Caring 4 Denver: What You Will Be Voting for in November
"Mental health is one of the major issues facing not only Denver, but the country at large. The economic burden of major depressive disorders alone is $210.5 billion per year in the U.S., according to a 2015 study. But this initiative isn't about saving money: It's about saving lives."
"Leslie realized it was the right time because of three things: people are talking about mental health more, the opioid epidemic is in the news, and mental health in schools is a hot topic," says Dr. Carl Clark, CEO of Mental Health Center of Denver. "This amount of funding is a game-changer."
"Herod says she thinks a sales tax is needed because funding for mental-health programs often comes behind essential city functions, such as infrastructure repair. "It's hard to get funding for Denver," she says. "People think we are over-resourced."
