In the News
WellPower in the News
Find WellPower (formerly Mental Health Center of Denver) in news media all over Colorado and nationally. Read below for previews of articles, and click on the links to read or watch the original stories.
Man once struggling with addiction finds new purpose in helping others
9NEWS | October 21, 2024
Denver's STAR program looking to expand as more requests for non-police response come in
9NEWS | October 8, 2024
Denver receives thousands of calls to 911 every year that don't require a police officer. The program that sends a van with a mental health professional and paramedic instead is getting popular. Last year, STAR van teams alone could only respond to one in five of all eligible calls for service.
A grant agreement could help STAR expand and help more people.
The contract before Denver City Council's Safety and Housing Committee would approve a grant agreement with Caring For Denver Foundation for $1.5 million.
The money would be used to continue crisis response from WellPower, which supplies the clinicians. It would also be used to support Servicios De La Raza in connecting people with ongoing care such as mental health support and housing.
Cooking for Well-Being with Dr. Carl Clark: Thai-Inspired Chicken Meatball Soup
FOX 31 | September 30, 2024
Back to School Emotions with WellPower's Paula Stolz
FOX 31 | August 2024
WellPower's Paula Stolz, licensed professional counselor with our Child & Family services, discusses how to manage back-to-school emotions with your children, including tips for handling stress and anxieties about the school year.
Ways to be mindful about summer alcohol consumption
9NEWS | June 10, 2024
WellPower Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jody Ryan, joined 9NEWS to discuss how you can find ways to be mindful of alcohol consumption this summer.
Colorado’s growing approach to solving chronic homelessness: Permanent housing with few rules
The Colorado Sun | June 5, 2024
When Solid Ground Apartments opens next week in Lakewood, it comes with proof of concept — giving people who are homeless a place to live, no strings attached, not only changes their lives but can save public money.
The new 40-unit complex is the first permanent supportive housing project in Colorado to copy Sanderson Apartments, which welcomed its first residents in 2017 as a national model in solving homelessness.
Both projects are run by community mental health centers and both invite people who are living outside — the ones burning through taxpayer dollars as they cycle in and out of jail, detox and hospital emergency rooms — to move directly into their own apartments.
Cooking for Well-Being with Dr. Carl Clark: Bitter Herb Salad
FOX 31 | May 2, 2024
WellPower's President & CEO, Dr. Carl Clark, joins FOX 31 to talk about the impact of nutrition on well-being. Check out the video to learn about a flavorful and nutritious bitter herb salad recipe. You can also find the whole recipe linked here.
Lawmakers Seek Easier Access to Injections and IVs for Chronic Illness, Cancer Patients
Westword | April 22, 2024
Colorado legislators want to make it easier for people with chronic or severe illnesses to access specialty drugs and treatment from their nearest doctor's office or clinic instead of relying on mail orders or specialty pharmacies in their health insurance networks, but insurers worry doctors and hospitals will increase prices as a result.
We toured construction at Montbello’s FreshLo Project, which will be home to families, businesses and a mental health center
Denverite | February 16, 2024
If you haven't driven past the corner of Peoria Street and Albrook Drive in the past year, you may have missed the massive building being erected to house families, local businesses and a mental health center.
The Montbello FreshLo Hub broke ground in March 2023 and it is well on its way to be completed after years of community engagement, fundraising processes, the pandemic, inflation, sweat, tears, more engagement, more fundraising... you get the picture.
Cooking for Well-Being with Dr. Carl Clark
FOX 31 | February 7, 2024
WellPower's President & CEO, Dr. Carl Clark, joins FOX 31 to talk about the impact of nutrition on well-being. Check out the video to learn about a delicious whole roasted Jerk Cauliflower recipe. You can also find the whole recipe linked here.
THERAPY THURSDAY – Michelle Tijerina - Voz y Corazón
The Drop 104.7 | January 25, 2024
Last week on Therapy Thursday, we had Michelle Tijerina from Voz y Corazón to talk about suicide prevention and wellness for youth.
Voz y Corazón focuses on empowering youth voices and hearts through art and connectedness. It is a free community-based support group for youth, focused on self-acceptance, group connection and mentorship – all supported through artistic expression.
It was an impactful and very important conversation. Suicide is it’s not an easy topic to talk about, but it is so important.
Colorado brewers and bars are creating alcohol free experiences for 'Dry January' and beyond
Denver7 | January 2, 2024
If you’re taking a break from alcohol for “Dry January,” Colorado’s craft beers and social bar experiences are still in reach. As this health trend grows in popularity, businesses on the Front Range are finding ways to offer familiar tastes and festivities without alcohol.
For Keith Villa, the creator of Coors’ Blue Moon, brewing a zero-alcohol beer has taken years of experimentation in a pilot brewery behind his home in Arvada.
“I really was one of those guys who thought, 'You know, the more alcohol the better, the more flavor,'” Villa said. “But as you learn more about the process and about the effects on health, you say, ‘well wait a minute, maybe there's a better way.’”
Denver Broncos Foundation announces eight grants to nonprofits through 2023 Inspire Change outreach
Denver Broncos Foundation | December 19, 2023
he Denver Broncos Foundation has announced grants to eight nonprofits that will positively impact an estimated 800 justice-involved youth through the team's Inspire Change outreach this season.
The Foundation's Inspire Change initiative is focused on supporting at-risk and justice-involved youth through services aimed at limiting the negative impact of the juvenile justice system.
Denver considering spending $6M to have mental health clinicians go out with police
The Center Square | December 19, 2023
The city of Denver has proposed a $6 million resolution to continue partnering with the nonprofit WellPower to have mental health clinicians go out with police on calls involving individuals with suspected mental health needs.
Since the pandemic, reports have shown that Colorado, like other states, has seen an increase in mental health needs as Denver continues to invest millions for behavioral health programs.
Denver City Council discussed the proposal at the Dec. 18 meeting, and the resolution would add $2.1 million for a new total of $6 million and extend the contract by 13 months with a new term of Nov. 30, 2024, according to city documents.
Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health Therapy for Children and Adolescents
American Medical Association & JAMA Pediatrics | October 16, 2023
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that roughly 1 in 5 children have a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, but fewer than 20% receive care from a mental health specialist. Technology, including tools that use artificial intelligence (AI), has the capacity to be a “workforce multiplier,” in the words of Wes Williams, vice president and chief information officer of WellPower, Colorado’s largest community mental health service. There are particular characteristics of children and adolescents that make the application of AI especially valuable; engagement is a key predictor of intervention effectiveness, and this population uses technology at a higher rate than other
groups and tends to be comfortable with technology in health care settings. The anonymity of machines can help children and adolescents overcome stigma surrounding mental health and is a nonjudgmental resource.
Youth Program Combatting Suicide Through Art
9NEWS | October 10, 2023
WellPower's Michelle Tijerina showcases how Voz y Corazón has been saving the lives of youth through art for 19 years and counting.
Low-level cases for defendants deemed incompetent
9News | October 4, 2023
When we think of delays in trials caused by competency issues, we think of high-profile cases, like the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting – but there are some people waiting in county jail for low-level crimes like trespassing.
A program at WellPower in Denver is trying to alleviate the wait list for restoration treatment at the state mental health hospital in Pueblo. The goal is to divert people away from the criminal justice system and get them the care they need.
"Everything is halted in jail," said Conor Johnson, a program manager at WellPower.
Cooking for Well-Being
FOX31 KDVR | September 26, 2023
Our own Dr. Carl Clark joined FOX31 KDVR.com's Katie Orth (right) and Lisa D'Souza (left) to show the power of cooking. It's not just about great-tasting food, it is also vital for our well-being.
Many big US cities now answer mental health crisis calls with civilian teams -- not police
AP News | August 27, 2023
DENVER (AP) — Christian Glass was a geology geek, a painter and a young man beset by a mental health crisis when he called 911 for help getting his car unstuck in a Colorado mountain town last year.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived, he refused to get out of the car after saying that supernatural beings were after him, body camera video shows. The officers shouted, threatened and coaxed. Glass made heart shapes with his hands and prayed: “Dear Lord, please, don’t let them break the window.”
Youth Suicide Prevention
FOX31 Denver | August 18, 2023
Join WellPower's Michelle Tijerina and FOX31's Kirk Yuhnke as they discuss youth suicide prevention, the Voz y Corazon program and ways that youth can find empowerment through art and creativity.
How some police departments are rethinking 911 call responses
wbur | August 14, 2023
Calling 911 can sometimes have tragic consequences for people in mental health crisis.
They can be arrested or even killed.
Some organizations – and police departments – are trying to change that by working with behavioral health professionals.
Today, On Point: Rethinking policing and mental health.
Mocktails with Dr. Jody Ryan
KWGN Denver | July 26, 2023
Join our own Dr. Jody Ryan and KWGN Denver news anchor Katie Orth in crafting delightful mocktails that make summer even more enjoyable without alcohol.
‘Impactful and beautiful’: how US homeless shelters are getting a radical redesign
The Guardian | June 26, 2023
When a former resident of the Path Home Family Village in Portland, Oregon, called and asked if he and his partner could get married at the shelter, Brandi Tuck, the executive director, knew that the shelter’s redesign had truly worked.
“Homelessness is the hardest, most power-stripping experience a family can have together,” Tuck said. “And for a family to have such a positive, dignified experience and want to come back is just a perfect example of how impactful and beautiful this place is.”
DEI Awards winner: Dr. Leslye Steptoe
Denver Business Journal | June 23, 2023
Join us in congratulating VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusiveness Dr. Leslye Steptoe on her recent DEI award.
Broncos, WellPower join youth experiencing homelessness at Urban Peak for conversation on mental health
Denver Broncos | May 24, 2023
The power of a single conversation should not be doubted.
A trio of Broncos players spent Tuesday evening at Urban Peak Drop-In Center for a facilitated conversation on mental health with youth experiencing homelessness in Denver — and the depth of conversation was evident. Safety Justin Simmons, center Lloyd Cushenberry III and running back Damarea Crockett joined a pair of Denver Broncos Cheerleaders for an hour-long session facilitated by WellPower that focused on the importance of mental health.
What Defunding the Police Actually Looks Like
The American Prosepct | April 10, 2023
Brandon Johnson, newly elected mayor of Chicago, has called for more resources for community development over increased police budgeting. If Johnson wants to ensure the city has “smart” police, he could look at the plethora of models that demonstrate that the healthiest response to crime and community issues is often not the police at all. Across the country, cities have been experimenting with these community alternatives to policing.
Another 49 apartments for people experiencing homelessness just opened in Barnum
Denverite | April 6, 2023
On Thursday morning, nonprofit and government leaders cut the ribbon at a 50-unit income-restricted apartment complex, at 203 S. Federal Blvd., in the Barnum neighborhood.
The building will house 49 individuals transitioning out of homelessness and serve individuals making up to $24,650 a year — or 30% of the area median income.
The three-story building is near transit. There’s a dog run and a garden. Tenants will have access to meeting rooms where they’ll receive social and emotional support.
Rhonda's Place offers 49 new affordable housing units in Denver
Denver Gazette | April 6, 2023
The latest city-supported affordable housing development, Rhonda’s Place, is already accepting new residents for its one-bedroom apartments and supportive, wrap-around services from Wellpower, according to a news release.
Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) along with City Council President Jamie Torres held a grand opening Thursday for the 49 supportive housing units, located at 203 S. Federal Blvd. in the Barnum neighborhood.
Denver Celebrates Opening of 49 Supportive Housing Units
Denver Gov | April 6, 2023
$2.3 million investment from Denver’s voter-approved Homelessness Resolution Fund makes southwest Denver development viable
Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) and City Council President Jamie Torres today celebrated the grand opening of 49 new supportive housing units at 203 S. Federal Blvd. in the Barnum neighborhood. Developed by the nonprofit REDI Corporation, Rhonda’s Place offers one-bedroom apartments with supportive wraparound services for individuals transitioning from homelessness, including individuals with disabilities and mental health needs.
Mental Health experts and park rangers team up to battle homelessness
Scripps News | March 14, 2023
“Today we’re out on patrol. We’re going to both park and trails to follow up on some calls we got,” said Caronia Distefano, a park ranger supervisor in the trails district for the City and County of Denver.
As we drove to a park location, she continued to explain a call she received yesterday.
“We met this man yesterday at a park after getting a call from maintenance,” she said. “At about 6:30 am he gave me a call and said it was a bad night, he was cold, and he wanted to get in somewhere.”
Traditionally, park rangers respond to calls in our parks to enforce rules. This can include telling people experiencing homelessness that they can’t camp in a certain area.
The park ranger, the mental health worker and the endless hurdles they face to help people on Denver's streets
The Colorado Sun | March 10, 2023
The woman was hidden under a blanket along a chain-link fence when park ranger Caronia DiStefano called out, “Hey there! Can you please poke out and talk to us?”
The red-haired woman in her mid-40s sat up, startled, wondering whether she was about to get kicked out of her outdoor bed on a chilly March morning. Downtown Denver’s skyline rose in the east, and downhill from her resting spot near Sheridan Station, a man aggressively tossed an electric scooter from a bridge. It crashed onto the sidewalk below and he shouted obscenities at the park ranger.
Jeannie Ritter, Colorado’s former first lady, is still working to break mental health stigma
The Colorado Sun | March 9, 2023
Jeannie Ritter jokes that she could have chosen bicycle helmets as her “first lady cause” while her husband, Bill, was Colorado governor. At least she could have counted the number of children who received a helmet and declared her goal achieved.
Instead, the former teacher who grew up in a family affected by severe mental illness, chose something much messier. She spent four years traveling Colorado to talk about mental health, ditching the pantsuits early on for a jean jacket and cowboy boots, all part of her plan to seem more approachable and get people to open up about their struggles.
Denver's police alternative STAR program continues expansion
Denver 7 ABC | March 28, 2023
DENVER – The Denver City Council will consider another contract to help the STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) program continue its expansion.
The STAR program, which is a collaborative partnership between several community agencies, responds to non-violent emergency calls in Denver with a two-person team that includes an EMT and a mental health clinician.
The program was designed to minimize police interactions with citizens experiencing mental health issues.
Tent city bans haven't solved America's homelessness crisis. A Denver program is trying something new: Compassion.
USA Today | February 5, 2023
Melting snow mingled with broken hypodermic needles on the park's grass as a ranger and a mental health counselor walked together.
Feet crunching across ice and scattered glass, Jodie Marozas and Tom Kaiser trod across what was once the crown jewel of Denver: Civic Center Park. Its history spans a century, back to a time when it was known for its architecture, concerts and plays.
Denver Park Rangers to perform patrols with mental health clinicians
Denver 7 ABC | January 19, 2023
As those with the Denver Park Rangers do their patrols through city parks and trails, they have one goal.
"Denver park rangers are responsible for keeping the parks safe for the people for the parks and keeping people safe," said Senior Park Ranger Corey Beaton.
That typically means enforcing rules and writing tickets, but oftentimes, the situations they handle are more complicated than that.
"It might be easy to see someone who's camping illegally in the park and say, "Oh, I want to call the police and have them move right away,"'' said Tom Kaiser, a mental health clinician with WellPower. "That person has a story. That person has a lot of systems and experiences that have failed them in the past, and that's why they've gotten to that point."
Mental health co-responders now roll with Denver Park Rangers
Denverite | January 12, 2023
In 2020, as protests against police brutality overtook Denver’s streets, the city launched a long-planned program to remove officers from situations that would be better served by social workers.
And so Support Team Assisted Response, widely known as STAR, began with a single van and a limited pilot to see how things would go. Their most common mission: to help people living outside or dealing with addiction instead of handing out a citation.
The program has grown since those early days, and now it has a cousin dedicated specifically to Denver’s green spaces.
Mental health counselors added to patrols at Denver parks, trails
FOX31 | January 10, 2023
The city of Denver is pioneering a new program that pairs up therapists and park rangers to help people experiencing homelessness and drug use in city-owned parks and trails.
“What we do is have a mental health clinician come on our patrols with us and help us on tougher contacts with individuals who might be experiencing homelessness or addiction,” park ranger Caronia Distefano said.
She said the contacts with individuals needing help have become increasingly more common across Denver. In the past, rangers would call Denver police who already have a team of co-responders trained in de-escalation and crisis support.
Start the New Year on the healthy side by going dry in January
FOX31 | January 5, 2023
After the holidays, some people are staying sober during “Dry January” and Dr. Jody Ryan with WellPower says that’s a great way to start the new year.
For decades, cutting back on alcohol has been a common New Year’s resolution. Dry January is a newer trend that started as a public health challenge in the UK in 2013 – but it has gained a widespread following. In fact, 35% of U.S. adults reported taking part in Dry January in 2022.
'It shatters your sense of safety, belonging:' LGBTQ doctor encourages mental health care after Club Q shooting
CBS News | November 21, 2022
The mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs is profoundly impacting the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. It is crucial that Coloradans take care of our mental health in times like this and know there is no shame in doing so.
