Over the past five years, our country – and indeed much of the world – has undergone profound collective transformation. We have experienced the lows of a global pandemic, racial injustice, rising rates of mental health conditions, substance misuse, and social isolation. And we have seen with the highs of coming together as communities united around a common purpose, a renewed fervor for advocating for human dignity and justice, and ultimately a deepened understanding of the critical role mental health plays in our overall well-being.

During these transformational times, I have remained hopeful that the growing recognition of the criticality of mental health would lead to more investment of funding, resources, and support for behavioral health. This expansion is essential to meeting the growing, and now more visible, behavioral health needs in our communities.

Over the past year, my hope has faltered as we face with numerous new challenges in Colorado, including massive transformation of our behavioral health systems coinciding with plummeting public funding for behavioral health resulting from the Public Health Emergency ending in April 2023. An unexpectedly high number of Coloradans – more than 600,000 or 35% of people previously enrolled – have lost their Medicaid coverage since that time, many struggling to access critical healthcare. At Jefferson Center, we hear their stories every day. People who, having lost Medicaid, are forced to make impossible decisions between paying for critical healthcare services, medications, and procedures, or paying their rent.

Jefferson Center, along with many other Comprehensive Behavioral Health Providers (CBHP) – the new term for many formerly known Community Mental Health Centers – are struggling to sustain programs and services due to plummeting funding. Increasingly, we are providing uncompensated care for more and more people without Medicaid or any other form of insurance. This situation is not sustainable and has dire consequences for CBHPs and the people we serve.

While systems transformation for behavioral health is necessary and the vision for Colorado – to expand access to a broader array of services statewide – is one that I fully embrace, it is imperative that we unite across communities, and public and private entities. We must step in and step up to invest in behavioral health and create a viable path to this vision.

Last month, Jefferson Center and WellPower announced that we will not be moving forward with our planned merger due to the changing financial landscape which poses greater risks to our success. While we are disappointed by the lost opportunities to fulfill our vision and our promises to expand care and services as a part of this merger, Jefferson Center remains steadfast in our commitment to navigating these challenges and furthering our mission. This decision has prompted me to reflect on the unique strengths of Jefferson Center—our passionate, dedicated and engaged team and Board of Directors, our strategic vision and innovation in responding to community needs, and our commitment to collaboration as a partner and problem solver in achieving greater collective impact.

Since a very young age, my “why” has centered on a strong belief in the power of people to overcome tremendous obstacles and challenges in order to thrive; that we cultivate growth through a deep awareness of mental well-being and the role this plays in our lives; and that it takes a village (a family, a community, an equitable and supported system of care) to ensure that thriving is within every person’s reach. If you are reading this article, I know that you also care deeply about behavioral health. Now is a critical moment in time, a crossroads for behavioral health, where we have an opportunity to use our learnings from the past five years for positive change or we risk sliding back decades in access to behavioral healthcare.

I believe in people. I believe that we can come together, capturing the momentum of these times, and using our collective strengths and commitment, to arrive at our vision, “a community [a world] where mental health matters and care is accessible to all.”

Kiara Kuenzler
President & CEO, Jefferson Center