Each week, we talk with our colleagues at the Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This week, we talk with The Colorado Sun about psychologists who can prescribe medication, and an invasive mussel species that's cropped up in a state park.
Gov. Jared Polis has signed off on legislation that could make a major difference for Coloradans seeking mental health care. will allow psychologists in Colorado to write prescriptions, as long as they obtain an additional two-year degree.
鈥淎nyone who has tried to make an appointment for themselves or family members or friends in the mental health field knows how severe the shortage is in Colorado, and how difficult it can be not just to get an appointment but to get an appointment with someone who takes insurance,鈥� Colorado Sun Reporter Michael Booth told KUNC.
To become authorized to prescribe, psychologists will have to take coursework in pharmacology and pass board exams. They'll also have to undergo a one-year preceptorship and two years of physician-supervised prescription.
In other news, Highline Lake State Park is spraying for . Officials at the park, which borders Utah, found a zebra mussel on park grounds in September. That's after a 15-year fight to keep the species out of Colorado waters.
Booth said officials told The Sun they felt sick upon hearing the news.
鈥淲hat it means to them is now years and years of work, trying to make sure that this mussel does not spread in that lake and then spread to other lakes," Booth said. "It means people who use the waterways absolutely working harder to check the bottoms of their boats. It means treating the water with chemicals and other methods in order to try to keep them from spreading.鈥�
Zebra mussels are native to the Caspian and Black seas, but have spread across the U.S. through the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. The mussels spread easily from one body of water to another by clinging to boats and other items that sit on water.
