RBC | Online Directory of Behavioral Health Providers & Services called OwnPath Launches in Colorado
The Colorado Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) launched a new care directory called OwnPath this week, providing an accessible, transparent experience for all people in Colorado seeking behavioral health care and services.
Recognizing that we are all striving for wellbeing, OwnPath provides individuals with a resource to begin their own path to wellness, no matter where in the journey they are. The searchable online directory allows people to find behavioral health providers licensed by the BHA and to search for specific services or use a guided search to identify providers or resources that best meet their needs. Searches can be narrowed by criteria such as location, days of operation, language support, payment types accepted, and more.
“OwnPath is a new resource for Coloradans to further provide people with access to behavioral health services when they need them most. We are committed to expanding affordable mental health resources in our state to save people money and make sure every Coloradan has the opportunity to thrive,” said Gov. Polis. “I commend Dr. Medlock and behavioral health workers for their dedication and commitment to improving the lives of our neighbors, friends and family members.”
“The concept of OwnPath is new to the state of Colorado, and should tremendously improve access to care. This is the BHA’s first step in building a reimagined behavioral health system,” said BHA Commissioner, Dr. Morgan Medlock.
In partnership with the Governor’s Office of Information Technology’s (OIT) Colorado Digital Service team, the BHA is committed to utilizing human-centered design on the OwnPath site, a philosophy for problem-solving that engages the people impacted by a problem and ensures that their needs are prioritized when developing solutions.
“To meet the goals of the BHA, we need to listen to the people of Colorado first in order to establish processes that support them. We need to thoughtfully systematize the ways our people engage in our state processes,” said Dr. Medlock.
From January through May 2022, a group of behavioral and mental health experts met with the goal of designing a public-facing, web-based care navigation and coordination platform that improves accessibility, builds trust with community members, and is grounded from the start in understanding user needs. Recommendations from the group drove the direction of this new tool. Moving forward, the BHA will regularly engage people with lived experience to inform improvements and new features of OwnPath.
OwnPath can be used in both English and Spanish, with more languages to come. MiPropiaSenda, the Spanish-Language directory can be found at https://mipropiasenda.co.
Amid a widespread mental health crisis, this resource will be critical to ensure all people in Colorado have easy, approachable access to information on the services available to them.
The crisis line, 1-844-493-8255 (text TALK to 38255), is available if users are experiencing an immediate need.
About the Behavioral Health Administration
The Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) is a new cabinet member-led agency within the State of Colorado, housed within the Department of Human Services and is designed to be the single entity responsible for driving coordination and collaboration across state agencies to address behavioral health needs. Find us online at https://bha.colorado.gov/ or follow us on social media at @BHAConnect.
HOPEWEST PRESS RELEASE | Special to the Herald Times
