After shootings, Colo. governor proposes more mental health services

After a recent spate of mass killings, Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., is proposing $18.5 million of funding for mental health services, CBS News has confirmed. The proposal is in response to the deadly movie theater shootings in Aurora in July that killed 12 and injured 58.

The funding proposal must be approved by the Colorado legislature, but it would beef up mental health services around the state. The proposal would fund additional walk-in mental health clinics, short-term transitional facilities for mental health patients and a crisis hotline, according to the Coloradoan.

Hickenlooper's proposal comes as calls for increased support for mental health funding escalated after 20 children and seven adults were killed in Newtown, Conn., Friday. President Obama has vowed to meet with mental health professionals to prevent similar events. Even Republicans who are shying away from talk about gun control say mental health should be discussed, including Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who said "there must also be a serious and thoughtful discussion on mental health issues."