All Health Network and Aurora Mental Health and Recovery updated the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners on service expansions and system pressures, saying a one‑stop assessment center and new residential capacity are connecting more people to care while state and federal Medicaid policy changes threaten to increase the number of uninsured residents who need behavioral‑health services.

The report to commissioners described a year‑old assessment center that provides comprehensive clinical assessments and a care‑connection specialist who gives “warm handoffs” to available providers, reducing the need for patients to call multiple clinics and repeat paperwork. “We have a 65 percent success rate in connecting people directly to care for those that we can,” said Sheena Binder, program lead, All Health Network. “We estimate… about 80 percent of folks who are getting connected to their care without having to chase it.”

County commissioners were told the assessment model uses memorandums of understanding so some partner providers will accept All Health’s assessment without requiring a new intake. The organizations said two physical assessment locations are already being used — Sycamore and an Inverness site near Dry Creek and I‑25 — and telehealth remains an option for most clients; staff estimated roughly 25 percent of clients prefer in‑person assessments.

Why it matters

Presenters said the center’s warm‑handoff model shortens the time between identification and treatment, which providers and commissioners said reduces disengagement. Commissioners also heard that federal and state changes to Medicaid eligibility and benefit design (discussed in the session as “HR1” and a state re‑eligibility process) could raise the number of uninsured or underinsured people seeking care, increasing pressure on safety‑net programs.

Details of service expansions and outcomes

- Aurora Mental Health and Recovery said it merged with Harmony Recovery in the past 12–14 months and opened a campus in Estes Park that has been made available to Medicaid and commercial insurance. The agency also plans to move an acute care campus closer to I‑25 to improve law‑enforcement drop‑off and expand services.
- A planned 10‑bed unit is being scoped as a youth crisis stabilization/restoration unit (state preference cited); providers called restoration a likely focus.
- Sage Ridge supportive residential community opened about three weeks before the meeting and includes programs aimed at people experiencing homelessness with substance‑use disorders; providers described 27 beds for medical detox plus residential care and an intensive outpatient program.
- The assessment center has signed tiered MOUs with providers across the state that allow some partners to accept the assessment without repeating intake steps; presenters said some partners will also share office space for in‑person assessments as the program expands regionally.

Concerns about coverage and funding

Speakers said an expected change in Medicaid re‑eligibility frequency and the coming federal/state policy shifts could drive an increase in people losing comprehensive coverage or becoming underinsured. Kelly Phillips Henry of Aurora Mental Health and Recovery said the agency is planning workforce and navigation strategies to help clients retain benefits and reapply when needed. She noted that roughly 22 percent of the agency’s Medicaid clients are in the expansion population category and are therefore particularly at risk of losing coverage under the changes discussed.

Bill (role/title not specified) and other presenters urged commissioners to work with state and county partners on mitigation. “We are already near the bottom in terms of behavioral‑health services in Colorado. We are already underfunded, and now we are drastically cutting again,” Bill said, advocating for coordinated clinical and financial reforms rather than administrative fixes alone.

State policy and system‑level effects

Multiple presenters said policy decisions made during Colorado’s behavioral‑health task force and the creation of the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) led to an expanded provider network and new administrative layers that have increased billing and compliance burdens for providers. Commissioners heard examples — including one cited by an assistant Medicaid official during the meeting of a single client generating roughly $400,000 in case‑management billing in a year — used by state officials as part of efforts to identify overuse or billing irregularities.

Providers also warned that system changes shifted inpatient and restoration bed availability. Director McKehlke (role/title given in the meeting) and others said Colorado reduced some acute inpatient capacity in prior years and that the state now lacks both enough restoration beds and step‑down placements for people completing short inpatient stays.

Commissioner responses and next steps

Commissioners thanked presenters and proposed local actions: strengthening Arapahoe County’s existing behavioral‑health committees, expanding the membership and focus of the Justice Coordinating Committee’s behavioral‑health subcommittee, and forming a local work group with county human‑services staff to help clients with Medicaid re‑eligibility and workforce requirements. Commissioner Jessica Campbell described the assessment center as a practical “gap filler” and emphasized the burden clients face in retelling their stories during repeated intakes.

Presenters asked to return with a proposed structure for a local coordinating committee, including membership, scope and expected outcomes so the commissioners could decide where to focus county resources.

Ending

Providers asked county leaders to advocate at the state level for policy adjustments and to help marshal local coordination now, rather than waiting for state or federal changes to take effect. Commissioners agreed to consider expanded local coordination through existing county committees and to request a follow‑up memo from presenters with specifics on an ideal local committee and near‑term actions.