OBH Needs Analysis: Current Status, Strategic Positioning, and Future Planning

In February of 2014, the Colorado Department of Human Services’s (CDHS) Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) released a request for proposals (RFP) to conduct a study of existing behavioral health resources in the state of Colorado and to project future needs. The intent of the study was to identify and assess existing state and community resources and to recommend strategic future planning, taking into account the many constituent variables associated with the changing behavioral health care system. The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Mental Health Program (WICHE MHP), in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Research Institute (NRI) and Advocates for Human Potential (AHP), formed a team of Colorado and national behavioral health experts to complete this study for OBH. The Colorado OBH Needs Analysis: Current Status, Strategic Positioning, and Future Planning study began in August 2014 and concluded with the final report submission in April 2015. During this time, the project team worked on the 17 specific tasks that were part of the study.