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Our Community Broadcasting Network (OCBN)
Welcome to Our Community Broadcasting Network. Having been involved in public affairs broadcasting and community activism in the greater Denver area since 1999, I became aware of the many issues impacting the families that make up the metro Denver community. In 2019, I decided to use my broadcasting experience to create OCBN, an online broadcasting network, to present issues important to these various, diverse communities. Past programs covered important topics such as healthy lifestyle living, DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion), brain health, education, family caregiving, and more. These programs can be viewed on the Archived Programs page.
With mental health and substance use disorders having a major impact on communities throughout Colorado, I have turned my focus to getting information to the public featuring innovative practices in delivering services and patient/family support programs that help mitigate mental health and substance use disorders and improve behavioral health outcomes. As defined by the American Medical Association (AMA), "Behavioral health generally refers to mental health and substance use disorders, life stressors and crises, and stress-related physical symptoms. Behavioral healthcare refers to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of those conditions”.
Through collaborations with key behavioral health experts and community stakeholders, I created the Behavioral Health Best Practices Podcast that showcase innovation in behavioral health treatment and family support by mental health/substance abuse treatment providers, prevention and support groups, community advocates, government agencies, and elected officials that focus on behavioral health needs. The podcasts feature the utilization of best practices in creating and maintaining behavioral health programs and initiatives that support the community. I invite any behavioral health experts and advocates to join the initiative to contribute content as guest presenters and/or to offer resource information.
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As a member of the Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council (BHPAC), I am pleased to announce a partnership has been established between Behavioral Health Best Practices and BHPAC to do community outreach to inform the public about behavioral health issues that impact their lives. BHPAC was established by mandate of the federal agency, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA), to advise Colorado behavioral health agencies on the best uses of the bi-annual Federal Behavioral Health Block Grant and to advocate for the community-at-large on behavioral health needs. BHPAC is administered by Colorado's Behavioral Health Administration (BHA). To this end, OCBN's Behavioral Health Best Practices series is producing podcasts to inform the public through interviews and presentations by behavioral health experts, many of which are members of BHPAC or work at the BHA. The partnership promotes the programs through our respective networks to the public-at-large as behavioral health informational resources for their communities. For more information about BHPAC and BHA, click on the logos below to go to their websites.
Best regards,
Below are the latest Behavioral Health Best Practices Podcasts. For past Behavioral Health programs, click on the Behavioral Health Podcasts tab.
CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness) was founded in 2018 by Denver pie maker John Hinman and food writer Alexandra Palmerton. After Alexandra interviewed John for an article on mental health challenges in the hospitality industry, the overwhelming response made it clear—people needed a space to share their stories. Seeing this need, John created CHOW as a protected, supportive community for those navigating pain, recovery, and mental well-being. On this podcast is the Chief Growth Officer, Jasmin Parks-Papadopoulos, to talk about the work that CHOW does for the food, beverage and hospitality industry.
Colorado State Senator Dafna Michaelson Jenet was first elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 2016 and became a state senator in 2023. Her legislative work primarily focuses on foster youth, children's mental health, and health care access. The Senator ran for office because of her personal experiences with mental health issues with her young son. As a children's mental health advocate, she created iMatter, a program that allows any school-aged child to obtain six free sessions of therapy. The Senator is working with several states to help establish this program throughout the country.
The Colorado Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health is a family focused advocacy group to offer support for those dealing with a child’s mental health issues. They offer a vast array of resources as well as educational materials and emotional support. They have a broad network of collaborators to include other mental health advocacy organizations, local and state agencies, and providers. For more information about the organization visit www.cofederation.org. They are an affiliate of the national organization, National Federation of Families which is in all 50 states. For those outside of Colorado, contact the National Federation of Families at www.ffcmh.org for help finding the affiliate in your state.
The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is the state administration responsible for ensuring all people in Colorado have access to quality mental health and substance use disorder services, regardless of where they live, or ability to pay. As required by Colorado law, the BHA was to create a performance monitoring system to track capacity and performance of all behavioral health providers, including those that contract with managed care entities or behavioral health administrative services organizations, and inform of needed changes to the behavioral health system in the state. For more information about the BHA or to access the Performance Hub visit: https://bha.colorado.gov/ .
The Behavioral Health Best Practices YouTube podcast channel has been created. To subscribe to the free channel and get notifications whenever a new podcast is posted, click on the YouTube logo and the link will take you to the channel.
