Press Release

House Bill 22-1278 was signed into law today, officially establishing the duties of Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration, set to launch on July 1. The BHA is a new state agency tasked with transforming mental health care and substance use treatment in Colorado. 

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) is calling for applications to the Colorado Commission on Aging. This expanded commission comes as Colorado is celebrating Older Adult Month.

Today, Gov. Jared Polis announced a partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank through the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation to help address the baby formula shortage that is affecting families in Colorado and across the United States.

Colorado is proud to announce the I Matter program will receive an additional $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding following the passage of House Bill 22-1243

To mark National Foster Care Month and encourage more Coloradans to become foster parents, the Colorado Department of Human Services celebrated five foster families during a luncheon at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Saturday.

The Colorado Department of Human Services is pleased to announce Colorado is among the first in the nation to gain federal approval for a 2021-22 Child Care Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program.

Michelle Barnes, executive director of CDHS, and Cliff Moers, director of the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind, released the following statement on the film “CODA,” which brought home Academy Awards for best picture, best supporting actor, and best adapted screenplay on Sunday.

The Polis administration today announced the Community Innovation and Resilience for Care and Learning Equity (CIRCLE) Grants, a community-focused grant program to save families money on child care, strengthen the child care talent pipeline, and help every Colorado child thrive.

The Colorado Department of Human Services reports that calls to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline, 844-CO-4-Kids (844-264-5437), approached pre-pandemic volumes in 2021 after a significant drop in 2020.

Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera and the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) held a press conference earlier today alongside other partners to announce the introduction of HB22-1278. The bill assigns specific duties to the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), ensuring Coloradans can access behavioral health care regardless of where they live in the state or their ability to pay. The BHA will establish a people-first system that is accountable, equitable and transparent.