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 assist Coloradans with mental health and drug problems.
A federal agency dealing with substance abuse and mental health has been affected by layoffs, with hundreds of federal employees working on disaster preparedness and disease outbreaks losing their jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was also impacted, with approximately 100 employees laid off. This comes as Congress is at a deadlock over a government shutdown.
"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 affect Colorado's substance abuse and mental health services.