We need funding for youth mental health too

Denver recently voted to increase a sales tax for mental health initiatives. The overwhelming support of this ballot initiative is a marker of how many lives are affected by mental health. I don’t need to convince you of that. However, when thinking about the allocation of this funding, I ask that we not forget about Colorado’s youth.

As a pediatrician, every day I see the impact of mental health on our children, whether it is the intentional overdose in the emergency department or the teen that battles with suicidal thoughts and depression in the clinic. I am not alone in seeing this. Colorado teen suicide rate is almost twice the national average. With this increase in funding, we have the opportunity to not only change the trajectory of this statistic but more importantly save young lives in our community.

Let us show that Denver cares about our youth.