33F5AB3C6DED63ED87258A1B0057A869 Hearing Summary

A panel of Steve Holloway, Health Access Branch Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Kristen Igstrup, Associate Director of Workforce Development of the Behavioral Health Administration, went over workforce initiatives.

The panel went over the use of data sources in making workforce decisions. They then went over the summary of the behavioral health workforce. The distribution of care is typically centered around large population centers and access needs to look beyond just a county level into a community level.

The panel also went over initiatives to strengthen the workforce to fill the current provider gap. These include grant making, education, training, and diversifying the workforce.

The committee asked if the identified practitioners work on both substance use and mental health. The panel says the next steps of data analysis is to start to understand the type of work provided.

The committee asked about the provider map. The panel talked about how the map has changed over time, and new levels of precision in the map.

The committee asked about implementing those with lived experience in the workforce. The panel spoke on giving a certified credit to those with lived experience.