State funding mental health
Information provided by Douglas County
Tri-County Health, the “Let’s Talk” campaign is intended to reduce the stigma around mental illness so that individuals who need treatment are more likely to seek it.
Douglas County received nearly $237,000 from the State of Colorado to ensure residents working through a mental or behavioral health issue have a seamless and supportive safety net.
The monies will be used for a dedicated case manager and peer recovery coach to support individuals served through the Douglas County Mental Health Initiative’s (DCMHI) – The Care Compact, a project that supports individuals with mental health, substance use disorders, or intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and the Community Response Team, a team comprised of law enforcement and mental health clinicians that streamlines access to mental health and substance use services and programs. They assist in providing alternative solutions to incarceration.
The new staff will be employees of the DCMHI partner organization, AllHealth Network. They will focus on supporting individuals who may be at risk for falling through the cracks of the mental health and behavioral health system, which sometimes occurs after an emergency room discharge while individuals wait for a follow-up appointment.
With the goal of keeping individuals receiving services both engaged and moving forward in their recovery, the population served by this grant may also include those on an outpatient mental health certification, court-ordered hold, high utilizers of emergency or inpatient systems of care, or those transitioning from an inpatient setting into the community.
The Colorado Department of Human Services’ Office of Behavioral Health awarded a total of $9 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Applicants were required to have a sustainability plan for how services will continue beyond the grant period.
Douglas County is using the funding to enhance programs that have already been in place through the DCMHI. Following a competitive application process, Douglas County was one of 18 Colorado counties awarded a grant to expand mental and behavioral health treatment programs. The funds may be spent through June 30, 2023.
