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• Texas mental health funding leaves gaps

  March 30, 2013 12:11 PM

  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Standing in a courtyard by the state Capitol, Sen. Judith Zaffirini reached out to touch the Mental Health Bell, forged in the 1950s from chains once used to shackle asylum patients, brought to Texas this year on display as a 300-pound symbol of hope. "It is... more »

• $4.5M development for Okla. mental health agency

  March 23, 2013 6:42 PM

  TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Family & Children's Services has taken a $4.5 million step to salvage a state grant and implement programs to expand mental health services in the Tulsa area. The agency had partnered with Hillcrest Medical Center in August 2012 to secure a $1.5 million grant from the... more »

• Corrections director remembered for his reforms

  March 21, 2013 6:09 PM

  COLORADO SPRINGS - His colleagues called him a visionary leader. Slain Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements introduced a number of reforms during his two years in charge of the state prison system. Clements presided over an era of declining inmate populations and championed ideas to keep the population... more »

• Okla. governor: Expand mental health services

  January 23, 2013 12:52 PM

  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Mary Fallin says Oklahoma should expand access to mental health services. At a forum sponsored by The Associated Press, Fallin on Wednesday said her legislative plan will include three crisis centers, a suicide prevention initiative and a treatment program for prescription drug abuse. The mental... more »

• Colorado looking to expand mental health care

  December 17, 2012 11:29 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Gov. John Hickenlooper is asking Colorado lawmakers for $18.5 million to expand mental health services, including opening five urgent care mental health centers, as a response to this summer's mass shooting at an Aurora theater. The governor's office said Monday that the services Hickenlooper and state health... more »

• Suspect in Colo. school shootings avoids prison

  November 10, 2011 1:36 PM

  GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) - A man accused of wounding two children outside a Colorado school will avoid prison because his time spent in a mental hospital is being applied to the 18-month sentence he received for a weapons violation. Prosecutors expressed frustration with the sentence for Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood... more »

• Soldier in Taliban slaying tries suicide in prison

  October 27, 2011 11:23 AM

  DENVER (AP) - The father of a soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a suspected Taliban captive says his son attempted suicide in prison three weeks ago but is doing better since mental health officials changed his medication. Pfc. David Lawrence is serving a 10-year term at the Army's Fort... more »

• Delays in state mental health evaluation

  September 11, 2011 12:09 PM

  DENVER (AP) - A group of attorneys is asking a judge to order the state to shorten wait times for mental health evaluations. A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver claims the state is warehousing mentally ill detainees in county jails and alleges civil rights violations because of... more »

• Grand jury reports on mental hospital death

  April 30, 2011 6:13 PM

  DENVER (AP) - A Pueblo grand jury has found no criminal conduct by Colorado Mental Health Institute staff in the death of a patient who suffocated after being strapped face down. But KMGH-TV in Denver reports the panel did find the staff committed misfeasance and malfeasance and abused their... more »

• Mental Health Institute superintendent resigns

  February 4, 2011 6:15 PM

  The top administrator at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo has resigned. Dr. John DeQuardo has been superintendent of the Pueblo facility since the summer of 2007. "I appreciate Dr. DeQuardo's work as CMHIP Superintendent, in particular his leadership over the past several months to guide CMHIP... more »

• Health Institute employees to rally for more help

  December 17, 2010 2:01 PM

  Democratic State House Representatives Sal Pace and Angela Giron will rally with employees at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo tomorrow to push for more employees at the facility. A report was recently critical of staffing levels at the hospital. The audit was done after several patients died... more »

• Accused killer in Fremont County not competent to stand trial

  November 22, 2010 7:48 PM

  A man accused of killing his girlfriend and dismembering her body is headed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. On Monday, John Paul Williams was found incompetent to stand trial in the murder of Rebecca Magallanes. News First 5 talked with the victim's brother and sister-in-law who are... more »

• Audit critical of Pueblo mental hospital

  November 18, 2010 11:25 AM

  After the death of a the third patient there in less than a year, and the fourth in two years, the state's Department of Human Services said the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo needed scrutiny. The state hired three industry experts, and their report says the hospital needs... more »

• Report released on deaths at Pueblo mental health unit

  November 16, 2010 7:42 PM

  The Colorado Department of Human Services has completed a review of practices at the Colorado Mental Health Institute after three patients died in the forensics unit recently. The forensics unit provides mental health treatment to those who have committed crimes, but have been found Not Guilt by Reason of Insanity... more »

• Patient care review to take place at Mental Health Institute

  September 20, 2010 8:52 PM

  The Department of Human Services has developed a plan to review operations at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP). The four-phase plan will focus on patient care and treatment. The first three phases will go into effect immediately. Phase I: Comprehensive internal review of recent critical incidents... more »

• Alleged Colorado middle school shooter in Pueblo

  July 13, 2010 8:30 AM

  A man accused of shooting and wounding two Colorado eighth-graders outside their school has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Thirty-two-year-old Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood entered his plea on Monday in Jefferson County District Court. He was ordered to undergo a mental evaluation at the state Mental Health... more »

• Confronting mental health issues

  May 18, 2010 8:28 PM

  It's estimated that as many as one in four Americans has a diagnosable and treatable mental health disorder. However, the social stigmas attached to those disorders often prevent people from seeking treatment. Kevin Porter of the Pikes Peak Behavioral Health Group (PPBHG) says mental health issues go undiagnosed too... more »

• Red Cross helps our military heroes

  March 6, 2010 6:56 PM

  Deployment can be incredibly stressful and straining on Southern Colorado's military families. The Pikes Peak American Red Cross offered a free class on Saturday called "Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families" to address that very issue. The course, offered free of charge, was open to military... more »

• Winter brings on depression for many

  December 2, 2009 6:42 PM

  The holiday season is here. For most of us that means presents, family and laughter. But as the weather changes it can turn to severe depression for some. It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. "It's a form of depression that often occurs in the winter months. Primarily it pertains... more »