A local nonprofit that works to ensure mental health services are always available for people who can’t afford them won recognition Wednesday for its efforts.

The Larimer Center for Mental Health received the Agency of Distinction Award from the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado at its annual luncheon in Fort Collins.

The mental health agency was honored for its focus on the future and excellence in management.

Click here to read the full Reporter Herald article.

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression.

Many service members said they do not seek treatment for psychological illnesses because they fear it will harm their careers. But even among those who do seek help for PTSD or major depression, only about half receive treatment that researchers consider "minimally adequate" for their illnesses.

Click here to read the full RAND Coporation news release.

After 26-years of service as executive director for Colorado West Regional Mental Health, Doctor Ken Stein is retired.

One of every five inmates jailed in the seven- county Denver metro area has a serious mental illness, and housing them takes a $34.4 million annual bite out of the counties’ tight budgets, according to a new report by a Metro Area County Commissioners’ task force.

Seriously ill inmates spend 5 1/2 times longer in jail than average inmates and cost $8.28 more per day because they receive more services and may be housed in special units, the report found.

"If we could reduce the number of mentally ill people in jail by one-third, we could cut the jail population in half," said Jefferson County Commissioner Kathy Hartman, chairwoman of the metro group. Mentally ill inmates also revolve in and out of jail more frequently.

Click here to read the full Denver Post article.

Since 1958, Jefferson Center for Mental Health has successfully helped nearly ½ million individuals facing mental health challenges-friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers. More than 500 hundred community leaders will join together this month to celebrate the Center’s first 50 years of service and the thousands of people whose lives have been changed. It also will give local leaders a glimpse into the future.

Click here to read the full article.

Gov. Bill Ritter’s administration is making great strides in the area of mental health during his short tenure. Ritter’s initiatives have just started, but his leadership on this single issue will save lives and scarce resources.

Click here to read the full Denver Post eLetter from George DelGrosso.

In the past 15 years the number of mentally ill individuals in jail or prison has risen fourfold, from 4% of the jail/prison population to 16% or more, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The rate of serious mental illness among people booked into U.S. jails each year is at least three to four times higher than the rate of serious mental illness in the general population. The problem is no less severe in Colorado. According to the state’s Department of Corrections, the percentage of individuals with serious mental illness in its prisons is 20%, an increase of approximately 1% each year since 1991.

Click here to read the full Behavioral Healthcare article.

There’s a new CEO in town from Colorado Springs to fill some very big shoes. After 26-years of service as executive director for Colorado West Regional Mental Health, Doctor Ken Stein is retired. The health center is honored with a series of performance awards - all of them on Doctor Stein’s watch. Now, Sharon Raggio is taking the seat. Raggio says they’re expanding on programs including substance abuse and mental health services.

Click here to watch the krextv video.