Bill > SB055

This bill aims to improve the behavioral health care of individuals involved in agriculture, including farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural industry workers, as well as their families and rural communities. The key provisions are: 1. The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) will create the Agricultural and Rural Community Behavioral Health Program, which will engage in statewide outreach, establish interdepartmental relationships, and address the root causes of behavioral health issues in the agricultural industry and rural communities. The program will also coordinate training for behavioral health providers to serve this population. 2. The bill creates the Agricultural Behavioral Health Community of Practice Work Group, which will compile best practices, identify gaps, engage with stakeholders, collect data, and make policy recommendations to improve agricultural behavioral health care. The work group will be in place until 2029. 3. The Agricultural Behavioral Health Grant Program is established to fund initiatives that address the root causes of behavioral health issues, strengthen collaborative efforts, and improve access to health, wellness, and behavioral health care for those in the agricultural industry and rural communities. 4. The bill requires the Department of Agriculture and the BHA to enter into an agreement to share anonymized and aggregated data related to behavioral health in the agricultural industry and rural communities. 5. The bill appropriates funds to the Department of Agriculture and the Behavioral Health Administration to implement these provisions.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb24-055