Blog Post

Dec. 18, 2020: On a chilly November day, residents of The Circle, a Mind Springs Health program in Clifton, Colorado, gathered themselves—fittingly—into a circle. Wearing masks and sitting six feet apart, clients celebrated the first graduate who had successfully completed treatment for his co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.

Dec. 9, 2020: House Bill 19-1009 created the Opioid Crisis Recovery Funds Advisory Committee (Committee) tasked with advising and collaborating with the Department of Law on the use of any funds received by Colorado as a result of an opioid-addiction-related settlement or damage award for which the use of the funds is not predetermined or committed by other orders.

Dec. 2, 2020: The Office of Behavioral Health is seeking public comment on Colorado’s Annual Synar Report for Federal Fiscal Years 2020-2021 as a part of the rules listed in the Tobacco Regulation for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant.

Nov. 20, 2020: On Nov. 2, Governor Jared Polis released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2021-22, including proposed investments in tele-behavioral health and children’s crisis services, protection of most of the Office of Behavioral Health's (OBH) funding for mental health and crisis services, and some reductions to OBH programs that have been underspent or will see reduced demand due to the Medicaid substance use disorder residential benefit.

Nov. 20, 2020: This spring, as COVID-19 forced society to come to an abrupt standstill, mobile crisis responders like the Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) of Colorado Mobile Crisis Response team remained hyper focused on providing 24/7 support to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

Nov. 18, 2020: Colorado county jails are turning to telebehavioral health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and uncovering surprising benefits, thanks to a funding boost from the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH).

Oct. 20, 2020: The Office of Behavioral Health is responsible for establishing the training requirements for individuals pursuing a credential as an addiction counselor in Colorado. This proposed rule update is designed to align OBH's Addiction Counselor Certification Program rules with the changes to addiction counseling requirements from HB 20-1206.

Sept. 23, 2020: Effective July 13, 2020, Senate Bill (SB) 20-007 (Section 11 through Section 27) consolidated and modernized Colorado's laws regarding the emergency treatment and voluntary and involuntary commitment of persons for treatment of alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder (SUD).

Sept. 9, 2020: The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) anticipates another $42 million in federal block grants to administer substance use and mental health services across the state.

Aug. 26, 2020: Admissions to treatment programs for alcohol, meth, prescription opioids and heroin use are up significantly from 2015, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) Drug Trends analysis report.