Mental Health Champion Sen. Chris Kolker Awarded Legislator of the Year by Mental Health Colorado
DENVER, CO – Senator Chris Kolker, D-Centennial, was recently recognized as a 2022 Legislator of the Year by Mental Health Colorado for his work championing mental health policy in Colorado.
During the 2022 legislative session, Kolker championed a number of new laws to help transform Colorado’s behavioral health system using $450 million in federal pandemic relief funds. He also served as a key member of the state’s Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force.
“As someone who has personally experienced mental health challenges, I know how difficult it can be to access the care you need and maintain your well-being in our state,” said Kolker. “This year, we had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jumpstart the transformation of our behavioral health system to better meet the needs of children and families in need of mental health services, and we delivered. I’m proud to be recognized for my efforts, and will continue fighting to expand access to critical, life-saving care for all Coloradans.”
Recognizing that far too many kids in Colorado are struggling with their mental health, Kolker successfully passed SB22-147, which invests over $11 million to allow pediatricians to better identify and treat behavioral health conditions and provide school-based support for kids and their families. Over the last decade, youth suicide has increased an astonishing 51 percent, as youth behavioral health has reached a crisis level. This bill will help improve access to much-needed behavioral health care services for youth and families.
Kolker also championed HB22-1243, which puts an additional $2 million in federal pandemic relief funding toward the behavioral health care professional matching grant program and $6 million to extend the popular I Matter program beyond its scheduled repeal in June 2022, paving the way to serve youth with free counseling sessions for another two years. This bill will help the state break down barriers that prevent people experiencing a crisis from getting support, and make sure every Colorado kid can get the lifesaving care they need.
During the 2021 session, Senator Kolker was a prime sponsor of SB21-154, which establishes the 9-8-8 hotline – an essential resource that will help connect Coloradans facing a mental health crisis with critical mental health services. The law has become a national model for sustainable 988 funding and infrastructure and will officially go into effect in July 2022.