You:Flourish, a new mobile platform made by and for the LGBTQ+ community, launched earlier this year and is available to folks in Colorado for free until next year. The app is the brainchild of Steven Haden, a therapist and founder of the nonprofit Envision:You. Haden is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and spoke candidly […]
Mental Health
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Carbondale Library screens ‘The Paradise Paradox’ on May 15
On May 15, the Carbondale Library will present “The Paradise Paradox,” a documentary by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Brett Rapkin. Olympic ski racer Bode Miller executively produced the film. The documentary explores mental health crises becoming epidemic in America’s mountain towns, specifically those that draw crowds during the ski season. It explores the elements of housing […]
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HeadQuarters takes on preventative mental health care collectively
Limited resources for preventative mental health care may be caused by the lack of data to back up its impact. Nonetheless, Lindsey Lupow, the program director at HeadQuarters in Basalt, said that rather than focusing solely on reacting during moments of crisis, the organization advocates a proactive approach within the Roaring Fork Valley community. HeadQuarters, […]
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GarCo Report: Mental health agency cites social media, isolation as #1 threats for youth
Connecting with others on social media is not the same as connecting in-person, according to Sarah Fedishen, program director for the Aspen Hope Center (AHC). AHC was one of three mental health agencies presenting updates at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioner (BOCC) meeting. “Oxytocin doesn’t happen on social media,” she said. Oxytocin is a hormone linked […]
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AZYEP airs teen mental health forum on May 4
May is mental health month, and the kids are talking about it. One evening in April, a hodgepodge of people with connections to teens, including teens themselves, participated in a mental health forum. As a reporter and lay person, I had the opportunity to participate, and want to share a couple of highlights that I […]
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Turning ‘pain into power’
From a young age, Jack Holden Raife wanted to learn to fly airplanes. Sadly, he was just 18-years-old when he passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, April 2, explained his obituary, found on the opening page of the leaflet passed out at the young man’s memorial on Saturday, April 15. The memorial was held on the […]
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Colorado legislature lends focus to youths’ mental health
Mental Health Colorado (MHC) President Dr. Vincent Atchity spoke with The Sopris Sun recently about bills before the Colorado legislature focusing on “a strong start for all children.” MHC is a Denver-based mental health advocacy nonprofit whose work Atchity describes as “looking at the health of the mind across the lifespan for everybody. When we […]
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New mental health legislation aims to improve patient outcomes
By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent Mental Health Colorado (MHC) President and CEO Dr. Vincent Atchity declared, “2022 may be the biggest year in Colorado history in terms of the significance for mental health legislation passed.” What began in March 2021, with Congress passing the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), would result in Colorado being […]
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CMC adds a Human Services bachelor’s degree
On Jan. 25, the Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Board of Trustees unanimously approved CMC’s seventh bachelor’s degree program, Human Services, along with a $5 dollar per credit hour increase in all Colorado resident tuition rates for the upcoming academic year. CMC worked with over 70 agencies to gain an understanding of what kind of workforce […]
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Addressing Colorado’s last-place mental health finish
On March 2, the Colorado Legislature introduced House Bill 22-1278 (HB 1278) to create the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). This cabinet-level state agency would take on issues at the center of Colorado’s torn and tattered mental health care system. The bill outlines the duties and responsibilities of the BHA, some of which are to ensure […]