CBS News Colorado Anchor Mekialaya White sat down for an in-studio interview with Dr. Carl Clark, the president and CEO of WellPower, formerly known as the Mental Health Center of Denver, for a candid discussion on how best to cope going forward.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, featuring Dr. Carl Clark
9News | October 25, 2022
Study Shows Housing-First Approach Reduces Interactions With Police in Denver
Denver Westword | October 25, 2022
A new study from the liberal-leaning Urban Institute shows that when Denver takes a housing-first approach to homelessness, individuals who become housed through these programs have far fewer interactions with police and are arrested less often than those who remain chronically homeless.
"We don’t have to keep going the way that it is. There is a better solution," says Sarah Gillespie, a lead researcher for the Urban Institute's study on the nexus between policing and individuals housed through Denver's widely-acclaimed Social Impact Bond program.
Focus On Housing Denver Homeless Cut Arrests, Police Time, Study Says
National Criminal Justice Association | October 25, 2022
A new study from the Urban Institute shows that when Denver took a housing-first approach to homelessness, individuals who become housed have far fewer interactions with police and are arrested less often than those who remain chronically homeless.
"We don’t have to keep going the way that it is. There is a better solution," says Sarah Gillespie, a researcher for the Urban Institute's study on the nexus between policing and individuals housed through Denver's Social Impact Bond program.
Aurora’s co-responder program has one clinician. She's also the program manager
Denver7 | October 5, 2022
AURORA, Colo. – Mental health professionals graduating from college may not anticipate wearing a bulletproof vest to work every day, but that’s exactly what clinicians on Aurora’s Crisis Response Team are required to do.
“It's definitely not the traditional kind of counselor or social work role,” Courtney Tassin, Aurora's Crisis Intervention Program Manager, said.
Aurora has two crisis intervention programs.
Angela Oakley Powers the Pursuit of Well-Being
American Healthcare Leader | September 30, 2022
Among its challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health concerns for many people across the country and around the globe. However, it also brought conversations around mental health and well-being to the forefront, catalyzing a shift in the way we approach care. “The pandemic really opened people’s eyes and made it OK to talk about mental health issues,” explains Angela Oakley, vice president and chief financial officer of WellPower, the Colorado-based community behavioral health organization formerly known as the Mental Health Center of Denver.
WellPower Selects Eleos Health to Empower Frontline Providers with Augmented Intelligence for Behavioral Healthcare
Cision PR Newswire | September 27, 2022
Eleos Health, the leader in CareOps Automation for behavioral health, today announced that WellPower, a national leader in behavioral health, will make Eleos Health's voice-based, augmented intelligence available for all of its clinicians to reduce administrative burden and give them more time to focus on care. Eleos Health will be utilized for both in person and virtual sessions.
C-Suite Awards winner: Michael Niyompong
Denver Business Journal | September 23, 2022
Congratulations to Michael Niyompong, our VP & Chief Engagement Officer, on his 2022 C-Suite award from the Denver Business Journal. These awards highlight game-changing executives in the Denver metro area successfully implementing their company's vision.
Park rangers: The unseen frontline for mental health
9News | September 16, 2022
Our park rangers are a largely unseen group on the frontlines of our mental health crisis.
Their role has morphed over the years, but rangers have always prided themselves on being a friend in the park.
"I'm a good ear, a good shoulder, whatever is needed," District Park Ranger Supervisor Jodie Marozas said. Now, she finds herself helping people with addiction, mental health crises and people experiencing homelessness. She never expected it would such a big part of her job but said she bends over backwards to help.
Natural language processing is boosting behavioral healthcare
Healthcare IT News | September 14, 2022
WellPower, a Denver-based community behavioral health provider organization, aims to support and promote the connection between a person's mental health and overall well-being. Its services are designed to help children, families and adults in the Denver community create a path to living happier and healthier lives.
The provider organization is an early adopter of the form of artificial intelligence known as natural language processing, or NLP. NLP does more than transcribe the spoken word or text – it understands it and enables computer systems to use it.
Denver fire, park rangers may add mental health clinicians
NewsBreak | September 11, 2022
A $2.8 million grant from Caring for Denver Foundation will pay for three additional mental health clinicians in the fire department and park rangers program.
The clinicians will be part of Denver’s co-responder program, which already serves the police department. With the program, licensed mental health clinicians from WellPower, formerly Mental Health Center Denver, respond to calls for service involving people with mental health emergencies. Those who encounter clinicians as part of the co-responder program receive case management.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
9News | September 6, 2022
Steve Fisher and Marchell Taylor with WellPower share mental health resources for Coloradans during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Mental Well-Being & the Workplace: Embracing Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
CoBiz Magazine | September 2, 2022
According to the Harvard Business Review, over the past twenty years, suicide deaths in the United States have increased by 35% with the majority of suicide deaths occurring among working-age individuals. Also alarming, Colorado ranks seventh in the nation for deaths by suicide. Because most people spend the majority of their waking hours in the workplace, employers, managers and co-workers have a unique opportunity to help support and offer resources to people who may be at risk.
U.S. Virtual Visits Market to Reach $22 Billion by 2027. Telehealth Kiosk Positively Impacting the Market Growth - Arizton
Yahoo!Finance | August 3, 2022
According to Arizton’s latest research report, U.S. virtual visits market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 27% during 2022-2027. An increase in the growth rate of virtual visits can be observed in the US. The introduction of virtual visits has led to cost-effective treatment, high adoption of home healthcare services, and low expenditure on infrastructure development. The adoption of virtual visit services is expected to rise with advances in technology and the high penetration of internet connectivity with greater speed and smart gadgets.
Denver barber helping to chip away at mental health stigma
9News | August 3, 2022
Nikki Mitchell is a Denver barber who is also working to fight stigmas surrounding mental health.
These First-Responder Superheroes Don’t Wear Capes or Even Uniforms
Oprah Daily | July 29, 2022
A man, silently, was struggling. I was walking down Broadway, in New York. People flowed gracefully around and past him and did not stop to look. Then gradually, a small group of concerned passers-by formed around him in a patchwork semi-circle. Any attempt to help him up, or to speak with him, he waved away dismissively. Each time he tried to stand, his legs buckled, and he sank back down to his odd equipoise.
How 911 dispatchers decide between mental health vs. police response
FOX31 | July 27, 2022
The people on the other end of the line when you call 911 in an emergency have never had more options in choosing who should respond to a crisis, as Colorado trends toward providing more targeted options when responding to behavioral, mental health and substance abuse-related calls.
This is exemplified in Denver, where the city’s STAR (Support Team Assistance Response) Program has been running for two years and recently received funding to expand.
Denver extends holistic housing program funded by private money, federal grant
The Denver Gazette | June 29, 2022
A new Denver program will provide permanent housing support and other health services, such as substance abuse treatment, to at least 125 people experiencing chronic homelessness in the city, officials announced today.
The program, called Denver Housing to Health, will take advantage of $11.75 million from six private funders and up to $5.5 million in grant money from the U.S. Treasury, according to a news release from the city's Department of Housing Stability.
Denver announces expansion of supportive housing program
ABC Denver 7 | June 29, 2022
On Wednesday, Denver city leaders and several nonprofits announced the launch of a new pay-for-success supportive housing program that will help 125 people experiencing chronic homelessness.
City officials say the Denver Housing to Health (H2H) Program will build off the success of the Denver Social Impact Bond by leveraging local housing resources, impact investment dollars, and up to $5.5 million in the form of a Social Impact Partnership Pay for Results Act (SIPPRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Treasury to house individuals while reducing taxpayer expenses.
Denver expands its housing-first service model to 125 unhoused people
Denverite | June 29, 2022
A decade after enacting an urban camping ban and with homelessness on the rise, Denver is expanding its housing-first approach to solving homelessness by expanding the Housing to Health program, which will help 125 chronically homeless residents receive services and shelter.
According to the latest Annual State of Homelessness Report from the Metro Denver Homelessness Initiative, 32,233 individuals accessed services related to homelessness between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, in the metro area.
Mayor Hancock Announces Extension of Supportive Housing Program
Denver Gov | June 29, 2022
Providing homes and wraparound supportive services to individuals experiencing chronic homelessness has had a lasting impact in Denver. Lives are changed, stability is achieved, and taxpayer expenses for costly emergency services are significantly reduced. These are the results seen through Denver’s recent Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond (SIB) initiative. And now, a new innovative partnership including the federal, state, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, healthcare systems, impact investment, and philanthropic partners is taking this model to the next level.
Mental Health Center of Denver Launches New Virtual Therapy Service & Rebrands As WellPower
OpenMinds | June 15, 2022
Non-profit Mental Health Center of Denver introduced a new virtual therapy service, TherapyDirect, and announced had rebranded as WellPower. The rebranding is intended to reflect the organization’s expanded services and to promote the connection between a person’s mental health and overall well-being.
With TherapyDirect, metro Denver residents ages 18 and older can access a WellPower counselor, schedule up to three free visits when support is needed most and get follow-up recommendations and referrals. Therapists and peer-based support counselors are available for full 55-minute sessions and are trained in intervention care, ensuring each session is impactful. TherapyDirect is easy to access from any personal technology device or can be used from kiosks around the Denver community.
Pilot Program Finds Removing Police from Some 911 Calls Reduced Crime
Campus Safety | June 14, 2022
A pilot program in Denver that replaced police officers with healthcare workers to respond to certain 911 calls reduced low-level crimes by 34%.
Deploying Mental Health Workers for Low-level 911 Calls May Lower Crime
American Association for the Advancement of Science | June 13, 2022
A Denver program that relies on health care responders to handle emergency calls for less serious, nonviolent incidents reduced crime during its pilot period in 2020, according to a new study.
The findings, which were published in the June 10 issue of Science Advances, indicate that the Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program reduced reports of crimes including trespassing, public disorder, and resisting arrest by 34% during this period and did not increase reports of more serious or violent crimes.
Study: Denver’s STAR program reduced crime, costs
FOX31 | June 8, 2022
Denver’s Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program has been operating in the Mile High City now for two years. A new study shows how effective the program was in reducing low-level crime and the cost of responding to certain calls during its initial six-month pilot.
STAR started in June of 2020. The group currently operates one van that goes out to calls with Denver Health paramedics and mental health clinicians with the Mental Health Center of Denver for low-level 911 calls like trespassing, drug overdoses, mental health crises and more.
Can Dr. Morgan Medlock Mend Colorado’s Fractured Mental Health Care System?
5280 Magazine | June 2022
Dr. Morgan Medlock is no stranger to a crisis. Until recently, she served as chief medical officer and director of crisis services for Washington, D.C.’s Department of Behavioral Health, for which she oversaw the agency’s only 24/7 psychiatric emergency services facility. So confronting a problem as urgent as mental health care in Colorado should be right in her wheelhouse.
Clinic using esketamine to treat depression
9NEWS | May 30, 2022
When Eric arrives to his appointment at WellPower in Denver (formerly the Mental Health Center of Denver), he makes sure he has his essentials: a blanket, a sleep mask and his headphones.
It's not exactly an expected checklist for a trip to a clinic. But it helps Eric with what's considered a unique treatment.
Mental health services helping Colorado's Latino community after Texas school shooting
9NEWS | May 26, 2022
The shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school happened in Uvalde, Texas -- a community that is predominantly Latino.
As more of the victims' names are released, it's revealed that those who lost their lives are Latino as well.
"It's impacted our community members, but it's also impacted our staff," said Ana Vizoso, the Vice President of Health and Wellness at Servicios de la Raza. "We've held safe spaces for not only staff to process, but for community members who may be struggling emotionally to be able to process the event."
'Defund the Police' Is Dead But Other Reform Efforts Thrive In U.S. Cities
Newsweek | May 24, 2022
Two years after George Floyd was killed, a surge in violent crime in major cities across the country has effectively ended the "defund the police" movement that sprung up in the wake of his death. A new national poll by the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds that just 31 percent of Americans now support transferring funds from state and local police departments to community social services, a seven-point drop from a year ago. Meanwhile, with crime a hot-button issue in the upcoming midterm elections, moderate Democrats are more likely to call for additional money for law enforcement than for diverting it—among them, President Joe Biden, who called for a $30 billion increase in law enforcement spending in his State of the Union address in March to "fund our police and give them all the tools they need."
2022 business goal: Evolve from supporting employee mental health to powering employee well-being
Denver Business Journal | May 13, 2022
Each year, May, Mental Health Awareness Month, rolls around and many businesses renew their commitment to support employee mental health in the workplace. This year, we’d like to encourage employers to go one step further and consider the potential impact of not just supporting employee mental health but in powering employee well-being.
This intentional shift from supporting mental health to empowering well-being is behind Mental Health Center of Denver’s recent name change to WellPower. The change was made to reflect the nonprofit organization’s expanded services and to promote the vital connection between a person’s mental health and overall well-being.
Mental Health Center of Denver rebrands to WellPower
Colorado Politics | May 11, 2022
May is National Mental Health Month, which represents perfect timing for president and chief executive officer Dr. Carl Clark to announce that Mental Health Center of Denver has changed its name to WellPower.
“In 2019, we began exploring a rebranding effort to find a name that better reflects the breadth and depth of our services and promotes the vital connection between a person’s mental health and overall wellbeing,” Clark explained. “While the name Mental Health Center of Denver has worked well for us in the past, it no longer tells people all that we have to offer. So, we updated out brand – our name, our logo, our colors – to better show our values, our culture and our mission.”
A recipe for hope: Sally's Café
9NEWS | March 22, 2022
Jordan Chavez takes us inside the heart of Sally's Café, and introduces us to a woman with a special recipe for hope.
Mental Health & Compassion Fatigue
Mile High Magazine | March 22, 2022
Clinician Jen Jackson was interviewed by Murphy Houston for Bonneville Radio's Mile High Living show about mental health and compassion fatigue.
Compassion fatigue and mental health - Mental Health Center of Denver
FOX31 | March 8, 2022
Cari Ladd talks about compassion fatigue and its impact on our mental health.
Thousands of calls later, Denver's acclaimed program that provides an alternative to police response is expanding
The Denver Post | February 20, 2022
Since June 2020, the mental health clinicians and paramedics working for Denver's Support Team Assisted Response program have covered hundreds of miles in their white vans responding to 911 calls instead of police officers.
They've responded to reports of people experiencing psychotic breaks and people screaming for no apparent reason. They've helped a woman experiencing homelessness who couldn't find a place to change, so she undressed in an alley. They've helped suicidal people, schizophrenic people, people using drugs. They've handed out water and socks. They've helped connect people to shelter, food and resources.
Denver's co-responder STAR program is expanding after receiving additional funding
FOX31 | February 16, 2022
An up-and-coming program that sends clinicians and paramedics to lower-level emergency calls has seen enough success in its first couple of years that Denver leaders voted to give them more money to expand through 2022.
Denver's Support Team Assistance Response program started in June of 2020. They currently operate one van that goes out to calls with Denver Health paramedics and mental health clinicians with the Mental Health Center of Denver.
"It's a creative response to the community's growing needs," Chris Richardson with the Mental Health Center of Denver said. Richardson is the director of STAR and has been a part of its inception since a group of Denver stakeholders traveled to Eugene, Oregon to see a local co-responder program in that community.
'A big step in the right direction': Denver extends STAR alternative policing program citywide
The Gazette | February 14, 2022
Denver is expanding its Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program citywide, providing civilian-led emergency response to low-level, nonviolent situations as an alternative to police.
The expansion comes after the City Council unanimously approved a nearly $1.4 million contract with Mental Health Center of Denver on Monday, funding the STAR program through the end of 2022. Under the contract, Mental Health Center of Denver will provide emergency medical technicians and behavioral health clinicians to staff the program.
"This is an important contract for our community to celebrate," Councilwoman Robin Kniech said Monday. "We have models that work, our challenge is often that they are not to the scale that we need them. … STAR is an example of a program that has worked."
Denver Expands STAR Program, Resources For Mental Health
CBS4 | February 14, 2022
People in Denver experiencing mental health crises will soon have more help. Denver City Council voted to expand the Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program, allowing resources like additional behavioral health professionals to engage with those experiencing homelessness and substance abuse.
The STAR program was created in 2020 as an alternative option for a mental health professional and paramedic to respond to low-level calls instead of a police officer.
After starting out with just one van, Denver's STAR program will expand to six this year
Denverite | February 14, 2022
The program isn't quite two years old, but the Support Team Assisted Response fleet is set to expand this year as it continues providing an alternative to sending cops to specific emergency calls.
The program, better known as STAR, currently has three vehicles sending a clinician and a paramedic instead of police for 911 responses. It launched as a pilot in June 2020 with just one van, only serving some parts of the city. Last fall, it expanded its coverage area to the entire city, and this year, it aims to have six total vans.
On Monday, the Denver City Council voted unanimously to approve a $1.4 million contract with the Mental Health Center of Denver to continue operating the STAR program and help it expand. The contract runs through December.
Mental health tips for Valentine's Day
9News | February 10, 2022
Cari Ladd with the Mental Health Center of Denver discusses the importance of relationships and how to avoid disappointment on Valentine's Day. Watch the video on 9News' website.
Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation announces 2022 9NEWS Leader of the Year finalists
9News | February 7, 2022
9NEWS and the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation are proud to announce the three finalists for the 2022 9NEWS Leader of the Year award.
- Janine Davidson, President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
- Michael Niyompong, Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer, Mental Health Center of Denver
- Lydia Prado, Executive Director, Lifespan Local
This year marks the 22nd year that 9NEWS will honor a Colorado leader for contributions to the community. 9NEWS again partnered with the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation to select and honor this individual.
