We have let 2 years go by with meager progress, but a leadership change is a reason to hope we can get proactive care to people.
Michelle Barnes
Posted inPolitics and Government
Ousted Behavioral Health chief cites “lack of support” from governor’s office
Gov. Jared Polis’ office announced Monday that “effective immediately” the state’s human services director would take over for Dr. Morgan Medlock
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado hires private investigators to find teens who went missing when the state abruptly closed a youth center
When state child welfare officials arrived at a now-closed youth center to collect teenagers and send them to other placements, surprised kids scattered into the fields surrounding the residential facility in Watkins. A month later, two teenage boys are still missing. And in the aftermath of what critics are calling a botched operation to abruptly […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Calls to Colorado’s child abuse hotline fell during coronavirus, but harm to kids likely didn’t
As feared by child advocates, the number of calls to a statewide abuse and neglect hotline dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s not because abuse and neglect declined, but because the isolated days of COVID-19 have kept children out of sight. Calls to the hotline fell 13% compared with 2019 — that’s 193,448 calls […]
Posted inColoradans, Crime and Courts, News, Politics and Government
A youth corrections center plagued by escapes, drugs and a riot is headed for a physical — and cultural — reorganization
GOLDEN — Colorado’s most troubled youth corrections center, where several teens and staff were injured in a riot last spring and where a new report found rampant drug use, will undergo a physical transformation this year. The massive complex — surrounded by mesh fence that bends inward to prevent escape — will become four separate […]