For more than 35 years, WellPower has been on a journey to bring mental health, well-being and comprehensive behavioral health support to our Denver community. As with any journey, it’s important that from time to time we stop and assess where we are, where we are going and the guides that will help us get there. For non-profits, those guides are represented by our organizational mission, vision and guiding principles. We recently took one such pause to assess our progress and adjust our bearings, and the results are brand new mission, vision and guiding principles for our organization that we’re proud to share today.
What are Mission, Vision & Guiding Principles?
At WellPower, mission, vision and guiding principles are foundational elements that not only define our purpose but also shape how we approach every level of our work, both in direct service and support roles. For those we serve, these statements are an immediate representation of why we exist, what we value and how we strive to make a difference. You could say, then, that mission, vision and guiding principles combined make up our “north star” – how we know where we’re going and measure our progress. Because WellPower has encountered a lot of changes over the past few years, it has also become clear that our course has shifted a bit, too.
Changing Landscape
If you regularly keep up with our WellPower news, you are probably familiar with the massive shifts in funding, regulation and demand for care that we’ve experienced since 2020. If you’re new to it, here’s a brief snapshot:
- 2020-2022: During and following the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for behavioral health services skyrocketed along with the severity of symptoms experienced by many people in need.
- 2022-2023: The organization undertook a rebrand effort, changing our name from the Mental Health Center of Denver to WellPower in order to allow us to truly step into providing a full array of services beyond traditional “mental healthcare.”
- 2024: Dr. Carl Clark announced his retirement after 36 years with the organization, and the search for a new CEO was initiated. Meanwhile, the state was scaling back Medicaid enrollment that had expanded during the pandemic, while also implementing a brand-new funding model for community mental health centers (CMHCs) and a host of new regulations.
- 2025: James Greer took the reins as CEO as the organization worked to adjust to the recent changes from the state. Meanwhile, the new federal administration began cutting additional funding for mental health, and passed the H.R. 1 spending bill, which will have massive implications for Medicaid recipients over the next decade-plus.
The Path Forward
With these shifts in mind, we consulted our staff about why they choose to work here and what is most meaningful about their work and interactions with the people we serve. The feedback we received provided the perfect platform from which to craft and launch our new “north star” statements. Here’s a snapshot in their own words:
- “We offer so many amazing services that far exceed other mental health agencies, and it makes me feel like we really are working to improve our community and lives of the people we serve.”
- “I think WellPower has the ability to change how people in the mental health system are viewed and interacted with by showing them empathy and care. I also want to help those that get lost in the system, get easily dismissed or are typically ‘given up on’ so we can do our best to interrupt the cycles that block them from meeting their well-being goals.”
- “I love that we embrace the challenge of collectively working on ‘how can we?’ rather than drowning in the “why we can’t”
- “This work is close to my heart, as I had a dark time in my life and was struggling financially and a community mental health agency helped save my life. I know we change and save lives, and I want to support that in any way I can.”
Introducing WellPower’s New Mission, Vision & Guiding Principles
So here they are, the new guides we will use as we continue to navigate unchartered territory in community behavioral health care, always centering the well-being of those we serve. We are excited for our future and ready to face and embrace whatever our journey has in store with these statements as our north star.
Our Mission
We empower people to overcome barriers and achieve lasting well-being through collaborative behavioral health care and comprehensive support.
Our Vision
WellPower envisions a community where every person’s mental health is fostered through strength, resilience and hope.
Our Guiding Principles
Person Centered. We honor people’s identities, lived experiences and journeys and treat every person with the dignity we all deserve.
Exceptional Care. We offer compassionate, innovative services that meet people where they are, from immediate support to long-term recovery.
Integrity. We operate from a deep foundation of ethical, accountable practices in all we do.
Organizational Resilience. We meet the moment and adapt to changing contexts with collaborative creativity, agile business processes and financial stewardship.
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