In Denver's brutal housing market, hitting the voucher lottery might not be enough
The Denver Post | January 27, 2022
It was 12:01 a.m. when an annual ritual for some low-income Denverites began anew.
The Denver Housing Authority opened its lottery for Section 8 housing choice vouchers, the coveted federal benefit that can cover most or all of a lucky applicant's rent.
For the next 48 hours in mid-September, 19,899 people filed online applications for vouchers, authority officials said. Based on budget projections for 2021, each of those applicants has a roughly 6% chance of having their applications pulled.
That's just Step 1 in the long, fraught process for those hoping to find housing in Denver through one of the country's cornerstone programs for housing low-income families and staving off homelessness.
CVS Health to invest $6.5 million in affordable housing in Denver
Chain Drug Review | January 21, 2022
CVS Health announced Friday it will invest $6.5 million with Boston Financial Investment Management to build a 36-unit permanent supportive housing community, known as Charity's House Place, for individuals experiencing homelessness and people with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver. The investment is part of CVS Health's commitment to advancing health equity and addressing social determinants of health in underserved communities.
"Our commitment to advancing health equity is grounded in our company purpose to bring our heart to every moment of health," said David Casey, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health. "By addressing social determinants of health at the community level, like we are in Denver, we're helping people live healthier and creating positive change all around them."
How to Raise a More Resilient Kid
5280 | December 2021
Between January and April 2021, Children's Hospital Colorado's pediatric emergency department saw a 72 percent increase in behavioral health visits compared to the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, twice as many patients at Children's Pediatric Mental Health Institute reported increased anxiety, depression, and feelings of isolation and social disconnectedness. Eighty-seven Colorado kids ages 10 to 18 died by suicide in 2020.
Those are scary numbers-and they led Children's CEO Jena Hausmann to declare a "pediatric mental health state of emergency" in May 2021 and Children's chief medical officer, Dr. David Brumbaugh, to say "our kids have run out of resilience." While health officials contend the pandemic and related stressors have been a big factor, they also believe this crisis has been brewing for some time. More resources for treating the symptoms (adding psychiatric beds, increasing inpatient hospital staff) would help, but even those measures are not a cure.
The Complete Guide to Preventive Health Care
5280 | December 2021
When the most devastating health care crisis in generations hit, Coloradans responded by steering clear of the doctor. That might sound ironic, but shortly after COVID-19 first appeared in the Centennial State, Governor Jared Polis signed executive orders that, from March 23 to April 26, 2020, prohibited providers from performing many routine medical services. Some doctors who would have been allowed to treat patients during that time voluntarily closed to preserve personal protective equipment for essential workers. And even after all medical offices were allowed to reopen, many patients demurred on seeking treatment out of fear of contracting COVID-19 while, say, getting their teeth cleaned. The aggregate result of these actions was that visits to health care providers along the Front Range in 2020 plummeted 25 percent compared to 2019 totals, according to a September 2021 report from the Colorado Health Institute, a Denver-based nonprofit.
Ways to help relieve stress brought on by the holidays
9News | December 8, 2021
Cari Ladd with the Mental Health Center of Denver shares tips on what people can do to decrease stress around the holiday season.
'Housing first' approach to solving homelessness raised during Great Falls hearing
Yahoo! News | December 8, 2021
City Commissioners held a public hearing to hear from the community on how to allocate over $1 million in HOME-ARP funds to provide housing, services and shelter to people experiencing homelessness through the American Rescue Plan during their meeting Tuesday night.
Sheila Rice, former director of NeighborWorks Great Falls, spoke at length to the commission about the benefits of Permanent Supportive Housing seen in other communities struggling to meet the needs of people in need of shelter.
Pandemic pushes Colorado's pediatric mental health care system to the brink
9News | December 3, 2021
Every day, anywhere from 15 to 50 children end up in the emergency department at Children's Hospital Colorado in some sort of a mental health crisis, a dramatic rise since the beginning of the pandemic, administrators say.
By mid-October, the hospital system said more than 5,000 kids made it to the emergency department for mental healthcare, according to Jason Williams, the director of operations for the hospital's Pediatric Mental Health Institute.
"Our system was at capacity prior to the pandemic and the pandemic has just made things really, really worse," Williams said.
"Kids who need the care can't find the beds either at Children's Hospital or elsewhere."
Mental health experts say the isolation caused by the pandemic is especially harmful for kids, who are in the process of developing social skills.
STAR, the program that diverts some calls away from police, continues to grow
Denverite | December 2, 2021
The city's Support Team Assisted Response program, better known as STAR, continues to expand and maintain no arrests.
The program, which sends mental health professionals rather than police to certain emergency calls, now counts six clinicians (it will be up to eight by January), two full-time medics and two vans (more are on the way) that offer service every weekday, either from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., as well as some service on weekends. As of Nov. 27, the program has responded to 2,018 calls that would have otherwise gone to police or other city agencies.
It's a big jump from the pilot program's first iteration, which launched in June 2020 with a lone clinician and one paramedic traveling around the city in a white van. The requests for STAR still far outweigh the program's reach, however.
Warren Village Announces Innovative Partnership with The Denver Housing Authority to Expand Services and Build a Third Facility
YourHub | November 29, 2021
Warren Village, a Denver-based organization focused on providing housing and helping low-income, single-parent families make the journey from poverty to self-sufficiency, announces its plans to expand program services to a third facility on newly acquired land awarded through a highly competitive process managed by The Denver Housing Authority (DHA) and the City and County of Denver (CCD), funded by the DHA Delivers for Denver (D3) Bond Program.
Once constructed, the new Warren Village facilities at 1394 W. Alameda Ave. and 1373 W. Nevada Pl. in Denver would house and provide Two-Generation (2Gen) supportive services for single-parent families experiencing chronic housing instability or homelessness. The organization will leverage its 47-year history of providing safe and affordable housing, parent services and advocacy, early education/childcare and mental health services for parents and children.
Denver's program to house people was so successful, the federal government is offering millions more to expand it
9News | November 28, 2021
Five years ago, Denver made a list of people most often involved with jail, detox centers and emergency rooms - and then offered them housing.
The program was so successful at keeping people in stable housing and out of jail, that the U.S. Treasury Department has offered the city more than $6 million in new federal aid, if the program can demonstrate a comparable drop in Medicare and Medicaid billings over the next seven years.
Denver to Invest Heavily in Housing and Homelessness Projects in 2022
Westword | November 22, 2021
Fresh off finishing a five-year strategic plan, the Denver Department of Housing Stability has released the framework for how it will address homelessness and housing instability and affordability in the coming year. A big part of that plan: money.
"These are some big things to get done in the next twelve months of 2022, but we continue to do this work, and it's about building and adding," says Britta Fisher, the city's chief housing officer and head of the Department of Housing Stability, created by Mayor Michael Hancock in October 2019 to centralize the city's focus on housing and homelessness issues.
The 2022 plan, still in draft form, sets numerous goals for HOST, including creating and preserving more than 1,400 affordable rental and for-sale homes; serving more than 6,000 households with stability assistance, such as rent and utility assistance and eviction legal defense; and housing at least 2,300 households.
More Affordable Housing In Denver Is Coming For Single-Parent Families
CBS4 | November 18, 2021
Residential services for single parents seeking safe and affordable housing are expanding in Denver. Over the last 45 years, Warren Village has helped more than 8,200 children and parents. Their partnership with Denver Housing Authority will help support hundreds more through a new facility.
"Just looking at the folks who are extremely cost-burdened, which means they're paying more than 50% of their income towards rent, we anticipate that number of 150,000 doubling by the end of next year." said Ethan Hemming, CEO of Warren Village.
Denver STAR - The Alternative To 911 - Expands Equitable Mental Crisis Care
303Magazine | November 5, 2021
Denver's 911 line now has a fourth option. On August 30, Denver City Council moved to expand funding for the city's Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR, Program. STAR piloted in Denver for six months between June 1 to November 30, 2020. The program is designed to improve equity in public safety by facilitating a nonviolent and trauma-informed response to behavioral health crises.
For decades, people suffering from mental health crises slipped through the cracks. This made folks vulnerable to domestic abuse, police violence and criminal charges for substance abuse. STAR provides safe crisis healthcare for Denver residents in need.
Denver homeless program called a 'remarkable success'
NewsBreak | November 4, 2021
A years-long social impact program aimed at reducing Denver homelessness by placing chronically homeless individuals into housing surrounded by intensive services was deemed a "remarkable success" by the Urban Institute, in a review this summer.
An analysis by the nonprofit research organization found the impacts of the Social Impact Bond program "disrupt the false narratives that homelessness is an unsolvable problem and that people who experience chronic homelessness choose to live on the street."
Denver's Social Impact Bond Program launched in 2016 and was designed to cut the frequency with which unhoused people were jailed and utilized emergency health services.
Colorado Launches Free Mental Health Care for Kids
5280 | October 28, 2021
When the nation went into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, college students began returning to Colorado. That's when state Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet started receiving desperate emails from parents. It turns out that since their child's psychologist was out-of-state, they couldn't legally engage in teletherapy while in Colorado.
"I was also hearing directly from parents about their fears of their children's depression and their isolation," Jenet says. "And primarily, what does it look like to stop the suicidality that they were seeing in their kids?"
City Council committee approves contract for citywide STAR expansion
The Denver Gazette | October 28, 2021
Denver City Council's Safety, Housing, Education & Homelessness Committee on Wednesday approved on consent a nearly $1.4 million contract with Mental Health Center of Denver to expand citywide its civilian-led responder program for low-level, nonviolent situations.
The contract negotiated by the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment is worth $1,391,579 and runs through 2022.
The Support Team Assisted Response program pairs mental health clinicians with paramedics to respond to people having mental health, poverty, homelessness and substance use-related crises as an alternative to police.
What Is Trauma-Informed Design?
Next City | October 20, 2021
For many of us, the global lockdowns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic have made our homes places of respite, healing, and renewal. But for many others, including the unhoused, "home" is not always healing and can in fact be just the opposite.
Shari Stratton knows that all too well. For her, "home" meant a constant threat of domestic violence. When she eventually left, she had nowhere to turn until she found Arroyo Village, a supportive housing complex designed for those with traumatic histories. In a written profile she said she had stayed with friends and had applied for a shelter but instead was provided an apartment in Arroyo Village. She had worried that apartment living would be loud, a trigger for her PTSD, but that hasn't been a problem for her.
Denver breaks ground on affordable housing project for people experiencing homelessness
NewsBreak | October 20, 2021
Denver's Barnum neighborhood celebrated the groundbreaking of 49 new supportive housing units. Rhonda's Place will offer one-bedroom apartments and services for individuals transitioning from homelessness.
On Tuesday, Mayor Michael Hancock and Councilwoman Jamie Torres praised the $17.3 million project developed by the nonprofit REDI Corporation.
Denver Celebrates Groundbreaking of 49 Supportive Housing Units
DenverGov | October 19, 2021
$2.3 million investment from Denver's voter-approved Homelessness Resolution Fund makes southwest Denver development viable
Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Councilwoman Jamie Torres and other officials today celebrated the groundbreaking for 49 new supportive housing units in the Barnum neighborhood. Developed by the nonprofit REDI Corporation, Rhonda's Place will offer one-bedroom apartments with supportive wraparound services for individuals transitioning from homelessness, including individuals with disabilities and mental health needs.
Study could help rural areas get more mental health resources
9News | October 16, 2021
Researchers at CU Anschutz are hoping a recent study will help parts of rural Colorado get more funding for mental health resources.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open, found that those living in rural or isolated areas often have easier access to handguns and identified which of those may see an increased suicide risk among teens.
Oct. 13, 2021: What 'The Mike File' reveals about mental health treatment over time
Colorado Public Radio | October 13, 2021
Stephen Trimble's book, "The Mike File," explores the realities of mental illness and inadequate care through the real-life story of two brothers. Then, a new exhibit highlights the history of Indigenous slavery in Southern Colorado. And using virtual fences to herd cattle and save grassland.
Report: State Human Services-funded co-responder programs improve access to care, reduce arrests
The Denver Gazette | October 13, 2021
Programs funded by the state Department of Human Services that deploy law enforcement officers in tandem with behavioral health clinicians have been successful in diverting those facing a behavioral health crisis away from incarceration and toward treatment and services, a report from the state agency has found.
The report, commissioned by the Office of Behavioral Health within DHS and conducted by the Colorado Health Institute, shows so-called "co-responder" programs funded by OBH were successful in each of the four categories measured.
OBH funds 28 co-responder programs that cover more than 80 communities within 24 counties across the state. More than 70 law enforcement agencies participate statewide.
On Federal Boulevard, 49 housing units for people experiencing homelessness will get city money
Denverite | September 27, 2021
The city will provide a loan and chip in money to pay for services at a 50-unit affordable housing complex on Federal Boulevard for the city's poorest residents.
Denver City Council on Monday approved giving REDI Corporation a $1.5 million loan and $825,000 to pay for supportive services at Rhonda's Place, which will have 49 one-bedroom units available for people making up to 30 percent of the area median income (one other unit will be for an on-site manager). The housing complex will be located in the city's Barnum neighborhood, at 211-225 South Federal Blvd.
REDI Corporation, which owns the vacant lot on Federal Boulevard, has hired Blueline Development to build the complex.
If You Are Serious About Sustainability, Social Equity Can't Be Just Another Add-On
Metropolis Magazine | January 6, 2020
In August 2018, the NAACP announced Centering Equity in the Sustainable Building Sector, an initiative that addresses an uncomfortable truth: Sustainable design is increasingly a luxury commodity.
"Communities of color and low income communities bear the brunt of the impacts of unhealthy, energy inefficient, and disaster vulnerable buildings," reads the NAACP's statement. "Yet, as one looks around the tables or worksites of the sustainable and regenerative building sector, there is little representation of the populations most impacted by our current proliferation of unsustainable, inefficient, sometimes unsafe, and often unhealthy building stock."
Using Trauma-Informed Design, Buildings Become Tools for Recovery
The Colorado Trust | January 30, 2020
It's less than 30 degrees outside early on a December morning, and the temperature isn't expected to rise much higher. Just a few years ago, Michael Bullen would have been doing everything he could to stay warm and survive while living on the streets in the Athmar Park area, a backpack as his only possession. Divorce initiated what he calls a "downward spiral," a decade-long period during which he roamed between states with no place to call home.
One Woman's Holistic Approach to the Housing Affordability Crisis
New York Times | February 1, 2020
When Melinda Pollack reflects on the proudest moments of her career, she often thinks about the day in 2016 that Sanderson Apartments in Denver opened.
As a senior vice president with Enterprise Community Partners, Pollack has a long history in affordable housing development. Sanderson Apartments represents many of the qualities Pollack says that good - as well as affordable - housing should embody.
Caring for Denver Issues First Grants Worth About $2 Million
5280 Magazine | February 4, 2020
As most voters are aware, it can feel like ages between the moment a ballot initiative is passed on Election Day and its implementation. In the case of Caring for Denver (the ballot initiative aimed at helping Denverites experiencing mental health struggles and substance misuse issues) it's been 15 months of waiting. But for good reason.
At Sally's Café, a Mental Health Center of Denver vocational rehabilitation program, food feeds more than our bodies
Denverite | February 14, 2020
A pipe outside burst on a chilly morning, just hours before a Valentine's celebration was planned at Sally's Café.
James Walker happened to have come in early for his evening shift at the café. He saw his colleagues doing what they could to prepare despite having no running water. He pitched in to help scoop ground turkey into meatballs.
Walker is training as he works at Sally's Café, which is located at and serves clients and staff of a Mental Health Center of Denver location in Baker. Walker said his kitchen skills have improved. His reaction to Thursday's setback - which in the end did not derail the special annual meal designed to show a little love to Sally's regulars - was evidence of the resilience that the job-readiness program is also trying to foster.
How Denver Residents Are Coping with the Anxiety of the Coronavirus
5280 Magazine | March 18, 2020
The novel coronavirus is real-and it's highly contagious. So too is the anxiety Denverites feel this week. Whether or not you're physically ill, it's becoming a starker reality every day that this pandemic is impacting everyone.
I was on Colfax Avenue last weekend and talked with a man who goes by the name Good Time Charlie. He was standing out front of a motel where he sometimes stays, smoking a cigarette. He offered a warm smile through his bushy gray beard when I approached. He told me he often eats and drinks from what he finds in trash bins. "But I'm not doing that no more," he said. "I don't want to catch nothing."
Traveling with Kids During the COVID-19 Crisis: 11 Safety Precautions to Take, According to Experts
Family Vacation Critic | March 20, 2020
The decision to travel with your kids during the COVID-19 outbreak is a personal one.
If you're still planning to take your spring break trip or go on that long-awaited summer vacation, there are some safety measures you can take to stay as healthy as possible. We spoke with several experts about what you should do if traveling during the Coronavirus outbreak, especially when flying.
Just Breathe: How to Manage Your Mental Health During a Global Crisis
5280 Magazine | March 26, 2020
It feels as though the entire world is on fire. Every day exhausts us as if a week has passed. The news isn't slowing down. The…
Stop.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
[Repeat as many times as needed]
Yes, we are living through history right now. A crisis of global proportions is leaving many of us fearful, uncertain, stressed, and overwhelmed. And that's OK. It's OK to feel however you are feeling right at this moment. But there are also things we all can-and should-do to maintain our own mental wellness.
