Robert Werthwein, director of the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) at the Colorado Department of Human Services (DHS), recently announced his departure in late February from his position. He currently does not have definitive plans for future employment and is still “exploring his options.” He cites the upcoming creation of the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA)—through … Read more
[On Tuesday], Governor Jared Polis provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 response and efforts to scale clinics to make more first and second and booster doses available to Coloradans. Governor Polis was joined by State Epidemiologist Dr. Herlihy who discussed the omicron variant of concern (B.1.1.529) and the latest case trends. Among those hospitalized … Read more
Members of the Colorado General Assembly are starting to prepare their legislation for the upcoming 2022 General Session starting Jan. 12. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke with State of Reform on their priorities and pre-filed health policy legislation that they will be working on throughout the next session. Rep. Dafna … Read more
The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) submitted their final Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver amendment last week to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which is needed to achieve the premium rate reductions established by the Colorado Option bill. Kyle Brown, deputy commissioner of affordability programs at DOI, says DOI plans to receive … Read more
Oral health and dental care are seeing a decline in utilization and an increase in accessibility inequities in Colorado, yet the legislature has not taken action, according to Colleen Lampron, owner of AFL Enterprises—a public health planning and management company. She says 1.3 million Coloradans—or 25.1%—lack access to dental insurance and only 28% of the … Read more
Hospital bed capacity is at its highest since the start of the pandemic with acute care beds at 93% and intensive care unit (ICU) beds at 95% full. While COVID-19 hospitalizations are lower than last winter highs, Cara Welsh, senior director of communication at the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA), says non-COVID-19 hospitalizations are also “very … Read more
The Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force interim committee is working to address the “missing middle” in the behavioral health care continuum, according to Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-Aurora). The task force is working to address this “missing middle” in the criminal justice system and in opioid overdose care. They are also working to expand in-patient … Read more
Governor Jared Polis, Colorado WINS, members of the legislature and members of SEIU celebrated the signing of the first-ever partnership agreement between Colorado WINS and the state, as well as a recently-approved plan to raise the minimum wage for Colorado’s direct care workers to $15 an hour. “This agreement to raise the state minimum wage to … Read more
A panel of experts spoke about the importance of authenticity, relationship building, and data in positively impacting health outcomes for underserved communities at our 2021 Colorado State of Reform Health Policy Conference. The panelists included Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver), chair of the Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus, Bobby King, vice president of diversity, … Read more
Opioid overdose deaths in Colorado rose 54% in 2020, according to the Colorado Health Institute (CHI). The highest increases come from fentanyl overdoses, which doubled between 2019 and 2020, and increased by 10 times since 2016. In a report recently released by CHI, they analyzed the increases found in 2020 versus previous years, the COVID-19 … Read more