HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - PROCLAMATION - 05/04/2021 - Proclamation Declaring May 2021 as Mental Health A
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed since 1949 to raise
awareness of mental health conditions and the importance of mental health; and
WHEREAS, 20% of Coloradans live with mental illness - the third-highest in the nation;
and
WHEREAS, Colorado ranks 43rd out of 50 states with a higher prevalence of mental
health issues and lower rates of access to care for adults; and
WHEREAS, in 2020 37.6% of Coloradans reported symptoms of anxiety and/or
depression; and
WHEREAS, Larimer County experiences a suicide every 5 days and it is the second
leading cause of youth deaths; and
WHEREAS, cost-effective and beneficial mental health systems of care must be
expanded to meet the varying levels of care needed by the people being served; and
WHEREAS, access to necessary medication, appropriate treatment, and responsive peer
support helps prevent individuals from ending up in emergency rooms and jails; and
WHEREAS, it costs seven times more to incarcerate someone with mental illness than to
treat them in the community; and
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jeni Arndt, Mayor of the City of Fort Collins, do hereby
proclaim May 2021 as
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and the seal of the City of Fort
Collins this 4th day of May, A.D. 2021.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________________
City Clerk