Ag Behavioral Health Work Group

About the Work Group

The Agricultural Behavioral Health Work Group is tasked with supporting CDA and the Behavioral Health Administration in identifying gaps and compiling best practices for providing behavioral health care to agricultural communities. The work group was formed through SB24-055 and will include representatives of various interest groups. 

The work group will meet monthly and will be responsible for shaping guidance around providing behavioral health care to farmers, ranchers, other agricultural industry workers and their families. This includes compiling best practices, identifying gaps in services and engaging with other stakeholders. The work group will report their findings to CDA and BHA and recommend legislative or policy changes.

Work Group Appointees 

Statewide Agricultural Organizations that have programs focuses on behavioral health issues:

Clinton Wilson, CSU Extension

Clinton Wilson is the AgrAbility Behavioral Health Logistics Program Specialist for Colorado State Extension. He and the Colorado AgrAbility Project team support the behavioral health and wellbeing of farmers, ranchers and agriculture workers in Colorado and beyond. He holds master’s degrees in both Counseling Psychology, and Theology. Clinton lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and three children, where they raise hair sheep, and dairy goats. He loves being outdoors with his family, fly fishing, taking walks through nature, and spending time out in the field with their animals. 

Tim Miller, Colorado Farm Bureau 

Tim Miller is the State Policy Analyst for the Colorado Farm Bureau. Before starting at CFB, he worked in public relations for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Prior to then he worked in advocacy and public affairs for the American Psychiatric Association and for the American Academy of Neurology. Tim grew up in Minnesota and began his career working for the Minnesota State Senate. He received his B.A. in Journalism from Winona State University and his Masters' degree in Digital Audience Strategies from the Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He moved to Colorado in 2014 and lives in Arvada. 

Statewide organizations that address mental or behavioral health issues:

Chad Reznicek, CSU Extension

Chad Reznicek is the Behavioral Health Specialist with Colorado State University Extension and the Colorado AgrAbility Project. He is committed to helping expand and improve behavioral health support and resources in rural communities.  Prior to joining the AgrAbility Team, Chad spent 20 years as a licensed therapist, providing behavioral health services in diverse settings with special focus areas in suicide prevention, trauma, mood disorders, and substance abuse. Both of Chad’s parents were raised on farms and he grew up in a small town in central Nebraska with a deep respect for agriculture as the heart of our rural communities. 

Julie Elliott, CSU Extension 

Julie Elliott is a licensed professional counselor, who spent 20+ years providing behavioral health services, vocational services, and education in diverse settings with special focus areas in trauma, suicide prevention, mood disorders, disability, families, and substance abuse. Julie grew up in Northwest Colorado and is from a 5th generation ranch family.  She is committed to helping others improve their behavioral health by providing them with support and resources in their rural communities and embraces her strong spirit of the west and her western heritage. 

Veteran service organizations:

Michael Lozano, VFW Post 44, Steamboat Springs

I served in the United States Marine Corps and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 where I served as a TOW section leader as part of Regimental Combat Team 5 under the command of General Mattis. When I came back home, I did not realize until I was diagnosed that I had been suffering from post-traumatic stress and a traumatic brain injury (arteriovenous malformation) from blast overpressure which required a craniotomy. I attended a Wounded Warrior Project retreat where I was introduced to horses that save my life. In 2020 my wife Valery and I established Warhorse Ranch which serves veterans, first responders, and all other trauma survivors through equine therapy, beekeeping, flyfishing, and other mindful modalities of healing. I have found a true sense of purpose in sharing my experience in agriculture to help others heal.

Rural behavioral health providers:

Chetney Nelson, Superior 

It's been over 40 years off the farm, and I still feel like a displaced farm boy. I grew up on a cattle and crop operation in northwest Missouri where we specialized in raising purebred Limousin cattle. I was active and held offices in both 4-H and FFA as well as the Junior Limousin Association. My farrow to feeder pig FFA project earned a Star Farmer award, as well as paid most of my way through college. The Limousin cattle operation gave me the opportunity to show our cattle, with some success, at most of the major livestock shows.

I was accepted to the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Colorado State University. After graduation I started practicing at the area mental health center in Manhattan Kansas. After 4 years at the mental health center, I was recruited to work int he Behavioral Health Department at the Fort Riley Army Post, Fort Riley, Kansas. It was rewarding to work with the soldiers, and although I never planned to, I stayed there for over 15 years until I made the decision to retire from government service early in 2024.

