operational realities facing Colorado’s competency and behavioral health systems remained part of the conversation.

Throughout the session, CBHC remained focused on ensuring that new policy proposals remained workable for providers while continuing to advocate for sustainable financing and access to community-based behavioral health care across Colorado.

We are deeply grateful to our members, partners, advocates, and legislative champions who engaged throughout the session, testified on key issues, and helped elevate the needs of Colorado’s behavioral health safety net.

You can read CBHC’s full 2026 Legislative Wrap-Up Report here. 

Looking Ahead: Interim Work and Next Steps

Although the legislative session has concluded, many of the most important policy conversations are just beginning. Over the interim, CBHC will continue engaging with policymakers, state agencies, coalition partners, and stakeholders on several major initiatives that are expected to shape the future of Colorado’s behavioral health system.

A key area of focus will be implementation and planning related to the newly established Medicaid Commission under SB26-187. The Commission is expected to examine Colorado’s Medicaid financing structure, eligibility, benefits, delivery systems, and long-term sustainability in light of federal policy changes. CBHC believes this presents an important opportunity to evaluate whether Colorado has established a financing model capable of sustaining the state’s major investments in behavioral health access and crisis response infrastructure, while also maximizing available federal Medicaid funding opportunities.

As CBHC CEO Kara Johnson-Hufford recently noted, Colorado’s current payment structure “is designed to recover costs, not sustain the system or allow providers to plan, invest, or retain efficiency gains.” Put another way, Colorado’s current financing architecture is operating on “yesterday’s rate, for today’s service delivery needs, with tomorrow’s expectations.” Colorado’s legislature built this safety net and assigned providers sweeping obligations, but the financing model has not kept pace with those expectations.

CBHC has brought these concerns formally to the Joint Budget Committee and the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing and is encouraged that these issues are now part of the Medicaid Interim Committee’s agenda for this summer. Throughout the interim, CBHC will continue working constructively with policymakers, state agencies, and stakeholders to advance discussions around sustainable financing, provider stability, and a payment architecture capable of sustaining the long-term capacity of Colorado’s behavioral health safety net.

In addition to engaging with the Medicaid Interim Commission, CBHC is also looking ahead to continued discussions around Colorado’s competency system and broader questions related to long-term treatment infrastructure and continuity of care. Following the passage of SB26-149, policymakers and stakeholders are expected to continue examining what additional policy tools may be necessary to better support individuals with serious mental illness who repeatedly cycle through crisis systems, hospitalization, homelessness, and the criminal legal system.

One area likely to receive increased attention during the interim is Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) and whether Colorado should establish a more structured framework for court-ordered community-based treatment in limited circumstances. These conversations will involve complex questions around civil liberties, access to community-based services, system capacity, implementation feasibility, and long-term treatment outcomes.

CBHC looks forward to engaging thoughtfully with legislators, providers, advocates, and other stakeholders to ensure that any future proposals remain clinically appropriate, operationally workable, and aligned with broader efforts to strengthen Colorado’s behavioral health continuum.

BHA Rule Updates

The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) continues to advance proposed revisions to the Provider Rules (2 CCR 502-1), a significant regulatory update aimed at aligning Colorado’s behavioral health system with the ASAM 4th Edition Criteria and supporting a more integrated, person-centered continuum of care.

The proposed changes restructure provider requirements, update levels of care, and consolidate crisis and safety net provisions to improve consistency across the system. While the modernization effort reflects evolving national best practices, successful implementation will depend on clear guidance around licensing, staffing, documentation, and compliance expectations.

Throughout the process, CBHC coordinated provider feedback and engaged extensively with the BHA to help ensure the rule package supports high-quality, evidence-based care while remaining operationally feasible for community-based organizations. As currently drafted, some provisions may create operational and compliance challenges, particularly within an already constrained fiscal environment.

The proposed rules are currently under review by the Attorney General’s Office. If the process remains on schedule, first reading before the State Board of Human Services is expected in September, followed by second reading in October and final adoption in December. CBHC will continue providing updates and opportunities for engagement as the rulemaking process moves forward.

