A human issue

According to the World Health Organization (WHO): "Mental health is a basic human right for all people. Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a deserving and inherent right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes: the right to available, accessible, acceptable and good quality care; and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community." 

https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/mental-health-promoting-and-protecting-human-rights

by the numbers

Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the United States have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe major depression (CDC, 2024) 

https://www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/learn/index.htm

According to Mental Health America's Adult Data 2022: Colorado ranks LAST among the 51 states (including District of Columbia) indicating a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care. 

https://mhanational.org/issues/2022/mental-health-america-adult-data

In 2019, the Mesa County Community Health Needs Assessment showed that more than 1 in 10 citizens of Mesa County went without mental health services with an identified need to reduce barriers to care. 

https://www.mesacounty.us/sites/default/files/2023-10/chna_snapshot.pdf

The Colorado Health Institute reports "Housing is closely associated with health, including mental health" with "Coloradans with stable housing report better mental health." 

https://www.coloradohealthinstitute.org/sites/default/files/file_attachments/RootCausesMesa_1.pdf

Approximate cost of state-level psychiatric hospitalization per year per patient: $538,000

Approximate cost of state-level incarceration per year per inmate in Colorado: $61,000

Approximately cost of permanent supportive housing per year per participant at A Special Place: $10,000

HEALTH-RELATED SOCIAL NEEDS (HRSN)

In short, serious mental illness precipitates homelessness and homelessness precipitates mental illness. Individuals experiencing serious mental illness (SMI) often have unmet health-related social needs, such as housing, transportation, food, clothing, physical health care, and mental health care. The rates of homelessness among the seriously mentally ill are significant and rising with a reported 21% of those experiencing homelessness being diagnosed with SMI according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Disparities, such as lack of access to basic human needs, exist in this population leading to increased mortality. 

https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/addressing-social-determinants-health-among-individuals-experiencing-homelessness#:~:text=21%20percent%20of%20individuals%20experiencing,having%20a%20substance%20use%20disorder

criminalization of mental health in the usa