'The unknown creates a lot of unease' Mental health professionals provide tips to manage anxiety
The Washington Park Profile | March 27, 2020
It is natural for the unknown to create a lot of distress.
"Accept anxiety as an integral part of human experience," said Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. But "the key is not to let anxiety get the better of us."
There are "age-old tricks" people can do to support their mental health and "ease the anxiety you and your friends and loved ones likely feel" in the midst of this public health crisis, Atchity said.
Connected Colorado: Coping in Uncertain Times
Colorado Communications and Utility Alliance | April 1, 2020
During this very stressful time, we want to help! We'll talk about strategies to help you through the isolation and fear, and give you some resources, and hope! Watch Connected Colorado as we speak to some local experts about coping in these uncertain times.
Virtual mental health check: Services will likely remain available remotely
Denver7 | April 1, 2020
When stay-at-home orders went into effect in Colorado, the state's largest mental health counseling service had no choice but to go virtual. Denver7's David Klugh explains how COVID-19 converted an entire industry likely forever.
As its clients stay home, Mental Health Center of Denver has turned to delivery
Denverite | April 6, 2020
As a Mental Health Center of Denver case worker, Evan Robertson's job has involved a lot of driving.
The licensed counselor has chauffeured clients to government offices to help them apply for driver's licenses or food stamps or to replace a lost birth certificate. Along the way, Robertson would take the opportunity to try to draw his passenger out about what he or she might be struggling with - anxiety, concern about relapsing into alcohol or drug abuse. He calls it "car counseling. Do it on the way to Social Security."
Five Points couple behind Agape church sets out to develop affordable housing
Denverite | May 5, 2020
When Eddie Woolfolk started employing men around her Five Points neighborhood to renovate housing, she saw it as part of the services her Agape Christian Church was offering the community.
Woolfolk is executive director of Community Outreach Service Center, a nonprofit she and her husband, Robert Woolfolk, who is Agape's pastor, formed in 1988 that offers such support as financial counseling, computer classes, and tutoring for young people. Twenty years ago, after Eddie learned many of the neighbors she'd put to work as handymen were struggling to hold onto jobs and find housing because they had been in prison, the Community Outreach Service Center added to its programs transitional housing and counseling for ex-offenders.
ZEEL presents "The Space Between: Beauty and Release for a Separated Community"
YourHub | May 11, 2020
In good times and bad, artists play a vital role in reflecting society, facilitating conversation, connection, and social awareness. As the coronavirus pandemic hit Denver, the art community had to stop this pursuit in its tracks - abruptly cancelling exhibits, events, and other projects, to stay healthy and comply with the city's stay-at-home orders. In other ways however, artists became busier than ever, creating new works, planning virtual exhibits and innovating ways to safely share their work for the enjoyment of others, and out of urgent economic necessity.
LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY'S WELL-BEING IMPACTED GREATER
OutFront Magazine | May 11, 2020
Many things go into a person's mental health and well-being-social connection, having a safe place to live, practicing effective coping strategies, and more.
According to Mental Health America, individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ are more than three times as likely to experience a mental health condition than those who identify as straight. This may be because of a lack of support system, traumatic experiences, discrimination, and other factors.
Mental Health and COVID-19
KOA News Radio | May 12, 2020
Discussing the mental health angle of quarantining amid COVID-19 and steps people can take to take care of themselves with Mental Health Center of Denver President Dr. Carl Clark.
The Mental Health Center of Denver adjusts to a new way of operating
9News | May 12, 2020
The Mental Health Center of Denver is helping their clients during the pandemic by making food and prescription deliveries and offering remote visits.
Watch the full story on Youtube.
Denver Psychiatric Nurse Gets Uplifting Message From Fellow Nurses
CBS4 Denver | May 17, 2020
A group of nurses from the Mental Health Center of Denver delivered an uplifting surprise to one of their co-workers. They held up signs outside UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on Wednesday to show the psychiatric nurse they love and miss her.
She is undergoing rehabilitation from COVID-19.
Are Protests Ushering In A New Era Of Policing?
CPR News | June 8, 2020
Policing in Denver has changed, in part, both because a court intervened and because of public pressure. What is the right role for police? When does the community need them? When does it not? A new program called STAR (Support Team Assisted Response) now allows dispatchers to send a team of mental health experts, and not a police officer, to a mental health crisis they deem "low-risk." It's a pilot program that comes amid calls for the community to re-envision police departments.
Mental Health Center of Denver launches "Well-Being LIVE" virtual event series
YourHub | June 8, 2020
As we navigate a "new normal" during COVID-19, practicing self-care and making positive connections with others is vital to support well-being. To help educate and inspire during these stressful times, the Mental Health Center of Denver launched a new weekly series of "Well-Being LIVE" online events. These brief weekly events are led by experts and cover a wide range of topics related to well-being, from meditation and nutrition to self-care and parenting tools.
A long-planned program to remove police from some 911 calls launched as Denver's streets erupted in police brutality protests
Denverite | June 8, 2020
Roshan Bliss has been trying to find ways to curb police violence for years and scored a major victory at the beginning of the month, just as Denver started protesting racism and police brutality.
Bliss, a volunteer and co-chair of the Denver Justice Project, helped shepherd a pilot project into existence that's now diverting some 911 calls away from armed officers to an unassuming van manned by a Denver Health paramedic and a social worker from the Mental Health Center of Denver. It's called Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR, and the idea is to send more appropriate responses to 911 calls that have to do with substance abuse, mental health crises or people who just need help connecting to services. A grant from the Caring 4 Denver fund, which voters approved in 2019, has given STAR at least six months to prove it can be effective.
A long-planned program to remove police from some 911 calls launched as Denver's streets erupted in police brutality protests
Colorado Independent | June 9, 2020
Roshan Bliss has been trying to find ways to curb police violence for years and scored a major victory at the beginning of the month, just as Denver started protesting racism and police brutality.
Bliss, a volunteer and co-chair of the Denver Justice Project, helped shepherd a pilot project into existence that's now diverting some 911 calls away from armed officers to an unassuming van manned by a Denver Health paramedic and a social worker from the Mental Health Center of Denver. It's called Support Team Assisted Response, or STAR, and the idea is to send more appropriate responses to 911 calls that have to do with substance abuse, mental health crises or people who just need help connecting to services. A grant from the Caring 4 Denver fund, which voters approved in 2019, has given STAR at least six months to prove it can be effective.
June 9, 2020: Denver's Police Chief on Reform; Telemedicine Adapts To Help Young Children
CPR News | June 9, 2020
Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen answers questions about reform. Then, how telemedicine is adapting to help children with mental health needs. Also, Purplish explores the effects of the pandemic and protests on lawmakers. Plus, a Colorado Springs woman pursues her dream to open a boutique. And, checking in with Rockies players waiting for the season to start.
How The Pandemic Is Changing Mental Health Care For Young Children
CPR News | June 9, 2020
CPR Colorado Matters interviewed Shannon Bekman about telehealth and early childhood mental health.
New Denver program has clinician, paramedic respond to some mental health 911 calls instead of police
Fox 31 | June 8, 2020
A new program in Denver removes police officers from certain 911 calls. A pilot version of the STAR program launched in June 1. Five days a week, a mental health clinician, along with a paramedic, respond to mental health crises-related calls.
The Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) is funded through the Caring for Denver Foundation. The foundation is funded though a November 2018 ballot initiative voters passed to support programs for mental health and substance misuse issues.
How To Change Policing? New Service To Help People In Crisis
CBS4 | June 12, 2020
It's a plain van. Actually a re-purposed vehicle that had been destined for traffic enforcement. Yellow lights on top not blue. There's no logo yet, but they're working on it.
"It's pretty unassuming," says Carleigh Sailon, program manager for criminal justice services with Mental Health Center of Denver. "Most people have been pretty happy to have it show up and very willing to work with us on solutions."
Abolish? Reform? Defund? Protesters Want Policing To Change In Colorado
KUNC Radio | June 12, 2020
Following the death of George Floyd, protesters in Denver, the Front Range and across the nation have been marching through the streets demanding police reform.
"I hate to say this but I know exactly how George's family feels," said Natalia Marshall, referring to George Floyd's family, during a recent press conference at the state Capitol. Her uncle, Michael Marshall, was killed by deputies in a Denver jail in 2015.
The STAR Van Offers an Alternative to Police
5280 Magazine | June 17, 2020
Caring for Denver Foundation's newest initiative couldn't have debuted at a more complicated-and perhaps auspicious-time.
The six-month pilot program, dubbed Support Team Assisted Response (STAR), utilizes a single service van staffed by a mental health clinician and a paramedic. If a 911 operator receives a call about a non-criminal situation-such as reports of mental health emergencies, drug overdoses, or requests for a welfare check-they dispatch the boxy white ride (unless it's on another call) to the scene instead of police officers.
Home Personal Finance As activists call to defund the police, mental-health advocates say 'the time is now' to rethink public safety
Market Watch | June 16, 2020
Thirty-one years ago, the Eugene, Ore., mobile crisis-intervention program Cahoots (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) was born. The 24/7 service, provided by the nonprofit White Bird Clinic and integrated into the city's public-safety infrastructure, dispatches a medic and crisis worker to respond to non-criminal crises involving people experiencing mental illness problems, substance abuse and homelessness.
Defund police? Some cities have already started, investing in mental health instead
USA Today | June 22, 2020
Leslie Herod couldn't believe what she was seeing.
It was May 2019, and Herod, a Colorado state representative from northeast Denver, was in Eugene, Oregon, on a ride-along with a crisis intervention team that takes the place of police response.
The team arrived at what Herod describes as a typical suburban house: nice neighborhood, good-looking yard, kids playing outside. But inside the home, a wife was in hysterics: Her husband had locked himself into the bathroom and was threatening to kill himself with a box cutter.
Talking to Kids About Racism
Colorado Parent | July 2020
Earlier this week, my nine-year-old son came home from a socially distanced bike ride frantically asking, "Mom! Did you know a police officer killed a black man by kneeling on his neck? There's a video on YouTube!"
Information is power, and so I'm always willing to have candid conversations with my children. We'd talked about race and racism before, but I shied away from the topic of police brutality against African Americans because I wanted to shelter my school-aged kids from a topic I assumed they couldn't handle emotionally. (Which seems ridiculous, in retrospect, since African American mothers have never had the luxury of hiding police brutality from their sons.)
'If the Police Aren't Needed, Let's Leave Them Out Completely'
Pew | June 23, 2020
Every weekday morning, mental health clinician Carleigh Sailon turns on her police radio in downtown Denver and finds out who she can help next. She, along with a paramedic, jump in a repurposed city van, stripped of its blue lights and official insignia, and respond to 911 calls for people experiencing mental health crises, homelessness or drug addiction.
New programs use mental health professionals as an alternative to police
The Today Show | July 2, 2020
Studies say that at least one in four people killed by police officers has a mental health issue. Now a Colorado city is having a behavioral health specialist and paramedic respond to low-risk 911 calls instead of police. There's a similar program in Eugene, Oregon. NBC senior national correspondent Kate Snow reports for TODAY.
When Cities Replace Police with Social Workers
Route Fifty | July 2, 2020
In June, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller announced a plan to create a new, civilian-led department to handle 911 calls for people who need help because they are intoxicated, homeless, on drugs or in a mental health crisis. Instead of police responding to these calls, the city wants to create a new agency that will send out social workers, housing counselors, and violence prevention specialists.
New program diverts some 911 calls from police to a mental health team
Denver7 | July 2, 2020
A new program has started in Denver that diverts some nonviolent 911 calls away from police officers and to a mental health team instead.
STAR, or Support Team Assisted Response, has been in the works for years, even before the current conversation about defunding the police started gaining traction. It launched June 1 and is championed by Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen.
A 'Word of Thanks' from Next
9News | July 8, 2020
The Word of Thanks that comes to mind when we think about the STAR program is "lives." Their work truly has the potential to save lives.
Talk to police or protesters and they'll agree - police officers are not social workers, yet they often end up on calls where someone in distress needs medical or mental health support, and not an armed response.
Namaste Noir: Yoga Co-Op Seeks to Diversify Yoga to Heal Racialized Trauma
Kaiser Health News | July 27, 2020
Beverly Grant spent years juggling many roles before yoga helped her restore her balance.
When not doting over her three children, she hosted her public affairs talk radio show, attended community meetings or handed out cups of juice at her roving Mo' Betta Green MarketPlace farmers market, which has brought local, fresh foods and produce to this city's food deserts for more than a decade.
Black Yoga Collectives Aim to Make Space for Healing
The New York Times | July 27, 2020
Beverly Grant spent years juggling many roles before yoga helped her restore her balance.
When not doting over her three children, she hosted her public affairs talk radio show, attended community meetings or handed out cups of juice at her roving Mo' Betta Green MarketPlace farmers market, which has brought local, fresh foods and produce to this city's food deserts for more than a decade.
Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention: Innovation In A Crisis
Open Minds | July 28, 2020
"If we think what we are doing today will serve us tomorrow, then we will not be here tomorrow." This comment, made at The 2020 Strategy & Innovation Institute keynote address Innovation By Design: Capturing Value In Health Care by Carl Clark, M.D., chief executive officer of the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD), are words of wisdom for every executive team member of a specialty provider organization. Innovation is no longer a luxury, it is a strategic survival skill.
Service providers slam an operation this week to remove a tent city from a park near the state Capitol
Denverite | July 31, 2020
Poorly planned, poorly communicated, unacceptable and undignified.
The service providers the city depends on to shelter and support people experiencing homelessness were blunt in their assessment of an operation this week to remove a tent city from a park near the state Capitol. Helmeted state troopers took part in the clean-up led by Denver's Department of Public Health and Environment, which had declared Lincoln park a health hazard.
Will Denver voters approve a 0.25 percent sales tax for programs dedicated to getting people off the streets?
Denverite | August 4, 2020
A proposal to raise the sales tax to create a dedicated city fund to address homelessness is a step closer to landing on the ballot.
On Tuesday, Denver City Council's Finance and Governance Committee forwarded at-large member Robin Kniech's Homelessness Resolution Fund proposal to the full council. If it passes there, it will be presented to voters in November. On Monday, the full council agreed to let voters decide on a sales tax increase that would raise money to fight climate change.
Denver sweeps of unhoused people often push campers to nearby blocks while continuing a cycle of trauma
Denverite | August 7, 2020
"I never wanted to come to a school," Patrick Wilcox said as he synched up his flatbed wagon Tuesday. It contained nearly everything he owned, and he was preparing to push it somewhere north. He wasn't sure where he'd end up sleeping.
Everyone camping around Morey Middle School knew their relative stability was coming to an end. As the school year crept closer, so did a day when police officers would show up and order them to leave. Wilcox was among those who moved before the cops and garbage trucks arrived.
The Term Sheet: Startup funding roundup for July 2020
BusinessDen | August 12, 2020
Colorado startup funding in July was down $30 million from last year.
According to a tally of Form Ds filed with the SEC last month, 38 startups around the state raised a total of $78.5 million, compared to July 2019's $108 million. It's also a steep drop from June, during which 29 startups raised $197.6 million in total.
BusinessDen defines a startup as a business that's less than 10 years old and excludes publicly traded companies, real estate ventures and funds.
Denver RTD Board votes down proposed resolution to eliminate security contract
Mass Transit Magazine | August 13, 2020
A resolution to end transit security contracts with a private firm and the local police departments and instead allocate the $27.3 million toward alternative security approaches and human services was rejected by the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors on Aug. 11.
The board voted 14-1 against Denver RTD Director Shontel Lewis' resolution, after widely praising her for bringing the idea forward but saying it was too sweeping to be approved after a relatively brief discussion. Many board members also said Denver RTD operators and riders did not want an abrupt end to security officers patrolling the sprawling transit system and responding to incidents.
Denver parishes redouble efforts to provide food for those in need
Denver Catholic | August 13, 2020
Parishes in the Archdiocese of Denver haven't kept their arms crossed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it be by collecting food or hosting food banks and sandwich lines, many of them have intensified and adapted their efforts to provide these services amid the current health risks and regulations.
Some parishes shared with us what they have done in the past few months to ensure no family goes to bed on an empty stomach.
Amherst will explore alternative policing models
Mass Live | August 13, 2020
Town officials plan to explore alternative policing models, including a pilot program underway in Colorado that has mental health professionals, rather than armed police officers, respond to certain calls.
The Town Council discussed the reform effort at its meeting Monday. An outline presented at the meeting says the first step is to create a working group to begin the process. A report on the matter is due Jan. 31.
The outline says the mission is "Re-envisioning community services to build a Town in which Black residents thrive and feel protected, as do people of all colors."
The coronavirus slowed the opening of a new women's shelter on Santa Fe and forced some changes in focus
Denverite | August 17, 2020
The colors are muted at Denver's newest shelter, a 24-hour facility for older women that Volunteers of America has opened on Santa Fe Drive. The walls are painted ocean greens and blues. Forest-themed tapestries soften the concrete floors and exposed ducts of what was once a warehouse.
