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 (see About Us page), I became aware of the issues impacting the families that make up the many diverse metro Denver communities. In 2019, I decided to use my broadcasting experience to create OCBN, an online broadcasting network, to present Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues important to these many communities. Past podcasts showcased the DEI programs of the organizations that presented to the Diversity & Inclusion Council at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. I served as Vice Chair of the D&I Council from 2018 to 2022. The past programs can be viewed on the DEI Podcasts page.
The issues of health and wellness have become much more complex since the Covid 19 pandemic with mental health and substance use disorders at crisis levels in communities throughout the country. My focus is 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”.
As behavioral health disorders continue to have a major impact on communities, it is vitally important to recognize the interrelationship behavioral (mental) health and biological (physical) health have on each other. Due to the need for a broad and inclusive approach to healthcare, I have created the Health & Wellness Best Practices Podcast to feature behavioral health and biological health issues and show the relationship between the two. I want to invite interested health professionals and advocates to be a guest on the Health & Wellness Best Practices Podcast to showcase your organization and contribute content on health issues, as the current collaborators are doing.
With the goal of getting vital healthcare information out to the public, OCBN is in discussion with advocacy groups, healthcare providers, educational institutions, government agencies, and elected officials to provide important information on health and wellness issues. Upcoming podcasts will feature: a panel discussion about Medicaid services and the impact of proposed cuts, with Edie Sonn, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council; Polly Anderson, Colorado Community Health Network; Kelly Erb Zager, Colorado Rural Health Center - Aurora Wellness Court, Judge Shawn Day, Presiding - Friends and Family Intake Form with Andrea Jones, Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) - Trailhead Institute - Aurora affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMIAurora) - Colorado Medicaid Class Action Lawsuit settlement, Colorado Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health - Colorado State Senators Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Iman Jodeh, and Michael Weissman - Colorado State Representative Michael Carter - US Congressman Jason Crow.
On the Health & Wellness Podcasts page you'll find past programs of interest with interviews and presentations by CU Anschutz Ludeman Family Center for Women’s Health Research, several interviews with medical doctors and researchers on brain health at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and UC Health Hospital, Rice University's Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities (BMED) Lab, Colorado Resilience Collaborative at the University of Denver Graduate School of Professional Psychology , the Alzheimer's Association, book authors, and other organizations in the health and wellness realm.
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I am pleased to announce that Our Community Broadcasting Network has been appointed a Network Member of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). This honor is in recognition of the work OCBN has done featuring researchers, clinicians, and professors at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Children's Hospital Colorado, and UC Health Hospital, all located on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. For select interviews visit the Health & Wellness Podcast page. The mission of the NLM is to improve the public’s access to information to make informed decisions about their health. For more information about NLM, visit the Newsroom page.
Best regards,
Below are the most recent Health & Wellness Best Practices Podcasts*. Past podcasts are on the Health & Wellness Podcasts page.
*Interviews are recorded on the Zoom platform and edited for time and content. The edited podcast is then reviewed by the interviewee(s) for accuracy prior to being finalized and posted for public viewing. For more information about the podcast process, contact me at DennisStretar@ocbn.online. All videos are hosted on the Vimeo platform and linked on this page. If any of the podcasts fail to load, refresh the page and that will re-load them properly.
YouTube (https://youtube.com/@BehavioralHealthBestPractices/videos) and Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/ocbn-online.bsky.social) channels are available to view the podcasts and to share with others.
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Mental Health Colorado was founded in 1953 as an advocate for every Coloradan who experiences a mental health or substance use condition each year. They engage policymakers, providers, the public, and the press to promote mental well-being, ensure equitable access to mental health and substance use care, and end discrimination. Their efforts range from the Capitol to the classroom. For more information visit www.mentalhealthcolorado.org.
Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition started at the advent of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and is Colorado’s premier disability rights advocacy organization. They advocate for those with all types of disabilities to live full, equitable lives with equal access to any civic, professional, and/or personal opportunities that are available to people without disabilities. For more information about the CCDC visit www.ccdconline.org.
Founded in 1994, Rocky Mountain Equality promotes a vision of LGBTQ+ people, families, and communities living authentically in an inclusive, equitable, and compassionate world. They work collaboratively to create connection and provide advocacy, education, research, cultural events, and responsive programs and services that ensure LGBTQ+ people, families, and communities thrive. For more information about Rocky Mountain Equality, visit www.rmequality.org.
Colorado Mad Moms was founded in August of 2024. They are a grassroots organization of parents, family members, and caretakers of persons living with a Serious Mental or Brain Illness and their allies. Their vision is that children living with serious mental illness be treated with dignity and respect and that they receive person-centered, equitable, compassionate, and evidence-based care, and support. Visit www.comadmoms.org for more information about the organization and how to get involved.
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.
Established in 1967, the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council is a membership organization for non-profit behavioral healthcare providers. Their overarching mission is to support community resilience, guide behavioral health innovation, and enhance individual wellbeing. Key behavioral health efforts include advocacy, training, support of legislative initiatives, and improved access to mental health services for all. For more information about the different programs at the CBHC and to learn how you can be involved in behavioral health advocacy, visit www.cbhc.org.
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/ .
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.
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.
As defined by the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, "A System of Care is a spectrum of effective, community-based services and supports for children and youth with or at risk for mental health or other challenges and their families, that is organized into a coordinated network, builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth, and addresses their cultural and linguistic needs, in order to help them to function better at home, in school, in the community, and throughout life." This presentation by the Colorado Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, provides information on the background and current System of Care as revised from earlier models.