Colorado Selected for CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program

The CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration brings sustainable federal funding to participating states, helping ensure access to 24/7 crisis care, coordinated mental health and substance use treatment, and a full continuum of integrated services regardless of ability to pay. Colorado’s selection represents a significant step forward in building a stronger, more accessible behavioral health system statewide.

CBHC applauds this achievement and looks forward to continued partnership in advancing high-quality, person-centered care for all Coloradans.

As artificial intelligence continues to shape healthcare delivery, Colorado is advancing a series of new laws that will significantly impact how AI can be used across the system. A recent legal overview highlights the convergence of SB 24-205 (the Colorado AI Act) and two additional bills—HB 26-1139 and HB 26-1195—each targeting different aspects of AI in healthcare. Together, these policies introduce new expectations around transparency, human oversight, and patient protections.

The legislation addresses a range of use cases—from high-risk AI systems that influence care decisions, to restrictions on AI in utilization review and psychotherapy. Notably, insurers will be required to incorporate individual patient information—not just algorithmic outputs—when making coverage decisions, and behavioral health providers must maintain direct clinical oversight when using AI in care settings.

As these policies take shape, organizations are encouraged to assess their current use of AI tools and prepare for evolving compliance requirements. While timelines and final provisions may continue to shift, the direction is clear: ensuring responsible, transparent, and patient-centered use of AI in healthcare.

Investing in the Future Workforce:

Trailhead Expands Apprenticeships

Trailhead Institute has received new funding to expand apprenticeship opportunities across Colorado, strengthening pathways into the public health workforce. Through a $150,000 Colorado Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, Trailhead will grow its Community Health Worker apprenticeship program and introduce a new pathway for Peer Support Specialists.

This investment will support expanded training, new employer partnerships, and increased access to credentialing—helping build a more diverse, skilled workforce to meet growing community and behavioral health needs. As apprenticeship models continue to gain traction, this effort highlights the importance of workforce development strategies that combine lived experience with structured training. Read more here.

You often support patients during high-risk moments. When someone is at risk of harming themselves or others, you rely on multiple tools, such as assessment, treatment, and monitoring. Extreme Risk Protection Orders are another tool that can support that work.

Studies show that nearly half of suicide attempts occur within 10 minutes of deciding to act. If a person in crisis cannot access their decided-on method, they usually do not look for another option, creating a critical window for support.

When an individual poses a threat to themselves or others and has access to a firearm, an Extreme Risk Protection Order pauses access while allowing time for continued clinical care.

Explore when and how to use this tool through a free e-learning course.

Earn 1 CME or CE credit at ERPOTraining.com.

We’re proud to recognize Integrated Psychiatric Consultants (IPC) as a Bronze-Level Industry Partner of CBHC! IPC is a nationwide psychiatric staffing group supporting psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and clinical therapists across a wide range of behavioral health settings.

Thank you, IPC, for your partnership and commitment to Colorado’s behavioral health workforce! Learn more at https://integrated-pc.com/

Mental Health First Aid Colorado

Aurora Mental Health and Recovery

A veteran Aurora Police K-9 officer is recovering after being stabbed in the head during a response to a mental health crisis involving a 23-year-old man at an apartment complex in Aurora. Officers and crisis clinicians were attempting to de-escalate the situation when the encounter turned violent, with police reporting that the man exited the apartment with a knife and attacked officers, injuring the K-9 officer and the police dog before being fatally shot after less-lethal efforts were unsuccessful. The officer survived and remains hospitalized, and the incident has renewed discussion among officials about gaps in mental health resources and the challenges law enforcement faces when responding to behavioral health emergencies. Read the full article here.

WellPower

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, WellPower is highlighting its Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program and offering cost-covered classes in partnership with the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council. The initiative aims to equip community members with practical skills to recognize, respond to, and support individuals experiencing mental health or substance use crises, using a structured 5-step action plan similar to CPR for physical emergencies. MHFA courses are open to the public, require no prior experience, and are designed to reduce stigma while increasing community capacity to respond effectively to mental health challenges and connect people to appropriate care. Read the full article here.