Temple Gaston, who had been at a temporary shelter for women at the Coliseum until it closed earlier this month, said she can find peace and calm at the facility and be supported as she seeks permanent housing.
"I wasn't getting that over at the Coliseum," Gaston said. "I wasn't able to clearly think."
Get to know the 2020 class of Denver Business Journal's C-Suite Awards.
Denver Business Journal | September 21, 2020
Join us in celebrating Wes Williams in the 2020 Denver Business Journal's C-Suite Awards.
What do policing alternatives look like? Denver is the perfect example
Optimist Daily | September 18, 2020
As calls for police reform spread across the country this summer, many cities stepped up to reallocate police funding to social programs to address systemic police violence and racism. One of these cities is Denver, Colorado. The city's Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program sends a mental health professional and paramedic to non-criminal 911 calls and so far they have successfully responded to 350 calls.
The STAR program began June 1, four days after protests demanding justice for George Floyd started in the city, with the goal of serving non-dangerous citizens in need while freeing up police to respond to other incidents. The team is unarmed and so far, they have not had to call for police back up on a single call.
Despite 2021 budget cuts, Denver's health department confident it can stay on front lines of COVID-19
Colorado Politics | September 21, 2020
The agency at the forefront of Denver's coronavirus pandemic response won't be immune to budget cuts next year.
Mayor Michael Hancock's administration has proposed a 7.3% decrease in the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment's general fund budget, for a new total of about $50.1 million.
Some of the slashes include reduced funding for employee training, official functions, travel and conference expenses, which could hinder staff's skill-building as well as lead to reduced engagement, lower morale and higher turnover, according to DDPHE Executive Director Bob McDonald.
Despite the planned cutbacks, however, McDonald remains confident that his team will be equipped to continue leading the city in its fight against COVID-19.
Get To Know Two BIPOC and Womxn Led Farm Organizations Serving The Front Range
303 Magazine | September 24, 2020
Inclusive, representative Denver farms and food advocacy organizations Frontline Farming and Mo' Betta Green Marketplace serve statewide communities and populations in need. Both are run by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), womxn leaders and strive to create equity within and diversify Colorado farming, farmland and leadership, educate about food justice and deliver nutritious, fresh food.
In 2019, people of color made up 7.6% of total employed farmers, ranchers and agricultural managers in Colorado, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - 0.9% of total employed farmworkers are Black. Black farmers have been discriminated against by agricultural policy since 1914 and face social and economic inequality - they lost 80% of land from 1920 to 2007, according to a 2019 report by the Center for American Progress.
Colorado sees drug overdose rise with virus-related stress
AP News | September 28, 2020
Drug overdose deaths have increased in Colorado amid the coronavirus pandemic.
About 130 people died of overdoses in May across the state, nearly doubling the average from recent years, The Gazette reported. State health department data reported 73 deaths in 2019, 79 in 2018 and 64 in 2017.
Mental Health Center of Denver President Dr. Carl Clark said the pattern of overdose deaths is "predictable" and is likely to get worse as the pandemic continues.
"There are certain things that we know that happen with a stressful event like a pandemic or 9/11 or if the stock market crashes," Clark said. "Anxiety goes up, depression goes up, suicides go up, and people's use of substances goes up."
Business leaders are urged to say yes to raising the sales tax to address homelessness in Denver
Denverite | October 2, 2020
City Councilwoman-at-large Robin Kniech is urging business leaders to say yes to raising the sales tax to address homelessness and to help her spread the word about the proposal that Denver voters will find on their November ballots.
"You can contribute to us, we'll talk to voters," Kniech said Friday during a presentation organized by the Downtown Denver Partnership.
Kniech sponsored the City Council initiative to put 2B, known as the Homelessness Resolution Sales Tax, before voters. The proposal has the support of homelessness service providers such as the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. It would increase Denver's sales tax by 0.25 percent (2.5 cents on every $10 spent), taking the total sales taxes from 8.31 percent to 8.56 percent, starting in January. Kniech said Friday the measure would raise about $40 million a year, but likely less in the first year because the pandemic has slowed the economy.
Beyond Zoom: Virtual therapy's next generation has Bluetooth pulse monitors and more
The Colorado Sun | October 6, 2020
When patients sign up for the newest kind of therapy at the Mental Health Center of Denver, here's what comes in their welcome packet:
A biofeedback device that clips to their ear to measure pulse and blood-oxygen levels. A phone stand to prop up a smartphone during therapy sessions. And directions for downloading an app to chat with a therapist.
It's a new era in technology for the community mental health center, a key step toward "preparing for the next generation," said Alires Almon, the center's director of innovation. The 12-week, virtual therapy program isn't meant to replace traditional face-to-face counseling - it's a contemporary option for people who would rather work on their mental health at home with their smartphone than walk into a mental health center.
A Denver Program Is Trading Police for Social Workers on Some 911 Calls
NBCLX | October 6, 2020
A Denver pilot program called STAR is taking the police out of the equation on some 911 calls. The program, which stands for Support Team Assisted Response, instead sends a two-person team consisting of a mental health worker and a paramedic out on calls that don't involve crimes. NBCLX's Fernando Hurtado talked to one of those teams - Carleigh Sailon from the Mental Health Center of Denver and Will Hargreaves from Denver Health Paramedics - about the program. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
World Mental Health Day is a reminder about importance of self care
9News | October 9, 2020
Our world is different, our day-to-day life has changed, and this can affect the way we think and act. Mental health experts are reminding people to take care of themselves, especially right now, as we continue to adjust to life during the coronavirus pandemic.
World Mental Health Day is this Saturday, Oct. 10, and it's a good reminder to take some time to go back to the basics and take care of yourself.
Self-care goes beyond dieting and exercising to maintain good physical health, your mental health should also be a top priority too, according to medical experts.
Dr. Jody Ryan, chief medical officer at Mental Health Center of Denver, said the pandemic has had a major effect on people, and they've been working to help clients adjust to meetings and social distancing.
Mental health is no game, but therapy is in this child counseling program
9News | November 30, 2020
Mental Health Center of Denver wanted to provide comfort and familiarity to their young patients during COVID-19, so they created a Minecraft version of the office.
On Edge: Heightened anxiety, depression are testing Colorado's already-frayed safety nets
The Colorado Sun | December 6, 2020
On Denver's west side, an elderly man had been managing his solitude just fine until the pandemic hit, taking with it what social life he had and leaving in its place a loneliness he had not felt for years. Not far from his house, a young woman fights panic attacks after COVID-19 killed her grandfather and landed her in the hospital. Now, she fears the virus will come for her again and this time she will die.
In Fort Collins, the school district announces an early return to online learning, and moments later, a struggling mother calls the local mental health center: "I can't do this again."
On Edge: Coloradans struggle with mental health in a state ill-prepared to help them
Denver Post | December 6, 2020
On Denver's west side, an elderly man had been managing his solitude just fine until the pandemic hit, taking with it what social life he had and leaving a loneliness he had not felt for years. Not far from his house, a young woman fights panic attacks after COVID-19 killed her grandfather and landed her in the hospital. Now, she fears the virus will come for her again and this time she will die.
On the Eastern Plains is a third-generation farmer, and if the pandemic does not weigh on him heavily, this year's record drought and the crop failure it caused do. It sets off an irritability and dread that words do not capture.
Denver's police partnership with mental health professionals likely to extend through 2020
Colorado Politics | December 19, 2019
Denver's police department for the last three years has worked side-by-side with behavioral health clinicians to co-respond to 911 calls and treat people in mental distress more like patients than prisoners - an initiative likely to stick around, at least through 2020.
A $700,000 contract extension between the city's Department of Public Health and Environment and the Mental Health Center of Denver to keep the co-responder program running through the end of next year advanced through City Council's safety committee on Wednesday and will be brought forth to the full council in early January.
Denver Police sees success by pairing behavioral health specialists with officers
9News | December 18, 2019
The Denver Police Department said it's seeing success by pairing behavioral health specialists with officers while responding to 911 calls. Wednesday, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, which helps oversee this program, told the city council that the co-responder units answered 1,725 calls last year.
Supporting mental health resources on Colorado Gives Day
9News | December 10, 2019
Former Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter, a mental health ambassador for Mental Health Center of Denver talks about CO Gives Day.
Colorado Gives Day - Mental Health Center of Denver
Denver 7 | December 5, 2019
The Mental Health Center of Denver is one of more than 2,600 organizations you can donate to on Colorado Gives Day, December 10, 2019.
Three years in, a Denver venture to invest in people experiencing homelessness shows promise
Denverite | November 14, 2019
City officials are celebrating the latest report from independent researchers who see promise in Denver's experiment to keep people in housing and out of jail cells and emergency rooms.
The researchers also reminded the Hancock administration that Denver's camping ban remains part of the conversation about homelessness in the city.
Click here to read the full story.
Study: Denver's supportive housing program is helping the homeless break free from the jail cycle
Colorado Politics | November 12, 2019
A new study shows that Denver's efforts to expand housing through its Supportive Housing Social Impact Bond (SIB) Initiative is beginning to pay off for the city, its homeless and the investors who are banking on the social impact.
The program intends to help people who often cycle in and out of jail, detox and emergency medical facilities - namely those struggling with chronic homelessness, substance use and mental health issues. Being trapped in that cycle not only can have negative impacts on those within it; it can also come at a high cost to taxpayers.
Click here to read the full story.
IN FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND COLLABORATION, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR MEETS PEOPLE 'EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE'
RTD Denver | November 6, 2019
For a few tense moments on a recent fall morning, the situation at an RTD bus stop looked complicated.
A woman waiting for a bus was agitated and yelling at anyone who would listen. Other riders appeared bewildered and intimidated. The bus operator wondered whether to choose between declining a rider or inconveniencing all the other passengers. Security personnel thought the woman should cool off away from public transit.
Click here to read the full story.
Police Team Up With Social Workers To Help Those In Crisis
CBS4 | November 5, 2019
Police in Denver are teaming up with social workers to help those in need. The partnership has helped nearly 2,000 people since it debuted last year.
The Crisis Intervention Unit works by helping people who are struggling with mental health issues, treating them as patients instead of criminals, from the very first encounter.
Click here to read the full story.
Treating people as patients: Denver police's partnership with mental health professionals is working, it says
Colorado Politics | October 31, 2019
It may seem like an unlikely duo, but the odds of seeing a social worker riding shotgun in the patrol car of a Denver police officer are growing.
Since 2016, the Denver Police Department has worked side-by-side with behavioral health clinicians through its Crisis Intervention Response Unit to co-respond to calls that involve a person experiencing mental distress and treat them more like a patient rather than a prisoner.
Click here to read the full story.
Checking in: The partnership between social workers and Denver police is getting results
Denverite | October 23, 2019
It sounds like the makings of a police buddy comedy: police officers being assigned a partner whose job is to be a sensitive, caring presence concerned with a suspect's emotional state.
But it's very serious. Since 2016, Denver cops have been pairing up with behavioral health professionals who have an eye for and expertise in people experiencing mental distress. At first, assigning a social worker to cruise around with officers included a lot of averted eye contact during morning roll call.
Click here to read the full story.
It's More Important Than Ever To Remove the Stigma Around Latinx Mental Health
The Oprah Magazine | October 18, 2019
When it comes to seeking mental health care, the Latinx community has always struggled with stigma-both in and outside of the United States. The reasons are as varied as our our cultures' pressure due to machismo, a heavy reliance on faith versus therapy, and a general lack of education when it comes to what psychology and psychiatry can do for us. And that doesn't even take into consideration the financial and language barriers that cause many to view therapy as a "waste of money" or "something for white people."
Click here to read the full story.
'You Don't Choose That Life': Mental Health Center Of Denver Helps People Break Cycle Of Homelessness
CBS4 Denver | September 4, 2019
The cycle of homelessness is hard to break, no one knows this better than Leannan Scott. The Iowa-native has been chronically homeless for years. She sold her viola to buy a bus ticket to Denver, hoping for better life, but was only met with disappointment. Until she found the Mental Health Center of Denver.
Click here to read the full story.
Mental Health Center of Denver Joins Catalyst HTI
Catalyst HTI | June 20, 2019
Food was adventure for four-month-old Senna Lopez, who tried fresh-squeezed orange juice - reacting with a gentle smile - at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being's annual fish fry.
Food was new acquaintances for Jan Garduno, who lives near the airport but comes regularly for yoga classes and other activities at the Northeast Park Hill facility of the Mental Health Center of Denver. She sat down with three strangers Wednesday evening to dig into fish that just a day earlier had been swimming in the tanks in the Dahlia campus's aquaponics greenhouse.
Click here to read the full story.
For everyone at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being's annual fish fry, food was healing
Denverite | June 20, 2019
Food was adventure for four-month-old Senna Lopez, who tried fresh-squeezed orange juice - reacting with a gentle smile - at the Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being's annual fish fry.
Food was new acquaintances for Jan Garduno, who lives near the airport but comes regularly for yoga classes and other activities at the Northeast Park Hill facility of the Mental Health Center of Denver. She sat down with three strangers Wednesday evening to dig into fish that just a day earlier had been swimming in the tanks in the Dahlia campus's aquaponics greenhouse.
Click here to read the full story.
Could dirt be the answer to treating PTSD?
9News | June 12, 2019
A new study from the University of Colorado Boulder found a certain type of bacteria in soil helps reduce stress and overall, could make you happier.
Previous studies around the world have come to similar conclusions, but CU's research may be the first step to a stress immunization for first responders and solders.
"What we'd like to do is look at effects in individuals that have already experienced trauma," Associate Professor in Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder Christopher Lowry said. "[We could] either treat it immediately after trauma or treat it after developmental PTSD symptoms and see if it could also be beneficial at those times."
Click here to read the full story.
Community groups will begin taking on 911 calls and low-level cases from the Denver DA
Denverite | June 10, 2019
While Denverites were grilling out on Memorial Day weekend, a delegation from the city was in Eugene, Oregon, riding along with a civilian-led team who take specific 911 calls instead of local police.
The Oregon program is called Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets, known simply as CAHOOTS. Teams of mental health workers and EMTs respond to emergencies that aren't criminal matters, like overdoses and situations when people might be likely to hurt themselves. It's been in operation there for 30 years, and now stakeholders are working to bring the program to Denver.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver voted to keep its camping ban. So what is Colorado actually doing to end homelessness?
The Colorado Sun | June 5, 2019
The building is wrapped like a quilt, a lattice of lavender, blue and yellow paint. Horizontal windows cast sunlight down the corridors. And in the courtyard, natural light filters through the wooden slats of a pergola.
The northwest Denver homeless shelter's structure is "trauma-informed," same as the staff. When a resident stumbles in life or breaks the rules, case managers don't ask "Why are you doing that?" They say, "What has happened to you?" It's a place that accounts for the trauma of a person's past, including the trauma of living on the streets.
Click here to read the full story.
How to Help a Friend In a Mental Health Crisis
Men's Health Magazine | June 5, 2019
Midway through the morning session of Mental Health First Aid, a course at the Mental Health Center of Denver, my instructor asks me to turn to one of my tablemates, look them in the eye, and ask a simple question: "Are you thinking about killing yourself?" Not "hurting yourself," because the semantics will work against you. "Killing yourself." Simple, direct, straight-faced.
I fail. I ask the question with an uncomfortable laugh and a half smile. It turns out that question is really, really hard to ask, even when you're interrogating a non-suicidal stranger in a training exercise who knows it's coming.
Click here to read the full story.
Mental Health Center of Denver Is Using VR Technology to Bridge the Care Gap in Behavioral Health
Inside Digital Health | June 3, 2019
When it comes to bridging the gap in services available to patients, there is perhaps no area more in need of innovation than mental health services - particularly in overcoming the significant barriers to accessing and participating in therapy faced by many patients. Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) is a safety-net mental health provider for the Colorado community, servicing 20,000 patients this past April alone. I spoke with MHCD's Wes Williams, Ph.D., about programs in virtual reality (VR) that could help the center reach more patients and even enable more patients to succeed in existing programs.
Click here to read the full story.
Life in Colorado: May is Mental Health Month
PodBean | May 25, 2019
May is national Mental Health Month. This week we sit down with JoAnn Toney from Mental Health Center of Denver. We talk about the resources available and examine good mental health.
Click here to listen to the full story.
9News at the 9Health Fair on Facebook Live
9News | May 17, 2019
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and today 9Health Fair is talking about mental health resources in Colorado for teens and young adults. They're with Kimberlee Bow MA LPC from Second Wind Fund, Inc. and Darrin Kessler LPC from Mental Health Center of Denver.
Click here to watch the full story.
At the intersection of architecture and mental health: trauma-informed design
Denverite | April 29, 2019
A Sanderson Apartments tenant just escaping homelessness might not be ready to sleep inside. Residents at the complex developed and run by the nonprofit Mental Health Center of Denver have a choice: a courtyard open to the sky behind a high fence along Federal Boulevard.
Architect Patrick Lee included the courtyard after the mental health center said it had a very specific vision for Sanderson, which opened in the summer of 2017 in Mar Lee and is part of a program to house and provide services for people who have experienced chronic homelessness.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver Public Schools addresses students' needs after metro area closure
The Washington Park Profile | April 19, 2019
After a threat caused schools around the Front Range to close for a day, Denver Public Schools and mental health providers turned their focus to the needs of students.
