I Matter Colorado

Colorado House Bill 21-1258 established this temporary behavioral health services program to provide access to mental health and substance use disorder services for youth, including addressing needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is open to youth 18 years of age or younger or 21 years of age or younger if receiving special education services.

The program, called I Matter, is funded by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health. The program provides up to 3 free behavioral health sessions for youth in Colorado and reimburses participating providers, which are licensed clinicians from agencies and independent contractors.

The I Matter program also has a statewide public awareness and outreach campaign that includes digital ads on platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, and on-the-ground outreach to schools and youth organizations. Both the awareness campaign and the IMatterColorado.org website were informed by youth feedback.

When Colorado youth or their parents visit the I Matter website, they will be prompted to take a confidential online survey about the youth's mental health; this intake survey will then take them to an opportunity to schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician within the state of Colorado, primarily online over telehealth. Per state law, youth ages 12 and up can fill out the survey independently; youth ages 11 and younger need parent/guardian consent to fill out the survey for mental health support.

Students and families can participate by clicking the following link: https://bit.ly/3F4QtAc