The Colorado Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) selected a team led by Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Mental Health Program to conduct a needs analysis and scan of existing and promising behavioral health models. AHP worked with the WICHE team, which included NASMHPD Research Institute (NRI), to complete 17 tasks. AHP assessed:
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Olmstead v. L.C. legal decision considerations in the provision of state psychiatric beds;
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integration of behavioral health and physical health care;
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impact of marijuana legalization and prescription drug misuse on CO OBH service needs;
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impact of state drug sentencing reform on CO OBH service needs; and
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state approaches to support employment and housing for mental health consumers.
The work on tasks included a literature review, environmental scan, key informant interviews, focus groups, and analysis of existing state-level data. A report was prepared for each task and combined into a comprehensive report that included recommendations for Colorado’s OBH.
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