Coming in January -- Webinars on RxP

Advocacy Spotlight

Posted: Nov. 15, 2021

Competition to Progress Inequity in Perinatal Mental Health

The Office on Women’s Health (OWH), in partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is hosting an HHS Racial Equity in Postpartum Care Challenge. There is a cash prize of $1.8 million that will go to the most innovative idea focused on postpartum care for Black or African American and Indian/Alaska Native women with an emphasis on follow up care for conditions that are associated with morbidity and mortality in the later postpartum period. Click to register for a webinar to learn more about this challenge on November 18th at 8:45 a.m. MST.

Community Disaster Behavioral Health Program

Posted: Nov. 10, 2021

House Bill 21-1281, Community Disaster Behavioral Health Program, recently passed by the Colorado General Assembly, formalizes and resources Colorado’s development of disaster behavioral health (DBH) preparedness and response capacity and programming. We are asking for your help in identifying community behavioral health providers with interest and fit for this program and in developing rules to guide disaster behavioral health preparedness and response activities included and supported by this program.  

The bill states that CDPHE shall implement the Community Behavioral Health Disaster Preparedness and Response Program using existing initiatives and activities to ensure that behavioral health is adequately represented within disaster preparedness and response efforts across the state.  The Program is intended to enhance, support, and formalize behavioral health disaster preparedness and response activities.  These activities include risk assessments, planning, training, exercises, and response.

The bill also requires that CDPHE promulgate rules for oversight and program management.  All designed to manage the program and support community behavioral health efforts to prepare for and respond in times of crisis and disaster.

We are inviting you to participate in a series of stakeholder meetings to occur over the next several months.  We anticipate these stakeholder meetings will cover:

• An introduction to disaster behavioral health

• Expected criteria and fit for organizations participating in the program

• The development of draft rule language expected to guide the program going forward

The first meeting will provide an introduction to Colorado’s Disaster Behavioral Health program and the rulemaking process at CDPHE.  This first meeting will be held by Zoom on November 29th from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm. The Zoom link for this first meeting and call-in information is as follows:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99570629060?pwd=TVljNmVMZmZKWTl3UUFmZHpjWUk2UT09

Meeting ID: 995 7062 9060
Passcode: 802609

One tap mobile
+13462487799,,99570629060#,,,,*802609# US (Houston)
+16699009128,,99570629060#,,,,*802609# US (San Jose)

An agenda for this first meeting will be sent in advance of the meeting.

We anticipate the second stakeholder meeting will occur on December 15th, with successive stakeholder meetings every 3-4 weeks thereafter. Stakeholder meetings will conclude by March 1, 2022, so that recommendations can be integrated into proposed rules for review by all stakeholders with an anticipated hearing at the Board of Health in June 2022.

In drafting the legislation, the General Assembly believed it important that the experience and knowledge of diverse community organizations, leadership, and behavioral health providers be included in the program rule development. We look forward to obtaining your recommendations.  

Welcome New CPA Members

Posted: Nov. 3, 2021

The Colorado Psychological Association would like to recognize and welcome the following new members who joined CPA in October:

• Kacie Aleksiewicz
• Mary English
• Daniel O'Donnell
• Denise Vargas

Not a member? Please join CPA today!

Advocacy Spotlight

Posted: Nov. 3, 2021

Expanding Mental Health Care to Include Disasters

In the last decade alone, there have been more than 4000 Emergency Declarations in the U.S. From hurricanes and earthquakes to terrorist attacks and other mass violence, these emergencies have led to lasting trauma for individuals, families, and communities, and significant cost burdens on states and governments tasked with rebuilding from these crises.  There is a long standing problem for individuals accessing mental health care because FEMA currently provides resources for "Major Disaster Declarations" but not "Emergency Declarations".  

Legislation would expand mental health support to cover natural disasters and terrorist attacks in addition to other disasters. Representative Pressley (MA) is pushing for this legislation and cites the emotional aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing as a motivation for her drive.  It is well known that PTSD sharply increases among residents and first responders when disasters occur.  One of the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing reported "“It was a struggle to find support after the bombing—I felt left out of the response, and that my experience didn’t count because I didn’t have physical wounds, this bill is a critical step to recognizing and validating the experiences of survivors without visible injuries; and to enabling communities to meet the mental health needs of all those impacted by disaster." 

The Post-Disaster Mental Health Response Act is endorsed by the American Psychological Association. Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D, CEO of APA states "from natural events such as hurricanes or earthquakes, to human-caused incidents such as mass shootings or terrorist attacks - disasters can take an emotional toll.  APA strongly supports the introduction of the bipartisan Post Disaster Mental Health Response Act, which would give states and localities more tools to coordinate mental health care after an emergency declaration through the FEMA Crisis Counseling Assistance and Training Program."