2013
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 13-007
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Todd, Carroll, Kerr, Aguilar, Balmer, Baumgardner, Brophy,
       Cadman, Crowder, Giron, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey, Heath, Hill, Hodge,
       Hudak, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, King, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble,
       Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop,
       Ulibarri, Morse;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) DelGrosso and Kraft-Tharp, Buck, Buckner,
       Conti, Coram, Court, Dore, Duran, Everett, Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote,
       Garcia, Gardner, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Humphrey,
       Joshi, Kagan, Labuda, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Levy, May, McCann,
       McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Murray, Navarro,
       Nordberg, Pabon, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Rosenthal,
       Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Schafer, Scott, Singer, Sonnenberg, Stephens, Swalm,
       Szabo, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams, Wilson, Wright, Young, Ferrandino.
       
       
          CONCERNING RECOGNITION OF COMMUNITY MENTAL
       HEALTH CENTERS, MANAGED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS,
       AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS IN COLORADO. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, Mental illness and substance abuse disorders, together
       referred to as behavioral health, are treatable, and recovery is possible
       when appropriate treatment services are available and accessible; and
       
          WHEREAS, Behavioral health is a key component to a person's
       overall health, and any effort to reform the health care system must
       comprehensively include behavioral health in order to realize marked
       improvements in access, cost, efficiency, quality, and sustainability; and
       
          WHEREAS, Colorado's community behavioral health providers play
       a critical role in responding to state emergencies and tragic events and are
       an essential resource for healing individual and community trauma; and
       
          WHEREAS, The community behavioral health system is advancing
       the integration of health care by addressing behavioral health needs with
       physical health to realize better patient outcomes, reduced healthcare
       costs, and improved patient satisfaction; and
       
          WHEREAS, Persons with mental health and substance use disorders
       who have access to local, community-based prevention, intervention,
       treatment, and recovery services are less likely to require more expensive
       alternatives of hospitalization or incarceration, and their chances of
       becoming homeless are greatly reduced; and
       
          WHEREAS, Community mental health centers, working with
       behavioral health organizations and managed service organizations, are
       the health care homes for many children and adults with behavioral health
       needs who would otherwise be unable to access much-needed behavioral
       health treatment; and
       
          WHEREAS, Investing in community-based behavioral health services
       has been proven to reduce recidivism, increase public safety, and save
       taxpayer dollars; and
       
          WHEREAS, The demand for mental health and substance use disorder
       treatment has reached record levels in Colorado, and for over forty-five
       years nonprofit community mental health centers and clinics have
       provided comprehensive behavioral health services to indigent and
       under-insured citizens of Colorado by partnering with the state to best
       utilize available local, state, and federal funding; and
       
          WHEREAS, Managed service organizations ensure a full continuum
       of high-quality treatment services for individuals with substance use
       disorders in their region and have efficiently and responsibly managed
       Colorado's substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant; and
       
          WHEREAS, Behavioral health organizations have successfully
       administered the mental health benefits of the state Medicaid program for
       over fifteen years, saving the state of Colorado millions of dollars while
       connecting clients with available community mental health services,
       thereby improving treatment outcomes; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-ninth General Assembly of
       the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, hereby:
       
          (1)  Recognize the vital role played by community mental health
       centers, managed service organizations, and behavioral health
       organizations in Colorado's system of health care; and
       
          (2)  Express our appreciation and gratitude to all the individuals who
       dedicate time, energy, and hard work to this challenging but critical area
       of health care.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       Governor John Hickenlooper and to the directors of the Colorado
       Department of Human Services and the Colorado Department of Health
       Care Policy and Financing.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       John P. Morse                        Mark Ferrandino
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Cindi Markwell                        Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES