DENVER, CO – Senator Chris Kolker (D-Centennial) was recognized as a 2021 Legislative Champion by Mental Health America (MHA) this week for his work championing mental health policy in Colorado. Kolker was one of six state legislators honored at MHA’s winter Regional Policy Council (RPC) meeting, “Crisis Equals Opportunity,” in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

During the 2021 session, Senator Kolker was a prime sponsor of SB21-154, which establishes the 988 hotline – an essential resource that will help connect Coloradans facing a mental health crisis with critical mental health services. The new law has become a national model for sustainable 988 funding and infrastructure.

“Every Coloradan deserves access to mental health care, and I am incredibly proud of the work we did last session fighting for increased mental health access for all Coloradans,” said Senator Chris Kolker (D-Centennial). “As far back as I can remember, I have struggled with my mental health, and I know that I am not alone. I fought to establish the 988 program because I know that when someone is in a mental health crisis, they often don’t know where to turn, and I look forward to continuing our work to reduce the stigma around mental health, get countless Coloradans the care they need, and save lives in the process.”

In 2020, Congress passed legislation to designate "988" as the national suicide prevention lifeline. SB21-154, signed into law this June, aligns Colorado with the nationally designated three-digit response number. Starting in July of 2022, Coloradans in crisis will be able to dial 9-8-8 to be connected to intervention and crisis services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Implementation of 988 will be driven by the 988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise. The Enterprise aims to improve quality and access to behavioral health crisis services – especially for underserved populations – as well as reduce stigma surrounding suicide, mental health, and substance use conditions.

Senator Kolker has also worked to expand access to mental health resources as a member of Colorado’s Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force, which was established through the Behavioral Health Recovery Act and signed into law this June. The new law allocated $550 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal stimulus funds to help address substance use disorders and other behavioral health prevention and treatment needs throughout the state.

During the 2021 legislative session, the legislature allocated $100 million of the funds to address emergency behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment needs exacerbated by the pandemic over the coming fiscal year, and priorities for the remaining $450 million are being developed by the Task Force along with behavioral health experts from across the state ahead of next year's legislative session.

More information on the MHA RPC can be found here.