East Grand School District’s 1,305 students have been forced to cope with an immeasurable amount of stress this year, first in the form of a pandemic, followed by a wildfire racing through their community, burning more than 100,000 acres within hours. Amid the ashes left by the East Troublesome Fire last fall, there remains a […]
Office of Behavioral Health
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Mental health care in Colorado has gone virtual thanks to coronavirus. For some patients, it’s long overdue.
Deby Williamson used to take note of her clients’ body language and the vibe that filled the room when they came to see her for mental health therapy. That’s not happening now, since she meets them via computer. Williamson, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Colorado Springs, is one of thousands of […]
Posted inColoradans, Health, News, Politics and Government
Six RVs to help rural Colorado’s opioid addiction are coming to a parking lot near you
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The RV will hit the road for a different northwest Colorado town each day, carrying urine toxicology tests, opioid-overdose antidotes, a counselor and a nurse. Sundays at the Mercantile in Hayden. Wednesdays at the Safeway in Fraser. Thursdays at the City Market in Granby. The rig is one of six that soon […]
Posted inCrime and Courts, Education, Health, Politics and Government
Colorado’s trailblazing Safe2Tell system needs significant upgrades, lawmakers say
Two decades ago, in the wake of the Columbine school shooting, Colorado officials created the Safe2Tell anonymous tip line to help prevent more school massacres. The system set a standard for prevention efforts, one replicated across the nation. But now, lawmakers and mental health experts think Colorado’s system needs a significant upgrade to address an […]
Posted inColoradans, Education, Health, News
What’s behind Colorado’s new suicide prevention campaign? Real teen voices
In the span of two weeks, four students at Chad Hawthorne’s high school in Colorado Springs killed themselves. The deaths came every few days near the end of his freshman year, even as school officials scrambled to make them stop. Across town at Alexis McCowan’s high school, a friend’s little brother took his own life […]
Posted inHealth, News
Colorado set up its mental health crisis system four years ago in response to a mass shooting. It’s about to transform.
WESTMINSTER — Most people who walk in the door of a small, brick building labeled “24/7 Crisis Center” are depressed, suicidal, or experiencing audio or visual hallucinations. Others are young adults going through the first breakup of their lives, feeling so distraught they want to talk to a therapist. Every crisis is “self-defined,” and Colorado’s […]