Senator Lee’s Bill Creating a Mental Health Pilot Program Passes Senate Committee

April 3, 2019

Denver, CO -- The Senate State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee today voted 4-to-0 to pass HB19-1160, Mental Health Facility Pilot Program, a bill sponsored by Senator Pete Lee (D- El Paso County). HB19-1160 would create a pilot program to provide mental health services to Coloradans. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

 “It is clear that our current mental health treatment model is not successfully nor comprehensively treating people with physical and mental health needs,” said Senator Lee. “We need to examine new ways to provide people the care they need. This bill will do that by creating a three year pilot program to offer Coloradans treatment that meets their physical and mental healths needs and by doing this we will increase their quality of life.”

The three year pilot program established under HB19-1160 would to provide long term residential care, treatment, and services to Coloradans with both a mental and physical health diagnoses. The program would provide individuals with dual diagnoses a variety of services for a lower cost than current mental health services, effectively closing the existing gap in care and significantly improving the quality of life for those in treatment.

For more information on HB19-1160, please visit https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb19-1160.

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