Sen. Kolker Statement on Up To $2.4 Million in ARPA Funding to Help Colorado Implement 9-8-8 Line, Address Ongoing Mental Health Crisis

Colorado will receive up to $2.4 million in federal funds to help implement updated National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

DENVER, CO – Senator Chris Kolker (D-Centennial) today released the following statement following news that Colorado will receive up to $2.4 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to help implement the updated 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

“Too many folks in Colorado struggle with their mental health, and the pandemic has only made this crisis worse,” Kolker said. “As someone who has experienced a mental health crisis myself, I know firsthand how important it is to ensure that every Coloradan in crisis can access critical support when they need it most. I am proud to have championed Colorado’s 9-8-8 legislation because I wanted to ensure that every Coloradan has someone to turn to for support, and I am grateful to everyone who worked to secure these critical funds that will save lives and ensure that folks in crisis can get help before it’s too late. Together, we can end the stigma surrounding mental health, expand access to care, and save more lives.”

In 2020, Congress passed legislation to designate "9-8-8" as the national suicide prevention lifeline. SB21-154, signed into law this June, aligns Colorado with the nationally designated three-digit response number, and serves as a model for sustainable 9-8-8 funding and infrastructure. Starting in July of 2022, Coloradans in crisis will be able to dial 9-8-8 to be connected to intervention and crisis services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Senator Kolker has also worked to expand access to mental health resources as a member of Colorado’s Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force, which was established through the Behavioral Health Recovery Act and signed into law this June. The new law allocated $550 million in ARPA funds to help address substance use disorders and other behavioral health prevention and treatment needs throughout the state.

During the 2021 legislative session, the legislature allocated $100 million in ARPA funding to address emergency behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment needs exacerbated by the pandemic over the coming fiscal year, and priorities for the remaining $450 million are being developed by the Task Force along with behavioral health experts from across the state ahead of next year's legislative session.