April 2008
This month's updates come from:
- Colorado LINKS for Mental Health Initiative
- Advisory Committee on Homeless Youth
- Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mental Health Task Force
- Colorado School Health Improvement Initiative
- Prevention Leadership Council
- Supportive Housing and Homeless Programs
- Urban Peak
- Youth Partnership for Health
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Colorado LINKS for Mental Health Initiative
- This year's LINKS Big Meeting III will be held at the Phipps Tennis Pavilion on May 14th from 9am until 4:30pm. There will be a panel of state leaders talking about policy changes, including First Lady of Colorado Jeannie Ritter, an opportunity for LINKS partners to expand their understanding of family and youth involvement in policymaking, and action workgroups to help guide the implementation of LINKS' three priority areas. To RSVP, please contact Rebecca@csi-policy.org A Save-the-Date flier is available at http://www.csi-policy.org/documents/LINKSBigMtgIIISavetheDate_000.pdf
- The Colorado LINKS for Mental Health Initiative's Statutory Chairs meeting on April 10th included drafting an MOU to coordinate the efforts of statutorily mandated groups working on issues related to kids with behavioral health needs.
For more information, please contact Anne-Marie Braga at anne-marie.braga@state.co.us
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Advisory Committee on Homeless Youth
- The Advisory Committee on Homeless Youth is implementing the Colorado Homeless Youth Action Plan, which includes the following priority areas: Prevention, Housing, Supportive Services, Planning / Awareness, and Outreach. More information is available at: http://www.cdhs.state.co.us/shhp/Homeless-Youth.htm
For more information, please contact Andrew Johnson at Andrew.Johnson3@state.co.us
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Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mental Health Task Force
- The Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has convened a Task Force on Mental Health. The charge of the Task Force is to develop a strategic plan for the state to provide mental health services to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The strategic planning process includes a survey of stakeholders, best practices research, an environmental scan, and a strategic plan and written report for Colorado.
For more information, please contact Denise McHugh at Denise@csi-policy.org
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Colorado School Health Improvement Initiative
- The Colorado Trust has launched a Colorado School Health Improvement Initiative designed to create a statewide school health infrastructure that leads to systems change at the state and community level and improvements in the provision and expansion of integrated health services and student outcomes. The initiative consists of two components: community level grants and a governance and planning task force. The latter is called the School Health Services Leadership Task Force.
For more information, please contact Tara Trujillo at tara@coloradokids.org
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Prevention Leadership Council
- The Colorado Prevention Leadership Council is working to support cross-departmental collaboration for creating innovative budgeting, funding, and financing strategies. This effort is being aligned with the recommendations related to fiscal coordination from the Colorado LINKS for Mental Health Initiative and the JR-07 1050 Behavioral Health Task Force. Please share your ideas, concerns, comments, and recommendations with Jose Esquibel, j.esqibel@state.co.us, so that your ideas can be incorporated into the initial concept paper.
- On March 13th, a Colorado Prevention Leadership Council (PLC) strategic planning meeting brought more than 20 representatives from across 6 state departments together to develop a plan on how to integrate technical assistance and training efforts for practitioners in the fields of prevention, intervention, and treatment. The end goal is to build a system / infrastructure around the needs of its users, namely local communities and service providers. The next meeting of this task force is Thursday, May 22nd, 2008, from 9am until 12pm, in the Snow Room at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. New members are welcome.
For more information, please contact Jose Esquibel at j.esquibel@state.co.us
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Urban Peak
- Urban Peak took the lead on the mental health / substance abuse issue for homeless / runaway older youth by planning and hosting a Symposium on 11/2/2007 entitled "Young Adults in Crisis -- Creating Sustainable Solutions in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services." The Steering Committee of the Symposium met at the end of March to develop a plan for the action items identified at the Symposium. The work completed by the Steering Committee is in the form of a table and is now posted on the Urban Peak website at http://www.urbanpeak.org/symposium/htm
For more information, please contact Andrew Johnson at Andrew.Johnson3@state.co.us
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Youth Partnership for Health
The Youth Partnership for Health, the youth advisory council to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, is looking for diverse 14-18 year-old young people from across Colorado who are enthused about shaping the State of Colorado's response to important teen issues. Applications are due May 2nd. If you would like an application, please contact Anne-Marie Braga at anne-marie.braga@state.co.us
For more information, please contact Anne-Marie Braga at anne-marie.braga@state.co.us
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To be included in next month's LINKING YOU, please send us your planning or organization group's name, contact info, up to three bullets of one sentence each, and where possible, a link to more information.
Brought to you by the Colorado LINKS for Mental Health Initiative. For more information about the Initiative, please contact Anne-Marie Braga at anne-marie.braga@state.co.us
