Press Release

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.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) announced a new Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) Support Line to connect parents and caregivers of children under age 6 with the mental health resources they need.

The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), a new state entity to lead, promote and administer the state’s behavioral health priorities beginning July 1, announced the names of five individuals selected to participate in the College for Behavioral Health Leadership’s Equity-Grounded Leadership Fellow Program pilot this spring. The program’s goal is to empower and equip leaders to take bold action to unravel systemic racism and create equitable behavioral health systems in their communities. The five individuals will join a broader cohort of cross-sector leaders from across the country who will spend the next six months providing feedback in real time to refine and co-create this groundbreaking program.

The Colorado Department of Human Services is pleased to announce that it will continue to issue the federal Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits for the 2021-22 school year.

CDHS has launched the Colorado Rural Interpreter Skills Enhancement (RISE) Project, which recruits and trains American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to work in rural areas that often have little to no access to quality interpreting services.

All Coloradans who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive the maximum monthly amount of funds in February. The emergency allotment money is scheduled to be distributed from Feb. 6-11.

Sound Generations, a Colorado Department of Human Services vendor, advised the department that they experienced a potential data breach after discovering that an unauthorized party gained access to its computer systems last year.

The Polis administration’s free mental health program for any youth, I Matter, has provided more than 1,300 therapy sessions with hundreds more appointments scheduled.

Today, the Polis administration and the Colorado Department of Human Services — in a shared effort to help keep and return parents to the workforce and move Colorado forward — opened the noncompetitive application for Child Care Stabilization Grants.

CDHS is activating the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) in partnership with Boulder County Housing and Human Services in the wake of the recent Boulder fires.