"One story that struck Herod on the campaign trail was at the Gilliam youth detention center in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood, where a staffer told her that “80 percent of the young people coming in have a mental health or substance abuse issue; and 100 percent leave with them.” "Herod and other supporters say the new funding is aimed at narrowing an enormous health equity gap in behavioral services." “Compared with the majority population, members of racial and ethnic minor

"The city will start collecting the new sales taxes on Jan. 1, but the nonprofits won’t be ready for some time." “We’ll have to put together the administrative side — a director, community engagement, outreach, finding out what the gaps are,” said state Rep. Leslie Herod, who spearheaded the Caring 4 Denver campaign for mental health funding." “It’s going to start with a community engagement process — and figuring out how we can move the needle on these issues.” "She acknowle

"DENVER -- Despite federal opposition, Denver is trying again to become what could be the first U.S. city to open a supervised drug injection site, a strategy that some liberal cities have tried repeatedly to launch to reduce overdose deaths fueled by a nationwide opioid epidemic. The Denver City Council voted 12-1 on Monday to approve a measure that would allow one site to open for at least two years under a pilot program. But there are still several hurdles to clear. The pr

"A year after Colorado saw a record 1,175 suicides and an all-time high number of drug overdoses, according to the Colorado Health Institute, Denver voters decided to take matters into their own hands. On Election Day, the city passed a .25 percent sales tax (or 25 cents on a $100 purchase) under the Caring 4 Denver initiative, raising a new stream of money to treat mental health and addiction. It’s meant to take the response out of the hands of police and jails and focus on

"Denver recently voted to increase a sales tax for mental health initiatives. The overwhelming support of this ballot initiative is a marker of how many lives are affected by mental health. I don’t need to convince you of that. However, when thinking about the allocation of this funding, I ask that we not forget about Colorado’s youth." "As a pediatrician, every day I see the impact of mental health on our children, whether it is the intentional overdose in the emergency depa

"DENVER -- Election night was more than just about candidates and political parties. It was also about issues." "In Denver, voters approved a .25 percent tax increase to generate $45 million for mental health funding annually." "So what happens next?" "This will be the largest mental health funding stream that Denver has ever seen," State Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver) said. Herod helped run the campaign to get it passed." "Herod says first up will be the creation of a non prof

"Rob Valuck, a drug addiction expert, said there are similar programs in more than 60 cities around the world with evidence that programs like this help reduce spreading diseases. He also said it could improve access to treatment." “It's not that we are sanctioning something that isn’t there,” Valuck said. “It’s already there.” “We simply don't have enough treatment facilities and programs that it's easy to walk in and get treatment,” he added. “In the interim, what do we do?

"Approving multiple ballot measures Tuesday, Denver voters cleared the way for sales and property tax increases to raise funds for parks, mental health services and other initiatives." "Among the winning measures was an initiative to raise money for parks. The measure passed 61.32 percent to 38.68 percent." "The measure proposed increasing the cost of goods and services by 0.25 percent, or the equivalent of 25 cents per $100. It will provide more than $45 million per year for

"So the question is where people go after using safely to get long-term help. The answer, for some, will be nowhere. They may repeat the cycle of using to avoid withdrawal, but better in the presence of people who can save their lives than in a bathroom somewhere, Raville said." "A measure known as “Caring for Denver” passed Tuesday to fund mental health. That gives Brooks confidence despite the lack of services." “While that’s an issue, there’s a lot of hope that I’m being g

"Denver ballot measures that will raise taxes to increase funds for parks and mental health services were headed toward easy victory Tuesday night." "As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, a proposal to raise money for parks was up 61.23 percent to 38.77 percent in early returns. So far, more than 145,744 total votes have been tallied for the proposal." "The measure proposed increasing the cost of goods and services by 0.25 percent, or the equivalent of 25 cents per $100. If approved, the me