DPS joined other districts across the state and closed its schools on April 17, following a threat from 18-year-old Florida resident Sol Pais. The FBI reported that Pais was "infatuated" with the Columbine High School shooting, which happened on April 20, 1999. Following a manhunt, Pais was found dead near Mount Evans that same day.
Click here to read the full story.
Join the Mental Health Center of Denver for "Beyond the Most Livable City: Writing the Story of Well-Being Innovation"
YourHub | April 19, 2019
How can you improve your well-being through innovations that are being developed right here in Colorado? The Mental Health Center of Denver is hosting a free reception with virtual reality demonstrations and the latest well-being apps, and a thought leader discussion exploring how well-being innovation can advance healthcare accessibility and affordability.
Click here to read the full story.
Mental health care in Colorado in a state of crisis and a ruthless cycle of destruction
The Gazette | April 6, 2019
Click here to read the full story.
By law, mental health benefits are supposed to be as good as medical coverage. In practice, that's not happening.
The Colorado Sun | March 27, 2019
Like most dads, John Cooke would have done anything to save his daughter. He was lucky he had the money. To make her well, to make his teenager want to live and stop planning her suicide, Cooke and his wife would end up paying $150,000. With each denial from the family's insurance company, the Cookes wrote another check. When the company deemed it no longer "medically necessary" for their teenager to stay in a residential treatment center in Wisconsin, or another center in Utah, the Cookes paid out of pocket until the doctors said she was well enough to come home.
Click here to read the full story.
Starting with Stability: How Denver Is Breaking the Homelessness-Jail Cycle
Urban Institute | March 20, 2019
Maria* is finally starting to feel at home. After living on the streets for eight years and a brief stint in a halfway house, she now has a permanent home in the Sanderson Apartments in south Denver. With her brother's help, she's starting to decorate her one-bedroom apartment with personal touches: a gold lamp with a pink bow hugging the shade, a white Christmas tree that hangs from the ceiling, an open Bible resting on a stool.
"I love my life, and I love myself, and I love my family," she said, beaming. "And I found myself, found out who I am, where I belong."
Click here to read the full story.
'Refilling your cup' can help keep stress at bay
The Profile | March 7, 2019
I love my job as an editor. But there are days when I feel buried in emails, torn between multiple projects as I navigate the logistics of putting out two monthly papers.
Stress is a part of everyone's life, no ifs, ands or buts about it. What's important is to make sure you're giving time back to yourself - or as Katherine Frank with the Healthy Living Team at the Mental Health Center of Denver puts it: "You're refilling your cup."
Click here to read the full story.
To Fund Mental Health Care, States and Cities Raise Taxes
Governing | February 1, 2019
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was supposed to make mental health care accessible to everyone. The law mandated "parity" -- that insurance companies must cover mental health services, including substance abuse treatment, on par with medical and surgical care. But the goal hasn't been realized. Loopholes in the ACA and other federal laws allowed some plans to limit or exclude mental and behavioral health coverage. Oversight and enforcement of the mandates have been inconsistent. And, of course, millions of Americans remain without health coverage.
Click here to read the full story.
Local program focuses on mental health for infants and caregivers
9News | January 25, 2019
DENVER - There were two things missing from Kaylei Hinkson's life: a personality of her own and the opportunity to just be a kid.
But that all changed after Kaylei was treated at Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being. Kaylei was part of the center's Right Start for Infant Mental Health, a program that treats children ages birth to 5 years when there are concerns about emotions, behavior or development.
Click here to read the full story.
DRY JANUARY: A LOOK AT THE RELATIONSHIP QUEER PEOPLE HAVE WITH ALCOHOL
OUTFRONT | January 16, 2019
Generally, for the average person, admitting you have a problem is very difficult. Even though I think we have made significant strides in how the general population views behavioral health issues, we still have a long way to go. In my own situation, admitting that I had a problem was very difficult."
Steven Haden, a psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner with the Mental Health Center of Denver, has been sober for 13 years. While working in New York City, following graduate school at New York University, he developed a substance use disorder and had some complications with depression.
Mental Health First Aid Classes featured on Fox 31/KVDR
Fox 31/KVDR | November 28, 2018
The Mental Health Center of Denver offers Mental Health First Aid courses twice a month.
Classes are available in both Spanish and English. We offer classes for adult mental health first aid and for adults learning about youth mental health first aid.
The course fee is $20 and includes a Mental Health First Aid course book to keep.
More information at: https://mhcd.org/mental-health-first-aid/
THE PODIUM | 'Caring 4 Denver' gives the homeless a new lease on life
Colorado Politics | November 28, 2018
Earlier this month, Denver voters overwhelmingly approved a monumental commitment to mental health by passing the Caring 4 Denver sales tax. Denver is making good on a promise our country made over half a century ago - to provide mental health, substance use and suicide-prevention programs that are based in the community and respect the dignity of human beings.
The systems in place to deal with behavioral health challenges are often under-resourced, resulting in the last resorts of jails, emergency rooms, and homeless shelters across the country being filled with individuals who have unmet behavioral and mental health needs. It is a sad reality that our Denver jail has become one of Colorado's largest providers of mental health services.
Click here to read the full story.
Why Denver Voted to Fund Mental-Health Treatment
CityLab | November 21, 2018
A year after Colorado saw a record 1,175 suicides and an all-time high number of drug overdoses, according to the Colorado Health Institute, Denver voters decided to take matters into their own hands.
On Election Day, the city passed a .25 percent sales tax (or 25 cents on a $100 purchase) under the Caring 4 Denver initiative, raising a new stream of money to treat mental health and addiction. It's meant to take the response out of the hands of police and jails and focus on treatment centers and therapy.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver's effort on chronic homelessness just got another good grade (and its investors got more returns)
Denverite | November 15, 2018
Investors in Denver's social impact bond program will receive another payment from the city after independent evaluators again saw promise in the effort to house people who have experienced chronic homelessness and repeated visits to emergency rooms and encounters with police.
In a statement Wednesday, the city said investors that include the Denver Foundation and the Ben and Lucy Ana Walton Fund of the Walton Family Foundation will get a second payment of $837,600. The city had made an initial payment of $188,000 in October, 2017.
Click here to read the full story.
Colorado set up its mental health crisis system four years ago in response to a mass shooting. It's about to transform.
Colorado Sun | November 14, 2018
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 12 walk-in centers have had almost 68,000 visits since they opened four years ago.
Click here to read the full story.
Volunteers Cook Meal For Homeless As Part Of Community Projects
CBS 4 Denver | November 11, 2018
Hundreds of Coloradans came together to help people struggling with mental health and homelessness on Saturday. Residents at the Sanderson apartment in West Denver enjoyed a home cooked meal thanks to volunteers. The dinner was part of 100 community service projects going on this weekend organized by the nonprofit "Project: Our Town." "I just think it's a great opportunity… Thanksgiving is a good time to do that," said Wendy Leslie, a volunteer.
Click here to read the full story.
What's next after Denver passes tax increase for mental health funding
Fox 31/KVDR | November 9, 2018
DENVER -- Election night was more than just about candidates and political parties. It was also about issues. In Denver, voters approved a .25 percent tax increase to generate $45 million for mental health funding annually. So what happens next? "This will be the largest mental health funding stream that Denver has ever seen," State Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver) said. Herod helped run the campaign to get it passed.
Click here to read the full story.
Tech Capabilities In An Era Of Integration & Value
Open Minds | November 6, 2018
Most specialty provider organization executive teams are looking at the twin challenges of retooling their services lines for success in a market moving toward integrated care coordination and value-based reimbursement. The question is what does this mean for the technology infrastructure of these organizations? That was the focus of the town hall session, Building An Infrastructure For Integrated Care: A Town Hall Discussion On Interoperability, Technology & Innovation at the recent 2018 OPEN MINDS Technology & Informatics Institute.
Click here to read the full story.
DPD's Co-Responder Unit Hopes to Get a Boost From Caring 4 Denver
Westword | November 5, 2018
Tuesday, November 6, is fast approaching, and Denver residents are now voting on various state- and citywide ballot initiatives. One such initiative is Caring 4 Denver. Created by Representative Leslie Herod and endorsed by influential Coloradans like Wilma Webb and Cynthia Coffman, the initiative would raise Denver's sales tax by .25 percent to bolster the city's mental health resources and substance abuse treatment programs.
Click here to read the full story.
Mental Health Center of Denver honors Marla Williams & raises more than $200,000 at annual fundraising breakfast
YourHub | October 25, 2018
Last week, community members gathered to support the Mental Health Center of Denver at its annual Gifts of Hope Fundraising Breakfast. This was the organization's most successful event yet with more than $200,000 collected from the breakfast to support the not-for-profit community mental health center. Marla Williams, president/CEO of Community First Foundation was honored with the 2018 Community Champion Award for her leadership in community well-being in Denver. She led the foundation to develop the Innovators Society that invests in promising, but not yet proven, not-for-profit innovations to increase awareness and change perceptions of mental health.
Click here to read the full story.
Will Denver Vote to Fund More Mental Health and Addiction Services?
5280 Magazine | October 18, 2018
House Representative Leslie Herod (D-District 8) is asking for the public's help to address the Mile High City's dearth of mental health and addiction services. "I see how much the community is hurting. I see our alarming rates of suicide…There are three to four overdoses on the streets of Denver every day," she says. "We need more help, and we don't have it right now." Herod is the driving force behind Caring 4 Denver, aka Initiated Ordinance 301 on the Denver municipal ballot. The initiative proposes a 0.25 percent increase to the sales and use tax (25 cents on a $100 purchase) to fund mental health services, facilities, and programs for children and adults; suicide prevention programs; opioid and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery programs; housing; and first-responder training.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver can and should help those with mental health needs
Denver Post | October 15, 2018
It is hard to live in Denver and not see the effect of mental illness and substance abuse on our community. It is visible on our streets, in our schools, in the news, and at our workplaces. We are supporting Caring 4 Denver because we know that we can do something to change this - and we should. Caring 4 Denver will appear at the end of ballots in Denver as Initiated Ordinance 301 and will be a one-quarter-of 1 percent sales and use tax increase (25 cents on a $100-dollar purchase), and raise $45 million per year, to be used for improving the quality, availability, and affordability of community based mental health and addiction care in Denver.
Click here to read the full story.
DPD's Co-Responder Unit Hopes to Get a Boost From Caring 4 Denver
Westword | November 5, 2018
Tuesday, November 6, is fast approaching, and Denver residents are now voting on various state- and citywide ballot initiatives. One such initiative is Caring 4 Denver. Created by Representative Leslie Herod and endorsed by influential Coloradans like Wilma Webb and Cynthia Coffman, the initiative would raise Denver's sales tax by .25 percent to bolster the city's mental health resources and substance abuse treatment programs.
Click here to read the full story.
The Importance of Financial Education to Angela Oakley
American Healthcare Leader | October 8, 2018
Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) is one of seventeen community mental health centers in Colorado, but it stands out as a leader in offering innovative, holistic programs for mental health and overall well-being. Its Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being offers therapy and mental well-being programs, including a four-acre garden and farm space, that's open to the community. It offers an aquaponics greenhouse and 46,000 square feet of indoor therapeutic, classroom, play, and community gathering spaces.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver takes action against addiction
South Platte Independent | October 3, 2018
In the lower levels of the downtown branch of the Denver Public Library, Rob Valuck, director of the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, holds up a small device with a spray nozzle, similar to nasal decongestants. The device contains naloxone, an antidote to opioids, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an overdose. The device is easy to use and can help to save someone's life, Valuck said. After his speech, he pulled out a dummy of the device, asking Mayor Michael B. Hancock to demonstrate how to administer it.
Click here to read the full story.
September Partner Spotlight of the Month: Dahlia Campus for Mental Health & Well-Being
Urban Land Conservancy| September 28, 2018
Urban Land Conservancy celebrates the achievements of our partnerships that create and preserve nonprofit facilities and affordable housing for communities in metro Denver. ULC's Monthly Partner Spotlight is awarded to partners who demonstrate the value of collaboration, furthering our mission to improve the lives of Metro Denver residents through our real estate investments and community assets.
Congratulations to our September 2018 Partner Spotlight of the Month: Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being!
Click here to read the full story.
Caring 4 Denver: What You Will Be Voting for in November
Westword | September 27, 2018
For state representative Leslie Herod, tackling mental-health and substance-abuse issues is personal. Her sister has been in and out of jail for years, and Herod believes her troubles with the law largely stem from underlying mental-health issues. In November, Denver voters will weigh whether to pass Herod's Caring 4 Denver ballot initiative, which would increase the sales tax by .25 percent, or about $45 million annually, to bolsters the city's existing mental-health and substance-abuse treatment options and fund suicide prevention programs and those targeting the opioid epidemic.
Click here to read the full story.
Cooking with Dr. Clark: Grilled Tilapia & Early Autumn Salad
Fox 31/KDVR | September 19, 2018
Dr. Carl Clark from the Mental Health Center of Denver talks about the mental health benefits of cooking.
Click here to read the full story.
Discover LEED projects that are building social equity
US Green Building Council | September 11, 2018
Launched in 2014, the LEED social equity pilot credits encourage any and all members of a project team to promote and further social equity by integrating strategies that address identified social and community issues, needs and disparities among those affected by the project. Four exemplary LEED projects have leveraged the social equity pilot credits to demonstrate how their design, programs and organizational operations have maximized positive social impact. Every location is different, which means there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to social equity issues.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver marks World Suicide Prevention Day with a call to action
Fox 31 News | September 10, 2018
The city of Denver marked World Suicide Prevention Day on Monday with a call to action at the City and County Building. Ben, 20, says he struggled with depression and thoughts of suicide for much of his life. "I used to have suicidal thoughts daily," he said. But, one day he got up the courage to call a suicide prevention hotline. He was connected to resources and started getting help at Emerson St. for Teens and Young Adults with the Mental Health Center of Denver.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver Creates Task Force To Tackle Growing Suicide Rate
CBS News | September 10, 2018
Community leaders in Denver gathered to deliver an important message on World Suicide Prevention Day: There is help. The message comes as health experts say deaths by suicide are on the rise in Colorado. In the first nine months of the year, Denver has seen 15 more people die of suicide compared to all of 2017. The City of Denver is working to address behavioral health issues by creating a specific task force. Some of the solutions being discussed include a social worker accompanying first responders to 911 calls.
Click here to read the full story.
New program will put a mental health liaison in every Colorado judicial district
Denverite | September 7, 2018
The Colorado Judicial Department is joining the wave of progressive practices in the criminal justice system, and on Oct. 1 they will launch a program that puts mental health liaisons in all 22 of Colorado's judicial districts. "The court liaisons will work directly with defendants to ensure they receive appropriate evaluations and needed mental health services," read a press release released by the Colorado Judicial Department.
Click here to read the full story.
Technology Driving Better Mental Health Outcomes
CIO Applications | July 12, 2018
Technology holds a lot of promise for improving healthcare, but without to change management and clinical workflow, staff may refuse to adopt the new technology. Health care payment reform -- such as the Accountable Care Collaborative 2.0 that changes how Colorado's Medicaid payments are distributed -- emphasizes greater care coordination, which will hopefully lead to better care and a healthier population. Providers in Colorado are looking toward health information exchange for facilitating better coordinated care.
Click here to read the full story.
Stemming the Tide: Wes Williams' IT efforts are helping Mental Health Center of Denver reduce suicide
American Healthcare Leader | May 11, 2018
A decade ago, a Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) patient with suicidal ideation in his late twenties was convinced that he would not live to be thirty years old. He stabilized and improved through intensive treatment and appeared to be doing well. Several years later, however, there was turnover among his treatment team, certain details of his initial admission and treatment were either lost or overlooked, and he did, in fact, die by suicide before his thirtieth birthday.
Wes Williams is determined to ensure that scenario does not happen again.
Click here to read the full story.
Colorado Inside Out
Colorado Public Television | April 6, 2018
Denver sales tax hike would raise millions for mental health care, substance abuse treatment
The Denver Post | April 5, 2018
A group of health care advocates and a Democratic state lawmaker are seeking a 0.25 percent sales tax increase in Denver to raise money for mental health and substance abuse treatment in the city, which they say is lacking.
The proposed November ballot measure would raise $45 million in its first year and continue for 10 years.
Click here to read the full story.
Assistance for substance abusers
Met Media | April 5, 2018
Noel Lebsack is a self-identified addict and alcoholic who has been sober since 2012. He went through five separate recovery and rehabilitation programs before his sober date.
Lebsack said if someone thinks they might be experiencing a substance use disorder, they have to be willing to change, but shouldn't be discouraged if a treatment strategy doesn't work immediately.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver Ballot Initiative Aims To Finance Mental Health, Substance Abuse Programs
Colorado Public Radio | April 5, 2018
A ballot initiative in Denver could bring in tens of millions of dollars a year to help those with mental health and substance disorder issues.
