Layoffs Hit Colorado Programs for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Colorado lawmaker Pettersen has expressed concern over Trump's staffing cuts to organizations that help Coloradans deal with mental health and drug problems.
A federal agency handling substance abuse and mental health has undergone layoffs, affecting hundreds of employees working on disaster preparedness and disease outbreaks at the Department of Health and Human Services.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been impacted, with approximately 100 employees affected.
- The layoffs occur amidst a Congressional deadlock over a government shutdown, involving both Republicans and Democrats.
"We finally were moving in the right direction with the first year, we started to see a reduction in overdose deaths last year," said Seventh District Rep. "Now they're dismantling the very systems that have helped support people to get the treatment that they need.
Author's summary: Layoffs impact Colorado mental health services.