BHA Strategic Plan Released
The 2023-2025 Strategic Plan outlines the BHA's key priorities for the next three years. The plan explains the BHA’s creation, how the BHA works, priorities and key strategies, desired outcomes, and a visual roadmap representing how the BHA will achieve behavioral health care reform in Colorado.
In the next three years, the BHA desires a behavioral health system that is equitable and easy to access, meeting the needs of all people in Colorado. We strive to be an administration that represents our values of truth, equity, collaboration, community-informed practice, and generational impact.
BHA Community Events and Town Halls
The BHA believes all people in Colorado deserve to experience whole-person health, and we envision a world in which behavioral health services in Colorado are accessible, meaningful, and trusted. Therefore we have made it our mission to co-create a people-first behavioral health system that meets the needs of all people in Colorado.
The BHA invites the people and behavioral health providers of Colorado to monthly Town Hall gatherings and Provider Convenings beginning in January 2023.
Find more public events on the BHA Meeting and Events calendar.
Provider Convenings
Commissioner Medlock and the BHA Statewide Programs team will be hosting the convening and discussing:
- Information and updates relating to crisis services
- Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASOs)
- Care Coordination planning
- Opportunities for ongoing engagement and provider contributions
BHA Monthly Town Halls
Commissioner Medlock and the BHA Leadership Team will be hosting monthly Town Halls to provide BHA-wide updates and information on how to get more involved. This meeting is open to anyone who is interested.
The first meeting will touch on several key topics, including:
- BHASOs and Care Coordination planning
- Rule revision update and next steps
- Legislative session highlights
Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration
With over one million people in Colorado in need of behavioral health services, we must strengthen our system—from prevention to recovery and beyond. The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) represents one of Colorado’s many steps towards strategic investments in improving the behavioral health system. The BHA is a new cabinet member-led agency, housed within the Department of Human Services, designed to be the single entity responsible for driving coordination and collaboration across state agencies to address behavioral health needs. Because we believe all people in Colorado deserve to experience whole person health, we envision a world in which behavioral health services in Colorado are accessible, meaningful, and trusted. Therefore we have made it our mission to co-create a people-first behavioral health system that meets the needs of all people in Colorado.
We are grateful to those who have engaged in this effort to date and encourage all people in Colorado to join together on this journey toward building a behavioral health system that truly puts people first.
Behavioral Health Administration Advisory Council
People in Colorado with lived behavioral health experience are co-creating and informing the BHA’s vision and strategic plan through the Behavioral Health Administration Advisory Council (BHAAC). The BHAAC will ensure there is public accountability and transparency through reviewing the BHA's public-facing transparency activities. Learn more about this meaningful opportunity for community input and involvement in shaping Colorado’s behavioral health system.
On the Horizon
- Announce appointments to Behavioral Health Administration Advisory Council (BHAAC)
- Continued hiring of BHA staff
- Launch of BHA implementation dashboard
- Preparing statewide workforce strategy
- General Assembly report on behavioral health
- Design of the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASO) model
- Crisis continuum expansion and implementation
Get Help
Navigating mental health and substance use resources can be challenging. We can help. Click here to find programs and resources available including a tool to find mental health or substance use providers and programs across Colorado.
The BHA is a new cabinet member-led agency within the State of Colorado, housed within the Department of Human Services, and is designed to be the single entity responsible for driving coordination and collaboration across state agencies to address behavioral health needs. Learn more about the BHA on the About Us section.
The term “behavioral health” refers to an individual’s mental and emotional well-being, development and actions that affect their overall wellness. Behavioral health problems and disorders include mental and substance use disorders.
- Lead the coordination of behavioral health efforts across agencies by creating shared goals, improving collaboration, driving accountability and transparency for a person-centered, outcome-oriented behavioral health system for all people in Colorado.
- Provide an opportunity to streamline our overall system so that we are smarter about investing our dollars and more responsive to the needs of all people in Colorado.
- Elevate the needs of individuals and family members with lived behavioral health experience
- Improve transparency, cross-sector data, and stronger accountability of the system
- Address behavioral health disparities with equity central to the mission of the BHA
- Problem solve and implement solutions through collaboration and effective relationships
- Engage the entire behavioral health system, including the commercial system from prevention to recovery
- Enhance and focus on whole person care and improve the quality of care for complex populations
- Strive to be a diverse, inclusive and equitable entity in vision, strategy and operations
This report contains the Behavioral Health Administration’s (BHA’s) early conceptualization of what it means to be the lead steward of a people-first vision for whole-person health in Colorado. As you read the General Assembly Report, 2022 Behavioral Health Plan, we hope you can sense our excitement to prove ourselves trustworthy as the people’s agency; called for by the people of our state and working to bring the people’s vision to life. Because we believe that every person in our state deserves to experience whole-person health, we envision a world in which behavioral health services are accessible, meaningful, and trusted.
- Access the latest info & resources: Bookmark this website and continue to check in for the latest behavioral health resources and information on the BHA’s efforts.
- Share your thoughts: Submit your ideas, questions or concerns via the feedback form
- Spread the word: Engage with us on social media and share our posts with your colleagues, partners and community.
- Stay informed: Subscribe to our BHA newsletter for updates on Colorado’s behavioral health reform efforts.