Our children had settled in Colorado, and for years encouraged us to move back. In spring of 2024 we bought a house in Superior, and my wife, who is also a Marriage and Family Therapist, and I started working in private practice. This change has given us the ability to approach life at a little slower pace, spend time with our children and new grandchild, as well as to take advantage of some new recreational and civic opportunities.

JC Carrica III, Rocky Ford 

 Dr. JC Carrica is a fourth generation southeast Colorado native, and has been passionate about bringing outstanding behavioral healthcare to the area since the beginning of his career. He started a substance use disorder treatment center, Single Point Services, LLC, which was purchased in 2005 by Southeast Health Group and became the existing SUD treatment arm of the non-profit Community Mental Health Center serving six counties in southeastern Colorado. Carrica worked for Southeast Health Group and took over as CEO in 2018, until its merger with Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc. in 2023. The combined organizations now serve 14 rural counties where he serves as Vic-President and Chief of Healthcare Innovation & Strategy. Additional experience includes serving as President of the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council (2020-2021), Region VIII Representative for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and a Governor Polis appointment to Opioid Crisis Recovery Funds Advisory Committee. 

Kate Martinez, Alamosa

Kate Martinez is the Director of Communications and Community Development at San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group. Born and raised in the San Luis Valley, she is passionate about improving access to mental health resources in rural communities. Kate’s work focuses on community outreach, grant writing, and program development, with a strong emphasis on behavioral health initiatives that serve agricultural and rural populations. She is dedicated to fostering partnerships that support mental wellness for individuals and families in the region. 

Individuals who have lived experience with mental health issues, behavioral health issues:

Isabella Proctor, Rocky Ford

 

Jacob Walter, Fowler

Accordion content.

Jessica Duke, Yuma

I have dedicated the past 19 years to healthcare administration, with the last decade in executive leadership roles specializing in Revenue Cycle Management. Despite achieving professional success early in life and raising three amazing little human beings, I faced profound personal challenges, battling complex PTSD, severe anxiety, and experienced a mental health crisis that led to two suicide attempts between 2017 and 2018. These experiences shaped my unwavering commitment to promoting mental and emotional well-being. Driven by a passion to destigmatize mental health support, I advocate for its necessity as a cornerstone of personal and professional success.

Julissa Soto, Denver

Julissa Soto stands at the forefront of the movement for Latino health equity, a beacon of empowerment and change. With over three decades of dedicated service, she has tirelessly championed the rights and well-being of Latino immigrants, leaving an indelible mark not only in Colorado but across the nation and beyond.

Julissa Soto has been a force for change, leading the charge for Latino immigrant equality, inclusion, and health equity not just in Colorado, but across the entire world. From her roots in teen parent programs to her pivotal role on the Colorado Vaccine Equity Task Force and her advocacy for health equity at the American Diabetes Association, Soto has relentlessly pioneered programs aimed at empowering marginalized communities.

As the founder and CEO of Julissa Soto Latino Health Equity Consulting, her influence spans Colorado, reaching nationwide and extending internationally and globally. Through her consultancy, she provides invaluable guidance and education to organizations and agencies, paving the way for health equity initiatives that resonate on a global scale. 

MJ Guzman, Rocky Ford

Accordion content.

Tom Talley, Durango

Accordion content.

State Entities (staff for the work group, not appointed members): 

Robert Sakata, Colorado Department of Agriculture

 

Calandra Lindstadt, Colorado Behavioral Health Administration

Calandra Lindstadt is the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration Agricultural Community Liaison and Regional Engagement Specialist for the NE Region of the state. Prior to this she worked as a Regional Health Specialist for Colorado State University Office of Engagement and Extension serving the Western Slope with a focus on rural suicide prevention. She comes from a 6th generation farming and ranching family out in Phillips County and spent many summers running the hay operation for Zion Farms. Her agricultural roots have made her passionate about helping rural communities thrive. Calandra achieved a Ph.D. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, but she is equally proud of the Associates degree she earned at Northeastern Junior College that kicked off her higher education journey. 

Katherine Harvey, Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment 

Katherine Harvey is the Rural Strategies Specialist for the Office of Suicide Prevention at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. She supports rural, frontier, and agricultural communities around the state in adapting and implementing comprehensive suicide prevention strategies to their unique contexts. She holds a Master's in Population Mental Health and Wellbeing. Katherine is a lifelong rural resident, a former CSU Extension Agent, and can frequently be found at her partner's fifth-generation family ranch in Gilpin County.