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should not be the leading cause of death for children.

Healthier Colorado is a nonpartisan, nonprofi t organization that says it is dedicated to raising the voices of Coloradans in the public policy process to improve the health of the state’s residents.

Williams, along with a panel of speakers at the Nov. 16 forum, said local, state and federal lawmakers have to step up to address the growing mental health crisis that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

According to the playbook, like many states, Colorado has a severe shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists and psychologist, leading to access-to-care gaps for children and youth. The playbook estimates that only 22% of youth who have mental illness with severe impairments are receiving care.

Jim Weigand, a Jefferson County father of seven, participated in the discussions, sharing a story about his adopted daughter who has struggled with mental health. Wiegand said that to get the right care for his daughter, his family had to look outside of Colorado, placing her at a facility in Georgia.

Wiegand said the Georgia facility helped his daughter over 15 months, putting a strain on the family to travel to see her with the added obstacles created by the pandemic.

Wiegand said his daughter is home now and doing well but stressed how frustrating it has been to get help in Colorado. Weigand said he is lucky that his family has the means to take the steps they did, noting that he has friends in similar situations where their children are not getting proper assistance.

Dr. Sophie Meharena, of Every Child Pediatrics, a chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the system is getting overwhelmed. Meharena described one Friday afternoon where four of her 16 patients told her they were having suicidal thoughts.

Meharena said parents are overwhelmed in not knowing what to do and the industry is overwhelmed because it does not have the facilities, resources or workforce to address the continually growing number of patients in need of mental health intervention.

“Without coordinated and consistent resources and access for all, we cannot have a sustainable system,” Meharena said. “Getting the mechanics right is key to a sustainable system to address the needs in Colorado. Investing in children’s mental health is investing in this country’s future.”

In presenting solutions to the problem, the playbook points to local policy changes that should include more federal funding with a local impact and more local infrastructure for sustainable funding.

The panel pointed to the funds coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 where millions have been earmarked for states to use for mental health. Panel members are asking Colorado lawmakers to designate one third, or $150 million, of all the funds to youth mental health. The state got $450 million from the American Rescue Plan.

Williams said this is a fair amount to ask for given that Colorado youth and young adults under the age of 24 make up 31% of the state’s population.

Zach Zaslow, director of government affairs at Children’s, said funding cannot stop with the American Rescue Plan. For actual changes in Colorado, Zaslow said lawmakers at the state and federal levels must commit to fi xing the crisis by creating sustainable programs and funding beyond 2021.

By creating the sustainable programs, Zaslow said children and youth will be able to get the care they need before a crisis.

Meharena said part of the problem is the system is designed to be reactive rather than proactive.

As part of the solution, the multi-agency playbook calls for state policies to prioritize children and youth mental health through continued federal funding investments and to make sure the new Behavioral Health Administration is child focused.

Other solutions addressed by the panel include pushing lawmakers to change how the health care system separates physical and mental health. Currently, CHC Chief Medical Offi cer Dr. David Brumbaugh said the way insurance companies manage mental health makes it hard for families to afford proper care.

Creating more virtual options for rural communities is also a solution, Zaslow said.

Rebecca Doughty -- program director of Four Corners Youth Clinics, a member of the Colorado Association of School-Based Health Clinics -- said a shortage of trained psychologists and staff is a major problem in rural communities.

Zaslow said having the ability to speak to qualifi ed professionals without having to drive to Aurora would help get help to the young people struggling beyond the Front Range.

Dr. Jenna Glover, a Children’s clinical psychologist, said the playbook the panel is introducing offers tangible information that will show lawmakers how they can begin to repair a broken system.

Glover and members of the panel are urging the public to push lawmakers at all levels to start making mental health care for youth a priority.

Children’s Hospital Colorado has multiple hospitals and clinics located across the Front Range.

PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK

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Hospital’s high-tech surgery program expanding

BY THELMA GRIMES TGRIMES@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Already serving as one of the state’s leaders in robot-assisted surgery, Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree is making a major investment in the future by building a special robotics unit.

Construction in the Lone Tree hospital’s Evergreen building is currently underway for an outpatient robotic surgery center covering more than 26,000 square feet, slated to open in 2022.

Sky Ridge CEO Kirk McCarty said robot-assisted surgery allows doctors to perform a variety of procedures with more precision, fl exibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques. Robotic surgery is usually associated with minimally invasive surgery, which can be performed through tiny incisions.

In a robot-assisted procedure, surgeons operate on patients using a camera arm and mechanical arms that have surgical instruments attached to them. The surgeon controls the arms while seated at a computer console near the operating table. Through the technology, the surgeon has a view through a high defi nition, magnifi ed, 3D lens.

Sky Ridge Vice President of Operation Will Bertram said the $20 million expansion will have four operating rooms, eight pre-op rooms and six recovery rooms.

In the new department, surgeons will focus on specialty procedures in gynecology, bariatrics and urology.

Bertram said the new department is being built directly next to the gynecology department because of the number of procedures being done for women. Robotic technology has emerged in the last decade to treat issues with the female reproductive system, Bertram said. The robots are able to more precisely remove tumors and address issues with less complications, he said.

Jeff James, a gynecological oncologist at Sky Ridge, said robotics in surgery has continually evolved over the last decade, noting that the ease of use, decrease of set-up time and patient success are all good reasons for the hospital to expand the program.

“Currently, one of the problems is availability,” James said. “With the equipment we have now, we have to schedule surgeons and patients and make sure the robots are available. That is because they create the ability for far more effi ciency and better-quality services for the patient.”

In the past, James said preparing for a robotic-assisted surgery could take more than an hour to put the machine together. Now, with the equipment currently used at Sky Ridge and the future expansion, surgery prep takes around 10 minutes.

In gynecological procedures, James said the advanced robots allow easier access for specialized procedures and with the smart technology on the computer, the robot can correct a surgeon’s hand movements quickly, rotating from left to right or right to left as needed, James said.

McCarty said in looking at where healthcare is headed, it makes sense to expand an area where technology allows surgeons to be more precise, cuts down on recovery time, allows patients to be sent home sooner and has less risk of complications.

“It allows us to take on a special niche to drive the positive outcome for patients,” McCarty said. “Sky Ridge is quickly becoming one of the busiest hospitals for robotic procedures in Colorado. We want

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