An Interview with Catherine Strode
Democrat Rhonda Fields and Republican Lois Landgraf are each sponsoring the same bill, in the State Senate and in the House, to fight the rising youth suicide rate in Colorado. Senate Bill 19-195, Child and Youth Behavioral Health System Enhancements, creates a policy office and a commission to direct, coordinate, and implement children’s behavioral health services across various state agencies.
The bill also provides for standardized behavioral health screening tools for children and wraparound services. Both legislators say wraparound services will reduce the need for facility-based care and out-of-home placements. In addition to addressing the youth mental health crisis, they agree that the bill will result in significant cost savings to the state. Moreover, it will save lives.
Child Discipline Reform Measures Up for Hearing
An Interview with Catherine Strode
This week, the House Education Committee will hear testimony on House Bill 1194. The bill establishes requirements under which public schools can suspend or expel students enrolled in preschool through second grade (usually three or four year olds through 7 year olds). Colorado Department of Education reports that 5,849 kindergarten through 2nd grade public school students were suspended from school in 2017-2018. The bill is aligned with national recommendations that seek to limit school removal for very young children while endorsing thoughtful exceptions that ensure school safety.
The bill has bipartisan sponsors in both the House and the Senate. Republican State Representative Colin Larson, says education is a priority issue for him as a legislator. He supports the bill because he says he doesn’t want to set kids back educationally or developmentally at young ages.
[Read more…] about Child Discipline Reform Measures Up for HearingJail Wait At ‘Crisis Point’ For Individuals With Disabilities
An Interview with Catherine Strode
For the past 12 years, Alison Butler has been advocating for the rights of people with disabilities in her role as the Director of Legal Services for Disability Law Colorado. She has investigated reports of institutional abuse, housing and workplace discrimination, and inequities in education. However, the 2019 Legislative Session may be presenting her with one of her most challenging advocacy issues as she leads a campaign to reform the state’s handling of people with disabilities in the criminal justice system.
Currently, the average jail wait time for a person judged to be incompetent to proceed in Colorado’s criminal justice process is 79 days. Allison is leading an educational and legislative campaign to reduce that wait period down to no more than 14 days. In addition, she aspires to change the way people with disabilities who have committed low level crimes are routed through the criminal justice system. She says this issue in Colorado has reached a point of crisis.
[Read more…] about Jail Wait At ‘Crisis Point’ For Individuals With DisabilitiesCouncil On Developmental Disabilities New Leadership
An Interview with Catherine Strode
For the past five months, the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council has been under new leadership. Executive Director Joelle Brouner now heads up the Council, consisting of 24 members. Each Council member is appointed by the Governor. Council members fall into three groups: individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities (I/DD), parents or guardians of people with I/DD, and individuals who work in service systems. Joelle Brouner discusses her vision for the Council’s future work and her goal of creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to lead lives of their own choosing.
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HCPF Bids Farewell to Medicaid Director Gretchen Hammer
An Interview with Catherine Strode
Gretchen Hammer is recognized as one of the state’s most respected leaders in healthcare. Formerly the State’s Director of Medicaid, she recently left the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. For the past four years, Gretchen has overseen the Department’s Health Programs Office which administers the state’s public health insurance programs for low-income Coloradans including Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Prior to HCPF, she served as the Executive Director of the Colorado Coalition for the Medically Underserved (CCMU). As she looks back over the years of her tenure, Gretchen Hammer cites progress for the state’s Medicaid members in that they have reported satisfaction with the delivery and quality of their care.
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Needs Assessment Validates Services Offered By RMHS
Executive Director, Rocky Mountain Human Services
An Interview with Catherine Strode
When Denver Human Services (DHS) released the findings of a needs assessment for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities, one Denver nonprofit organization took it as validation of its work. As part of the needs assessment, Denver Human Services surveyed recipients, providers and others and asked how supportive people are of the current mill levy services being provided by Rocky Mountain Human Services. On a scale of one to ten, where 1 is the lowest level of support and 10 is the highest level of support, across the different types of respondents to the survey, the scores were just over seven and just under nine in terms of how satisfied people were with those current services. Executive Director Sheri Repinski says the results of the needs assessment reflect that RMHS is on the right track and doing work that people value with Denver property tax mill levy dollars.
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Affordable Housing Tops List In Needs Assessment for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The results of a needs assessment on services available to Denver residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities have been completed. Denver Human Services (DHS) has released the findings and is now in the process of seating an Advisory Council to recommend solutions. The assessment rated support for the use of Mill Levy funds for enhanced services was high, but cited key gaps in unmet needs. Denver Human Services Mill Levy Program Manager, Justin Sykes, explains the systemic challenges revealed in the needs assessment and discusses the next steps.
Arc of Colorado Executive Director Hails Wins of 2018 Sessions
Seven months ago, Christiano Sosa took over the helm of the Arc of Colorado. During that time, he united the state’s 14 Chapters around the 2018 legislative agenda. That agenda produced five prioritized bills that all successfully passed.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Christiano reflects on this legislative progress and offers his vision moving forward. Part of that vision includes a statewide listening tour he will kick off this June.
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School Stability To Improve Foster Youth Graduation Rates
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The high school graduation rates in Colorado of foster youth trend significantly lower than those of the general population. A bill has passed the House that would permit students in out-of-home placement to stay in their school of origin instead of moving to a different school when placed outside of the home. House Bill 18-1306 is sponsored by State Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Representative Michaelson Jenet says the bill addresses what has been identified as the most challenging issue facing foster youth: their high dropout and low graduation rate. The bill she has sponsored is designed to improve these rates by keeping foster youth in stable educational environments.
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Food and Drug Administration Approved Cannabis in State Pharmacies
An Interview with Catherine Strode
One of the state’s most vocal political opponents of legalized marijuana has helped pass a bill to allow pharmacies to dispense pharmaceutical marijuana. State Senator John Cooke, a retired sheriff from Weld County, pulls no punches in saying he believes marijuana to be a ‘scourge’ on the state. However, he has cosponsored and helped pass House Bill 18-1187 that makes a technical fix to Colorado pharmacy law that prevents pharmacies from dispensing drug products that contain marijuana or marijuana concentrate.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, Senator Cooke says his sponsorship of HB18-1187 is an attempt to aid children suffering from severe forms of epilepsy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing a drug containing cannabidiol (CBD) to treat a rare form of resistant pediatric epilepsy called Epidiolex. With the passage of HB18-1187, Colorado parents can obtain cannabidiol to treat the disease if approved by the FDA.
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