Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Mental health

Turley: The critics overlook what Trump’s investigation into the cover-up of Biden’s mental deterioration
U.S. News & World Report, National

Turley: The critics overlook what Trump’s investigation into the cover-up of Biden’s mental deterioration

By Jonathan Turley | Commentary, U.S. News & World Report We need accountability and greater transparency on matters of presidential health and competence. “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” When then-President Joe Biden asked in September 2022 if U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski, an Indiana Republican who had died weeks earlier in a car accident, was in a meeting, observers were shocked. Biden had not only issued a statement of condolence, he had lowered the flags at the White House in her honor. As Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple noted last week, that moment should have been a wake-up call. In Washington parlance, it left no room for “plausible deniability” about whether Biden was still fit to hold the office of president. And it wasn’t jus...
HHS report finds no strong evidence supporting ‘Gender-affirming care’ effectiveness
Approved, National, National Review

HHS report finds no strong evidence supporting ‘Gender-affirming care’ effectiveness

By Abigail Anthony | National Review There is not strong evidence that “gender-affirming care” for minors is effective for treating gender dysphoria or improving mental health, according to a report issued on Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services, based on a review of existing literature. The researchers found that existing studies suffer from bias and methodological errors, while the literature also fails to appropriately consider potential “harms” such as the loss of sexual function. "The 'gender-affirming' model of care includes irreversible endocrine and surgical interventions on minors with no physical pathology," reads the report's foreword. "These interventions carry risk of significant harms including infertility/sterility, sexual READ T...
Healing after the call: First responder speaks out after verdict in Alexa Bartell death
Approved, kdvr.com, Local

Healing after the call: First responder speaks out after verdict in Alexa Bartell death

By Greg Nieto | Fox 31 DENVER (KDVR) — One of the very first people to respond to Alexa Bartell after a rock shattered her vehicle windshield spoke out in the wake of Friday’s guilty verdict in her murder trial. Nicole Bergeron was a firefighter and paramedic for North Metro Fire Rescue when she and her crew responded to the Jefferson County scene in April of 2023. A first responder for 21 years, Bergeron said they had little idea, at the time, what may have happened when they first arrived at Bartell’s vehicle. READ THE FULL STORY AT KDVR.COM
How millions in tax money has failed to deliver a change to Denver’s mental and behavioral health needs
Approved, Colorado Public Radio, Local

How millions in tax money has failed to deliver a change to Denver’s mental and behavioral health needs

By Ben Markus | CPR News The campaign’s premise was simple: For nothing more than a modest sales tax increase, Denver could create a $45 million-a-year stream of grants to nonprofit mental health and drug treatment programs. “This initiative will give us the capacity to get everybody who needs help into a place where they can get the help that they need,” said Dr. Carl Clark, the president and CEO of WellPower, a large Denver community mental health provider.  “It's the type of thing that is a gamechanger.” Voters enthusiastically bought into the concept. And after six years and more than $170 million in tax dollars granted, a year-long review by CPR News found that the game has indeed changed, but perhaps not in the ways supporters and voters envisioned. READ THE FULL ...
Lakewood looking to expand co-responder teams to handle crisis situations in Colorado
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Lakewood looking to expand co-responder teams to handle crisis situations in Colorado

By Karen Morfitt | CBS Colorado In Lakewood, there is a push to get more co-responders on the streets. They are trained mental health professionals who go with police officers to calls offering their expertise when someone in Colorado is in crisis. "Sometimes our patrol agents will call and ask for us," said Susie Newby, one of two co-responders dedicated to the Lakewood Police Department. And every response is different. "With juveniles, Ben has a lot of experience working with them so we prefer him to go on those calls. Susie is really good at de-escalating," her partner, a Lakewood agent, said. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”
Approved, State, The Colorado Sun

Jobs, programs are cut at two Colorado mental health centers amid Medicaid “unwind”

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Two more community mental health centers are eliminating jobs and cutting programs as Colorado’s safety-net health system staggers from a massive drop in Medicaid rolls.  WellPower, which provides mental health care in Denver regardless of whether patients have insurance, is cutting six positions from its co-responder team that pairs social workers with city park rangers, fire and law officers. It’s also eliminating its virtual therapy program, which connected 579 patients with therapists online last year. And it’s ending its lease of Garfield House, an apartment complex where the mental health center has placed patients who needed housing.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Friday hearing set for suspected gunman in Georgia high school shooting
Approved, National, New York Post

Friday hearing set for suspected gunman in Georgia high school shooting

By Christopher Scarglato, Chris Nesi, Nikki Mascali Roarty and David Propper | New York Post Four people were killed and at least nine others were hospitalized after a shooting at Apalachee High School in northern Georgia Wednesday morning, officials said. Officials confirmed in an afternoon press conference that two students and two teachers were among the deceased. A student at the school, Colt Gray, 14, was identified as the alleged shooter and he surrendered to custody, GBI Director Chris Hosey said. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE NEW YORK POST
Teen mental health facility gets go-ahead in Castle Rock, as neighbors worry about safety
Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Teen mental health facility gets go-ahead in Castle Rock, as neighbors worry about safety

By Olivia Young | CBS Colorado One Colorado town is making moves for youth mental health. Twenty percent of teens ages 12 to 17 reported suffering from one major depressive disorder in the last year, according to Sandstone Care. Now, the town council has voted to rezone a former assisted living facility to allow for a mental health treatment center serving teens. The soon-to-be Sandstone Care treatment facility is at 864 Barranca Drive in the Metzler Ranch neighborhood of Castle Rock. However, some nearby residents are worried about the safety concerns they say Sandstone Care will bring. "Great, now we gotta watch out for what's really gonna be happening, like crime and things like that," said Metzler Ranch neighbor Miles Negley. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
Colorado rep shares treatment for depression to ‘de-stigmatize mental illness’
Approved, News Nation, State

Colorado rep shares treatment for depression to ‘de-stigmatize mental illness’

By Carie Canterbury | News Nation Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.) on Monday opened up about her experience with depression, revealing she is seeking treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and wants to “de-stigmatize” mental illness. Caraveo, in a statement Monday, said she, “like many Americans, struggle with depression,” and the symptoms became “more severe” in recent months. “As a doctor, I always urge my patients to take care of their health first and receive the support that they need,” she said, adding, “I decided to take my own advice and seek treatment at Walter Reed Medical Center.” “I’m sharing this today because I believe we need to de-stigmatize mental illness — in Colorado and across our country. It is my hope that the millions of people who struggl...
In Larimer County, 75 laid off from mental health center amid rise in uninsured and Medicaid reform 
Approved, Local, The Colorado Sun

In Larimer County, 75 laid off from mental health center amid rise in uninsured and Medicaid reform 

By Jennifer Brown | The Colorado Sun Larimer County’s community mental health center has abruptly laid off 75 employees, causing a gap in care for some of the most vulnerable patients and increasing concerns about how far the fallout will spread after a seismic shift in Medicaid funding.  Connor Grogan had 35 clients at SummitStone Health Partners in Fort Collins when he was told at a mandatory meeting last week that he was among those losing their jobs because of a budget crisis. He had to turn in his phone and laptop on the spot, with no opportunity to say goodbye to his patients.  “It was unethical the way that it was handled,” said Grogan, who had counseled children, families and adults at the center for more than two years. “At the very least, I feel like it is not ...