Proposed bill aims to prioritize student behavioral health in schools

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Some Colorado lawmakers are making children's mental health a priority this legislative session.  

The School Mental Health Assessment Act was introduced at the beginning of the session by Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet. The bill will allow schools to opt into a program that will provide students with a mental health screening.

If a student screens for therapy, they'll be referred to the I Matter program, which provides up to six free therapy sessions.

In 2021, Children's Hospital Colorado Declared a state of emergency for youth mental health. Right now Colorado is still in the middle of a crisis. Children’s Hospital Colorado saw a 57% increase in patients coming to the emergency department for mental health in 2022 compared to 2019.

"We’re still in the middle of a crisis and we know the sooner that we get kids help the less likely they are to end up in a crisis. Right now we have that bottleneck in our emergency rooms and wait for high-level care whereas if we can get kids into therapy sooner then we can possibly avoid crisis altogether," said Jenet.

Since 2021, the I Matter program has served more than 5,600 youth. Data shows that 44% of participating kids used at least four sessions.

The Mental Health Assessment Bill will be in the Public Behavioral Health and Human Services committee on Tuesday.