During his recovery and rehabilitation after surviving a catastrophic helicopter crash on deployment to Afghanistan, the physical disability of paraplegia was NOT the most difficult obstacle to overcome. The most difficult obstacle to overcome in his recovery was the mental healthcare struggles that came with the injury. Mental healthcare is physical healthcare and healthcare is a basic human right!
In 2019, Colorado had the highest increase in teen suicide rate in the US since 2016. This is an issue that impacts our district in HD38, and in all districts across the state of Colorado.
David’s work in mental healthcare through his personal life, the veteran space, and in communities of those living with a disability will empower HD38 to tackle this issue and lead in a way that no other candidate can. David hopes to continue to work with others to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health illness and mental healthcare, leveraging his own lived experiences to further the cause. If elected, one of his first priorities is to continue to foster collaborative and cooperative endeavors between Colorado’s state institutions, K-12 schools, public higher education institutions, and nonprofits. Team Ortiz will always fight to find ways of fully funding impactful and effective programs and projects that improve mental healthcare across our great state of Colorado, and will never stop working hard to ensure that mental healthcare is treated in a similar way as physical healthcare.