State lawmaker Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, is spearheading the "Caring 4 Denver" campaign. She says the proposal makes financial sense because if it's passed by voters it could fund a variety of mental health programs. The proposal calls for a one-quarter of 1 percent sales tax -- that's 25 cents on a $100 purchase.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver tax proposal would raise $45 million per year for mental health, housing, addiction
Denverite | April 5, 2018
The Mental Health Center of Denver is partnering with state Rep. Leslie Herod to campaign for a half-billion dollars of new spending on mental health, addiction services and housing over the next decade.
They want local voters to decide whether to raise city sales taxes by 25 cents per $100 of spending on restaurant meals, consumer goods and more. The hike is expected to generate about $45 million in its first year.
Click here to read the full story.
More Americans should carry opioid overdose reversing drug, surgeon general says
KVDR Fox News | April 5, 2018
DENVER -- According to Dr. Carl Clark, Colorado has an opioid crisis.
"Some of our rural communities, It's absolutely devastating but even in Denver where I am we have three opioid deaths every day," Clark said.
Colorado State Rep. Leslie Herod shares the doctor's diagnosis.
Click here to read the full story.
St. Andrew's mission raises neighbors' ire
Denver Metro Media | April 4, 2018
Controversy continues to swirl around the plans of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church to provide housing to homeless and mentally ill people. The church is located in the Clement Historic District and near the epicenter of Denver's homeless population and the many service organizations attempting to provide shelter, support and treatment facilities.
Currently, the church plans to partner with Mental Health Centers of Denver (MHCD) to erect Glenarm Commons in its parking lot: four-stories and 48 units of "permanent supportive housing" for homeless, mentally handicapped residents.
Click here to read the full story.
Public defenders from across the country came to Denver to talk about dealing with mental health in the criminal justice system
Denverite | April 4, 2018
Public defenders from across the country gathered in Denver last week to talk about best practices for diverting people suffering from mental health issues away from the criminal justice system at a conference hosted by the Equitas Project.
Colorado State Public Defender Douglas K. Wilson is increasingly concerned about Colorado's lack of attention to the issue and worries that the financial and moral consequences of inaction could be devastating.
Click here to read the full story.
Downtown church parking lot could host tiny homes, eventual redevelopment
Business Den | April 3, 2018
A downtown church has both short-term and long-term plans to find a new use for an adjacent parking lot.
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, along with the Mental Health Center of Denver, submitted plans to the city last week proposing to build 48 affordable housing units on 0.43 acres at 2061 and 2071 Glenarm Place.
Click here to read the full story.
Social Workers Join Cops on Patrol
Front Porch | April 1, 2018
Intersections between mental illness and crime have been prominent in the news lately. Law enforcement officers and high school students are among those who've been killed by perpetrators with a history of mental illness. But even in garden-variety crises, mental health issues impact victims, perpetrators, families and communities.
Click here to read the full story.
The Lagging State of Mental Health Care
CoBiz Magazine | March/April 2018
Annette and Paul's daughter ran a thriving business and owned real estate in their hometown of Pueblo. Then she turned 33, and things changed dramatically. "She talked about being a spirit medium," Annette says. Paranoia began. Mysterious entities stole clothes, moved belongings and spoke to Annette's daughter through ear buds.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver sold bonds to reduce the human and financial costs of homelessness. The results so far are promising.
The Denver Post | March 19, 2018
They found Robert Bischoff by sharing his photo with a Sinclair gas station clerk who often sold him cigarettes.
They met Alexander Jacob after sending his mom a letter, even though he almost didn't respond because he figured it was "trash mail."
The two men and more than 250 more people - all homeless and high-frequency users of jail, detox and emergency departments at taxpayer expense - have been tracked down by Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Mental Health Center of Denver outreach workers and given apartments through Denver's social-impact bond program. About two years into the five-year program, researchers have noted a dramatic drop in jail days.
Click here to read the full story.
At Friendly Harbor, Peer Mentors Are Key to Mental Health
Westword | March 13, 2018
The devil had taken over his grandmother's body, pulling out her soul. Thinking he was Jesus, Joe Bowers decided to put an end to the battle of good versus evil.
He waited for his grandmother, the woman who'd raised him, to go to bed. "I gave her time, and then I went to the kitchen cabinet, took out a 16 gauge shotgun, loaded it and walked upstairs," Bowers recalls.
Click here to read the full story.
Providers access behavioral health data through Carequality
Health Data Management | March 2, 2018
Mental Health Center of Denver is securely sharing behavioral health data with local physicians when patients explicitly consent, in an attempt to improve the coordination of care and build a person-centric approach between behavioral, primary care and ancillary providers.
The center uses the Netsmart behavioral health electronic health record, which has integrated with the Carequality interoperability network of the Sequoia Project to exchange behavioral health records.
Click here to read the full story.
Denver medical groups tap Carequality to pull together mental and physical patient data
Healthcare IT News | February 27, 2018
Denver Health and the Mental Health Center of Denver announced a collaboration via the Carequality interoperability framework to integrate behavioral and physical health data of patients.
"The application of Carequality to our current NetSmart electronic health record solution has helped to open additional doors that create the best opportunity for true integration of mental and physical healthcare," Wes Williams, CIO at Mental Health Center of Denver, said in a statement.
Safe Place: How thoughtful facility design benefits Denver's formerly homeless residents.
5280 Magazine | January 3, 2018
You might mistake the five-month-old Sanderson Apartments in southwest neighborhood Mar Lee for any of the new residential complexes around town. But every aspect of the building-the Mental Health Center of Denver's newest permanent supportive housing-makes the residents, who are chronically homeless people with histories of behavioral health issues and trauma, feel safe.
Click here to read the full story.
Mental health and substance-use disorders are growing problems in Colorado. Pairing police with mental health professionals could help.
Denver Post | January 2, 2018
Colorado is pushing for new approaches to how police officers handle cases involving mental illness and drug addiction, encouraging them to steer low-level offenders toward treatment rather than jail and giving them assistance in dealing with potentially dangerous situations. In one tactic, mental health professionals ride with officers during 911 responses and some routine patrols.
Colorado Gives Day is coming, and we just can't stop giving
Denverite | December 4, 2017
Sometime in the next few days, you are very likely to hear the words "Colorado Gives Day." In the course of just seven years, the philanthropic event has become remarkably popular and helped inspire a wave of other giving days around the country.
Click here to read the full story.
How A Once-Homeless Denver Man Is Settling In To His Unique New Apartment
Colorado Public Radio | November 27, 2017
Of the dozens of new apartment buildings going up in Denver these days, one stands out. The Sanderson Apartments on South Federal Boulevard feature trauma-informed design to accommodate those who experienced abuse and other ordeals when they were homeless. Architectural choices - from the hallways, to the bedrooms - were made to make residents feel at home.
Click here to read the full story.
'Radicalizing' Agile for Strategy and Management
Healthcare Tech Outlook | November 10, 2017
People are rightfully skeptical of buzzwords and facile trends in organizational management. For every successful launch of a Six
Sigma campaign, there's a workforce somewhere groaning about another mandated management "retreat," or a cosmetic rearranging of office chairs with no fundamental change in the way things get done.
Click here to read the full story.
Chronically Homeless Find Stable Housing, Services in Denver Project
Affordable Housing Finance | October 26, 2017
Some of Denver's most vulnerable homeless individuals are on a path to stability with the opening of Sanderson Apartments in September. Developed by the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD), a nonprofit community mental health center that has been providing housing and services for over 25 years, the permanent supportive housing project includes 60 one-bedroom furnished apartments and wraparound services.
Click here to read the full story.
Comparing 4 'Social Impact Bond' Projects
San Francisco Public Press | October 24, 2017
Governments have been looking for an effective, cost-efficient way to house their homeless populations, especially the high-need individuals straining public resources while out on the streets. But many are hesitant to commit significant taxpayer money to the long-term interventions that service providers insist are necessary.
Click here to read the full story.
Improving Visibility through Integrated Information
CIO Review | October 18, 2017
Health care has made huge changes in how content is managed in the 12 years since I left clinical practice to focus on health IT. As a clinical psychologist, all my intake assessments, progress notes, and treatment plans were hand-written. I moved into health IT to help digitize behavioral health care and have seen a sea change in enterprise content management that spans electronic health records, data warehousing and business intelligence, corporate intranets, cloud computing, and now interoperability and health information exchange.
Click here to read the full story.
Teens In Danger Of Suicide Often Just Need A Sympathetic Ear
CPR | September 29, 2017
Suicide is always difficult to deal with, especially for teenagers. In Colorado, the number of teens taking their own lives has increased dramatically in recent years, nearly doubling between 2006 and 2016.
Click here to read the full story.
Reshaping Space, Roles and Routines to Support Children With Trauma
EdSurge | September 27, 2017
In 2008, the Holly Square Shopping Center in northeast Denver was firebombed with molotov cocktails in gang-related arson. The next day, our neighborhood found an asbestos-ridden shell of a building where once stood the heart of the neighborhood. The community rallied to rebuild, and the community group in charge of redevelopment asked me to build a new school on the ashes of the former shopping center.
Click here to read the full story.
Mind, Body, Community - The Holistic Approach at MHCD
CoBiz Magazine | September 12, 2017
Last year, Mental Health Center of Denver helped more than 50,000 children, families and adults through treatment and outreach programs. It provides comprehensive and accessible mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, education and employment services for adults and is the leading resource of treatment for infants, children, teens and families.
Click here to read the full story.
Two student suicides in two days, both following social media posts, leave Littleton community seeking answers
The Denver Post | September 1, 2017
In the twilight, they pointed the lights of their cellphones toward the students in the center of the circle. They numbered in the hundreds, gathered in a grassy park on a school night through the power of Snapchat...
Click here to read the full story.
Media Coverage for Sanderson Apartments Grand Opening
Various News Sources | August 24, 2017
The following links contain articles and videos covering the grand opening of the Sanderson Apartments. This project, completed in August 2017, aims to provide a solution to homelessness through permanent supportive housing.
9News: City unveils complex for chronically homeless
CBS Denver: Apartment Complex Designed To Get Homeless Off The Streets
ABC Denver: Denver celebrates opening of 2 new housing options for city's homeless
Denver Westword: Housing for Homeless Individuals Opens on Federal Boulevard
Distrupting the CIO Comfort Zone to Innovate and Transform How Behavioral Health Clinics Use Electronic Health Records
CIO Applications | August 16, 2017
Wes Williams, CIO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, discusses the transition from the legacy EHR system to a new, more comprehensive system. The Mental Health Center of Denver partners with Netsmart Technologies and Intersystems, working together to build out solutions for clinicians to have better access to narrative text in patient records.
Click here to read the full story.
Thought Leader: Mental Health Center of Denver President's Positive Approach to Mental Illness
Denver Business Journal | July 6, 2017
Dr. Carl Clark, president & CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, answers quick questions in this video snapshot.
Dr. Clark elaborates on his decision to pursue psychiatry in Denver. He describes the cultivated culture of Well-Being at the Mental Health Center of Denver, and how that applies to both staff and the people we serve. During a fundamental shift in neurological study at the turn of the century, psychiatrists and psychologists began to focus on what could go right with the brain, rather than what could go wrong. This focus on individual and team strengths continues at MHCD.
Click here to read the full story.
At Dahlia, Both Students and Neighbors Embrace a Community Ideal of Health
Colorado Public Radio | June 15, 2017
What was once a blighted lot in Denver's Northeast Park Hill neighborhood is now an oasis for family health, food access and care.
Wrapped inside of the 4-acre Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being is the region's largest aquaponics greenhouse, which helps feed the neighborhood fish and greens. You'll find a 40,000 square foot urban garden, a children's dental clinic, teaching kitchens, a preschool, and a mental health care center.
Click here to listen to the full story
Permanent Supportive Housing Aids Denver's Most Vulnerable
Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits | April 2017 • Volume VIII • Issue IV
As one of the largest behavioral health centers in Colorado, the Mental Health Center of Denver has a significant impact on the area. It provides mental health treatment, prevention, outreach and crisis services to more than 44,000 children, families and adults each year.
The organization continues to increase its efforts, this time with a 60-unit permanent supportive housing development serving chronically homeless individuals who struggle with mental health and substance abuse in Denver.
Mental Health Center of Denver offers mental health first aid training to help people experiencing a mental health crisis
YourHub Denver | March 24, 2017
An estimated one in four Americans experiences a mental health issue each year. But because of the barriers to accessing mental health care, often people face their problems alone and only find help if their illness escalates into a full-blown crisis.
Inclusive wellness center is an oasis for a neighborhood left behind
PBS Newshour | March 21, 2017
After years of neglect, parents in one of Denver's poorest neighborhoods hoped that a new preschool would be built in their community. Instead, they got much more.
William Brangham recently visited there, and he is back again with this report.
It's part of our weekly series Making the Grade.
Denver partnership brings a mental-health perspective to policing
Denver Post | January 7, 2017
The 911 call is a typical one. A disheveled man has been spotted for the third time that week wandering the street, making threatening gestures and talking loudly, but incoherently, to himself.
The response, however, is not typical.
As a result of the Denver Police Department's new co-responder initiative, instead of a lone officer driving to the location to check out the person and perhaps arrest him, a licensed mental health clinician accompanies the officer, so a mental health diagnosis can be made on the spot. Then, a joint decision is made: arrest and jail; or mental health services.
Denver Post | November 15, 2016
The empty lot in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood has always just been called the Dahlia. That space of land off Dahlia Street and East 35th Avenue was once the country's largest African-American-owned mall, and there have been many empty promises about what would take its place. But one promise was kept and the site is now called the Mental Health Center's Dahlia Campus for Health and Well Being - and it's still identified by the familiar name.
Mental health center's new house for youth is the "cool" version of a mental health clinic
Denver Post | November 2, 2016
At the community mental health center east of downtown, people scheduled for therapy appointments stamp out cigarette butts on the sidewalk after a few last drags. Inside, others picking up prescriptions sit in a hospital-like waiting area, some with everything they own stuffed in backpacks and shopping bags. Fairly often, someone shouts or sings or talks to themselves.
Teenagers don't like it here much.
So they don't come often - to the Mental Health Center of Denver's clinical offices or to its adult psychiatric rehab center south of downtown, where instructors teach culinary job skills in a cafe and art classes in a basement studio. In fact, the age group least likely to seek and get help at the mental health center is 17 to 25, about the same age range when many serious mental health issues - including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia - typically first emerge.
A Dozen Abuzz 2016: 12 Anticipated Projects in Denver
Confluence Denver | October 26, 2016
Denver is building, rebuilding, renovating and reinventing. Here are 12 of the projects we're most excited to check out once the dust settles. When Sanderson Apartments opens next summer at 1601 S. Federal Blvd., 60 chronically homeless people in Denver will have a place to call home.
Modeled after successful permanent supportive housing projects in other U.S. cities, Sanderson will be the largest supportive housing project for the Mental Health Center of Denver, a nonprofit community mental health center that has been delivering comprehensive and accessible mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing, education and employment services to children, families and adults for more than 25 years.
Mayor Michael B. Hancock honored as 2016 Community Champion at the Mental Health Center of Denver's Gifts of Hope; Community turns out in force to support mental health programs
Denver Post's YourHub | October 13, 2016
On Oct. 11, nearly 600 community members gathered to support the Mental Health Center of Denver at its annual Gifts of Hope Fundraising Breakfast. At the event, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock was honored as the 2016 Community Champion Award for his many efforts to support mental health programs and improve well-being in Denver.
Addressing the Challenges in Behavioral Health Practice with Technology
CIO Review | September 30, 2016
Technology is not my organization's business. Helping people improve their mental health and helping our clinicians reach more people using more effective mental health interventions-that is our business. It may seem obvious, but it is easy to get caught up in technology for its own sake. Our staff is only interested in technology when it makes for better and more efficient delivery of mental health care and better support for our clinicians. So, the mission of our Information Systems department is to find or create the information tools that staff can quickly learn to use.
Mental health workers join Denver police officers to help divert people to treatment instead of jail
Denver Post | September 2, 2016
Mental health workers are joining Denver police on foot and in their patrol cars to help handle calls involving people in mental health crisis, a new program aimed at getting people into treatment instead of sending them to jail.
The six social workers and clinicians are employees of the Mental Health Center of Denver but work at Denver police headquarters through the partnership, called the "co-responder" program. The $500,000 initiative, funded through grants and other money from Denver Human Services, is part of the city's crisis intervention and response unit specializing in mental and behavioral health calls.
Denver expands program teaming mental health professionals with police officers, first responders
Channel 7 News | September 2, 2016
DENVER -- Denver police and sheriff deputies are trained to deal with people who are coping with mental health challenges. They're taught how to de-escalate situations.
Sometimes they need expert help.
Last April, Denver PD, the Department of Human Service's Office of Behavioral Health Strategies and the Mental Health Center of Denver teamed up, to better serve the mental and behavioral health needs of those they come into contact with, as first responders.
"Between April and July alone, we saw over 400 calls," said Julie Smith, the director of marketing and communications for the Department of Human Services. "We were able to connect most of them to treatment that will help them move forward."
Suicide Prevention Program Gives Latina Teens Voice Through Art
CBS Denver | June 7, 2016
DENVER (CBS4) - Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults in Colorado, according to the 2014-1215 report from the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention. Now one group is trying to change that.
