Public Safety Chief Honored by Mental Health Colorado
Congratulations to Public Safety Chief Mike Butler!
Mental Health Colorado recognized three champions of mental health in Colorado. They were honored at the non-profit’s Tribute Gala on Saturday night, October 28, 2017.
The Individual of the Year Award went to Longmont Public Safety Chief Mike Butler. Chief Butler started several programs to address the mental health and substance use needs of the Longmont community. One example is the “Edge Program,” pairing mental health professionals with Longmont Police.
The other two organizations recognized were:
- Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners for Organization of the Year. The group launched as a community project in metro Denver a decade ago. It has grown to a statewide crisis hotline for people who need mental health and substance use help.
- 91-year-old Therese Michels received the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the former President of the Colorado Association of Psychotherapists. And she still counsels people today. As one client put it: “I paid her in part by doing gardening, but I will never be able to fully repay her. I am a much more confident, health woman because of her counseling.”
A big congratulations to these winners on the extraordinary impact they are making in Colorado.
“We share a common goal: to make Colorado a national leader in prevention and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders,” says Andrew Romanoff, President and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “These honorees are igniting change.”
More than one million Coloradans experience a mental health or substance use disorder each year. And less than half of them get treatment. Mental Health Colorado works to get better mental health care for all Coloradans with a mental health or substance use disorder.
You can find additional information about Mental Health Colorado at http://www.mentalhealthcolorado.org.
