Marking a major milestone on the mission to transform Colorado’s behavioral health system
DENVER (April 1, 2025) - In just 100 days, the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) will officially launch a bold new model for behavioral health safety net services in Colorado. Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BHASOs) and their regional networks of crisis, substance use and mental health providers will provide care coordination services, so that anyone, no matter where they are in the state, has a streamlined path to the care that they need.
The creation and launch of the BHASOs and their network of services, is one of the three foundational elements of the Colorado Behavioral Health Task Force’s Blueprint for Reform, alongside the creation of BHA and an ongoing focus on Six Key Pillars including Access, Affordability and Consumer and Local Guidance.
“Our goal at BHA is to ensure that every person in Colorado has access to high-quality behavioral health care that is culturally and linguistically relevant to them,” said BHA Commissioner Dannette R. Smith. “In 100 days, we will leap forward towards that vision. On Day One, the networks of care that the BHASOs are creating will serve our uninsured and underinsured populations to create a true safety net of services that are built, with community guidance, to match the unique needs of the regions they serve.”
The four BHASO regions are identical to those of Medicaid's Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs) to ensure alignment and ease of care coordination across payors, including private insurers. While the providers in the BHASO networks will not immediately provide covered care for every person in the state, the BHASOs will be equipped on day one to direct all Coloradans to their appropriate pathway to care.
In the next 100 days the BHASOs - Rocky Mountain Health Plans in Region One, and Signal Behavioral Health in Regions Two, Three and Four - will collaborate with communities and providers to begin design of their networks, providing a unique opportunity to identify and close gaps in care that leave our communities vulnerable.
“Over the next 100 days, we are focused on community service transitions, working hard with partners,” said Daniel Darting, CEO of Signal Behavioral Health. “For nearly 30 years, Signal has supported the people of Colorado and understands the nuanced needs and challenges of each of the three regions that we will serve.”
“Rocky Mountain Health Plans is honored to take on this important new role to help advance whole-person health in Region One and across the state,” said Patrick Gordon, CEO of Rocky Mountain Health Plans. “We look forward to working alongside others so that people seeking care, and their providers, experience a ‘Colorado system’ of behavioral health.”
BHA and the BHASOs will begin recruitment for regional Community Councils that will help to shape each network of care, and host a number of informational sessions in the leadup to a launch event on the Capitol steps on July 9, 2025.
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About the Behavioral Health Administration
The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is the state administration responsible for ensuring all people in Colorado have access to quality mental health and substance use disorder services, regardless of where they live, or ability to pay. As a regulatory body, BHA brings together community groups and governmental agencies to create a behavioral health system for all people in Colorado that is easy to access, and offers high-quality care that considers the whole person and their needs. Find us online at https://bha.colorado.gov/ or follow us on social media at @BHAConnect.