Building community ties to avert crime
Rocky Mountain PBS speaks with Maya Wheeler and Dr. Lydia Prado exploring Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being. (Interview begins at 14:13)
Rocky Mountain PBS | May 27, 2016
DENVER - Leaders of the Second Chance Center in Aurora discuss what it takes to help parolees reintegrate in their communities and avoid going back to prison; How a new community center in Denver's Park Hill became more than just a mental health clinic; Why Denver Police are reaching out to teens to improve their mutual perceptions about each other.
Woman thrives despite mental illness
Former Mental Health Center of Denver Board Member, Roberta Payne, PhD, talks with 9News about living with a mental illness.
9News | May 17, 2016
DENVER - Schizophrenia is a genetic disease that is not common. It affects just 1 percent of Americans. Even though it affects a small number of the population, it's ramifications are huge. People with schizophrenia have an imbalance of brain chemicals. It's those chemicals that stimulate nerve cells in the brain to communicate with each other.
How to check on your kid's mental health
9News | May 17, 2016
KUSA - May is Mental Health Month. Statistics show that more than 50 percent of lifetime cases of mental illness start at about age 14.
Particularly when talking about preadolescence, it's hard to tell the difference between typical moodiness and something that needs a little more help.
New apartment building to open for homeless in Denver
9News | April 25, 2016
DENVER - A three-story, 50,000 square-foot building with 60 one-bedroom furnished apartments and on-site staff will soon open to help Denver's homeless.
The Sanderson Apartments, located at 1601 S. Federal Blvd., is the largest supportive housing project for the Mental Health Center of Denver.
"We're estimating that we're about 26,000 affordable housing units short," Dr. Carl Clark, CEO of Denver Mental Health Center, said. "So this particular project is 60 units -- that's good but we've got a long way to go."
Construction begins on Denver apartments for chronically homeless
Denver Post | April 25, 2016
Construction began Monday on a new Denver apartment building that will house 60 people who are chronically homeless, a joint project of the city and a community mental health center.
The three-story Sanderson Apartments, at Federal Boulevard and West Iowa Avenue, is expected to open in summer 2017. It will become the Mental Health Center of Denver's largest "supportive living" center, meaning residents will have on-site mental health care.
Mental Health Center of Denver breaks ground on 60-unit apartment building
BusinessDen | April 25, 2016
On Monday, the Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD) broke ground on a $10.6 million apartment building in southwest Denver that includes counseling and other services onsite.
Sanderson Apartments' 60 one-bedroom units will be open to the physically and mentally disabled as well as to homeless and low-income Denverites.
New Housing Project Designed To Help Chronically Homeless
CBS Denver | April 26, 2016
DENVER (CBS4)- A new housing project in Denver has been designed to help those who are chronically homeless. The Sanderson Apartments will house some of the city's most vulnerable residents.
Employees with the Mental Health Center of Denver broke ground on the new complex at Federal Boulevard and Alameda Avenue on Monday.
Sanderson Apartments breaks ground
Denver Real Estate Watch | April 26, 2016
Sanderson Apartments groundbreaking was held on Monday. It will provide 60 units for the recently homeless. The apartment development in SW Denver opens in 2017.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for the 60-unit Sanderson Apartments that will serve formerly homeless in Denver.
Can Private Money Help Denver's Homeless?
Colorado Public Radio | Mar 8, 2016
Sue Klebold: "A Mother's Reckoning"
Rocky Mountain PBS | Mar 4, 2016
Once mental illness set in, family struggled to reach Michael Marshall
The Denver Post | Feb 28, 2016
On a day more than 30 years ago when she answered the knock at her Five Points home, Brenda Marshall-Wright did not immediately recognize the beginning of an ordeal that would span decades of heartbreak and frustration.
Energy Outreach Colorado Helps Mental Health Center of Denver Enhance Energy Efficiency
Energy Outreach Colorado | Feb 8, 2016
Mental Health Center of Denver's newly-opened Dahlia Campus for Health & Well-Being is a welcoming place for members of the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood in Denver to connect, learn new skills and find support services. Energy Outreach Colorado supported the innovative project with a $25,000 energy efficiency grant.
Putting Community back into Community Mental Health: How the Mental Health Center of Denver Did It
National Council for Behavioral Health | Feb 2, 2016
Denver's Northeast Park Hill is a proud neighborhood filled with strong people. Built in the 1950s, Dahlia Square was the largest African-American-owned shopping center in the U.S. with a thriving grocery store, roller-skating rink, bowling alley and a full array of local businesses. But times changed and gradually the once popular neighborhood nucleus became an eyesore and was razed. It became a gaping hole in the neighborhood fabric.
Growth Spurt: A Denver program that treats mental illness in infants is set to expand this month in Northeast Park Hill
5280 Magazine | December 2015
Babies are a little (ok, a lot) emotional. One moment they coo, and the next they sob seemingly because you had the audacity to hand them a favorite toy. That over-the-top spectrum of behavior is completely normal. What's not is an unusually withdrawn baby, one who has stopped crying to communicate, which can be an early sign that his mental wellness is hurting. "We diagnose PTSD in babies as young as nine months old," says Dr. Shannon Bekman, program manager for Denver's Right Start for Infant Mental Health. "You can diagnose depression fairly reliably in an infant as young as four months."
Community Input Shaped New Mental Health Clinic in Denver's Park Hill
Denver Post | December 14, 2015
Northeast Park Hill has seen promises broken before. So when Denver's community mental health center began planning a new clinic at the site of what was, in its heyday, the country's largest African-American-owned mall, the response was skepticism.
Where Kids In Poverty And Education Intersect, Daily Uncertainties Remain
Colorado Public Radio | December 10, 2015
More than a year ago we saw one census statistic we just couldn't shake. At the time, nearly one in five kids in the state were living in poverty. We set out to learn about childhood poverty in Colorado: What it looked like and what was being done about it. We're looking back at our coverage now, taking stock of what we've learned and revisiting some of the people we interviewed.
Click Here to Listen To and Read the Full Story
Finding the Right Fit for Students
Greater Park Hill Community | Dec 1, 2015
As we near the end of the fall semester, many of us wonder how we made it this far without hurting someone. OK, that may sound a little drastic, but now that students have been in school for five months, for some, the newness (i.e. new teachers, new friends, new interests) has lost its luster. Instead of being happy each day, some of our children are naming every excuse in the book explaining why he or she can't possibly go to school on a given day.
Mental health nonprofit's $15M project wrapping up in Denver
BusinessDen | Nov 24, 2015
After three years of planning, the Mental Health Center of Denver's new site in northeast Denver will open Dec. 15.
The Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being at East 35th Avenue and Dahlia Street will include not just space for counselors to meet with patients, but also a dental clinic, two schools and a community garden.
PBS In Studio Follow Up Discussion of Walking Man
PBS | November 18, 2015
Michelle Tijerina of Mental Health Center of Denver's Voz y Corazon program was featured on PBS's In Studio Follow Up discussion of the documentary Walking Man.
Voz y Corazón Helps Youth Affected By Suicide Find Their Voice Through Art
Colorado Public Radio | June 12, 2015
Alexandra's black sketchbook is filled with her pencil drawings of roses, dresses, and people. The people don't look like her. But they reflect the emotions Alexandra has felt. "I've suffered from depression since I started middle school," the 14-year-old says. For Alexandra, art is also a distraction from her worries. Life can still be hard. So she draws, she paints, and makes jewelry with a Denver program called Voz y Corazón.
Misperceptions About Mental Health
The Denver Post | April 10, 2015
Over the past few weeks, there have been several distressing acts, both in Colorado and internationally, that have left many of us saddened and stunned at their senselessness. It has been widely reported that the perpetrators of both the Germanwings airplane tragedy, as well as the actions committed against a pregnant Longmont woman, were both experiencing depression.
Jeannie Ritter will be honored by the Mental Health Center of Denver
The Villager | April 8, 2015
The 14th annual Centus Samaritan Luncheon is May 5 and is being held at the Police Protective Association Event Center.
Former Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter, Mental Health Ambassador of the Mental Health Center of Denver, and Dr. Carl Clark, president and CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, are honorees. Ritter is well known as a mental health advocate and an outspoken voice for mental health.
Architectural Design Showcase
The Advisory Board Company | December 15, 2014
The 11th installment of the Daily Briefing's Architectural Design Showcase features 12 facilities that focus on behavioral health services, including the Mental Health Center of Denver.
Denver mayor appoints Don Mares as first mental health strategist
The Denver Post | December 15, 2014
Mental health advocate Don Mares, a former Denver auditor, will return to city government to coordinate far-flung efforts and create a strategy on the mental health issue.
The Mental Health Center of Denver featured in Denver Life Magazine's December Issue
Denver Life Magazine | December 15, 2014
The Mental Health Center of Denver's President and CEO, Dr. Carl Clark, was quoted in the "Receiving the Benefits of Giving" article in the December 2014 issue of Denver Life Magazine.
The Denver Post Investigates Mental Health in Colorado
The Denver Post | November 25, 2014
Mental Health Center of Denver Programs and Consumers Featured in Recent Series in the Denver Post.
Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being Officially Breaks Ground
The Denver Post | November 6, 2014
Mayor Michael B. Hancock joined community leaders to break ground and officially announce the name of the Mental Health Center of Denver's new child and family site.
Top 10 LEED Buildings for 2014
Interiors & Sources Magazine | October 24, 2014
The Mental Health Center of Denver's Recovery Center was chosen by Interiors and Sources magazine as one of their Top 10 LEED buildings for 2014.
The Mental Health Center of Denver featured in Denver Life Magazine's October Issue
Denver Life Magazine | October 10, 2014
We are pleased to announce that the Mental Health Center of Denver was featured in the 2014 October issue of Denver Life Magazine.
New Thinking on Brain-Science Therapies Could Help Foster Kids
The Denver Post | April 15, 2014
Therapies based on brain science - and limited use of antipsychotic medications - are the answer for thousands of foster kids whose traumatic childhoods have left them with depression and extreme aggression, according to a growing number of experts.
Mental-Health Treatment Void in Colorado
Durango Herald | April 8, 2014
Alex Meredith, 29, sorts clothes hangers at his part-time job at Arc Thrift Store in Lakewood. Meredith was diagnosed with autism when he was very young. He also displayed symptoms of mental illness - obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, psychosis and depression.
Search is on for Community Solutions to Mental Health Issues in State
Rocky Mountain PBS | April 7, 2014
Ric Durity remembers when HIV/AIDS wiped out his partner, his friends, and a swath of the creative classes of a generation.
And he remembers what came next: The outrage that rode on the heels of adversity, and demanded the wide changes that rippled from medicine outward.
Mental Health Resources in Limbo in Dispute Over Grant Awards
The Denver Post | April 6, 2014
Most of a $22 million infusion into Colorado's stressed mental health system - a response by the governor to the Aurora movie theater massacre - is stranded in the courts as the state and disappointed bidders wrestle for the money.
Over 100 Gather for Statewide Conversation on Mental Health
Fox 31 Denver | April 5, 2014
On Saturday, Colorado picked up what President Obama started ten months ago at the White House, a national conversation about mental health in the United States. Forty-five million Americans, and one in four Coloradans, will suffer from mental illnesses, like depression, bipolar disorder or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Across the state, over a hundred individuals gathered Saturday as part of the Creating Community Solutions effort.
For Coloradoans with Multiple Mental Illnesses, Finding Diagnosis and Help is Hard
The Gazette | April 4, 2014
A raised red oval, a couple of inches in diameter, sits at the top of Alex Meredith's forehead. It is the physical mark of a besieged mind. Meredith, who is 29, started bashing himself in the head when he was in his teens. Now, his parents can see it coming.
Getting Engaged - How to boost Employee Satisfaction
Colorado Business Magazine | February 7, 2014
Employee engagement is a concept that many companies struggle with. A recent Gallup report, State of American Workplace 2013, found that only about 30 percent of U.S. workers are engaged in their jobs. That means a whopping 70 percent of employees are actively disengaged, costing the U.S. an estimated $450 to $550 billion annually in lost productivity. Creating a culture that keeps employees actively involved is a process that continues to evolve.
Focus on Mental Illness
Intermountain Jewish News | January 9, 2014
Hundreds of people turned out to express an interest in mental illness in the Jewish community, attending the inaugural event of Areivim Taskforce Denver, Jan. 5, at Zera Abraham.
Pairing Donors with Kids to Give Them Christmas!
North Denver Tribune | December 24, 2013
The goal of KCF is to provide a Christmas experience for kids that would not have one. "The idea was born when a friend reached out to me about a family that was not going to have presents, a tree or a meal for the holidays." said Greg Garman, one of the founding members of the organization.
With Safe2Tell, Emotional Crises May Be Kept From Escalating to School Violence
The Denver Post | December 24, 2013
Since the beginning of this school year, reports of 16 planned attacks - that someone had a hit list or was coming to school with a gun - were made to Safe2Tell, the anonymous hotline where people can report threats against themselves or others.
In 2012, 42 planned school attacks were received, more than half in December after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
CEO of the Year finalists 2013: Success in Their Own Words
Colorado Business Magazine | December 17, 2013
Dr. Clark was among 24 outstanding finalists from all over the state with Tim Miller, CEO of Rally Software, being chosen as CEO of the Year. Each finalist was asked to respond to questions about the philosophies or experiences that shaped them.
Riders on the Storm
5280 Magazine | December 1, 2013
It wasn't raining on that day last July, but it might as well have been. Judy, 68, was born and raised under Colorado's bluebird skies, and lately she felt tossed around in a torrential, unrelenting storm that only she saw. It was often lonely and bleak. And now it was frightening: she couldn't find her son.
Safety-Net Mental Health Clinics Struggle with Recruitment, Retention
The Denver Post | October 27, 2013
High turnover rates at community mental health centers were the norm a decade ago, with some Colorado safety-net clinics reporting 34 percent of clinicians leaving each year.
The trend has reversed at some centers, where managers have improved recruitment and retention by focusing on improved work conditions and benefits for employees who treat low-income and uninsured patients who often have been referred there after a mental health emergency.
Mental Health Center of Denver Receives LEED Platinum
Modern Healthcare | May 5, 2013
The Mental Health Center of Denver's new Recovery Center, which opened last July, was recently awarded LEED platinum certification-the highest level of recognition under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The center is the first healthcare institution to earn LEED platinum certification in Colorado.
Denver Chamber Names Business Awards Winners
Denver Business Journal | April 26, 2013
The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce handed out business honors on Friday at its annual awards luncheon, held at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center.
Terrorist Attack on America
Rocky Mountain PBS | April 17, 2013
Host Tamara Banks talks with a panel of experts about the recent bombings that took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. With three people killed and close to 200 injured, President Obama has recently come out citing this tragedy as an act of terror. Guests discuss how this could have happened and what's next for Americans in addressing "terrorism."
Mental Health Center of Denver's Recovery Center Earns LEED Platinum
Healthcare Design Magazine | March 21, 2013
The Mental Health Center of Denver's Recovery Center (Denver) has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Colorado Mental Health Programs See Chance for Improvements
The Denver Post | March 17, 2013
One in four people will face a mental-health issue this year, several studies say. Leaders of Colorado's 17 mental-health centers are pushing to expand programs to better treat people struggling with milder issues before they slide into crisis - a level of mental illness that is more difficult and costly to treat.
Community mental-health centers across the state, already plagued by a shortage of beds and long waiting lists, have seen the number of people seeking services spike in recent years - some seeing the populations double in less than five years.
Mental Competency to be Weighed in Killing of Centennial Man's Mother
The Denver Post | February 19, 2013
There is a system in place to help parents manage kids with mental illness. Schools and counselors communicate with parents and doctors work with them to ensure a correct diagnosis and that the child receives proper medications.
But as children grow older, state health laws allow them to keep their parents out of the loop, leaving it up to the person struggling with mental illness to follow through with treatment.
Legislature Seeks Health Care Reform Prescription
Colorado Statesman | January 25, 2013
Healthcare 'Frequent Flyers'
Colorado Public Radio | January 8, 2013
Denver resident Rich Ables used to be in and out of emergency rooms twice a week for asthma attacks. Now, he's only had to go to the ER twice in the last year and a half. The treatment breakthrough? Helping him get an apartment and mental health counseling. CPR Health Reporter Eric Whitney says "hotspotters" look for people like Ables, who use far more healthcare than the average person, then intervene to keep them healthier...
Mental Health Center of Denver Fills Innovative New Space
The Denver Post | June 25, 2012
Denver's anchor mental-health center is spending millions to renovate a headquarters clinic, but officials are spending a lot of time thinking about 99-cent pill boxes.
For the deeply troubled, a pill organizer represents much more than a hunk of molded plastic. The medication inside is a lifeline, and sorting, scheduling and remembering pills is a crucial signal of wellness for many.
Mental Health Center CEO Knows the Toll of the Economic Downturn
Colorado Business Magazine | September 1, 2011
Three years ago, Carl Clark, CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, threw down the gauntlet to his staff of 500 - to make his organization the greenest mental health center in the country.
Mugs replaced disposable cups; bottled water was eliminated; staff were given Eco Passes to encourage bus ridership and Clark would ride his bike to work. "People like doing things in a green way so staff have really taken to it," said Clark, who is overseeing the $15 million purchase and renovation of a building at 4455 E. 12th Ave. in Denver that will open next year as an adult services recovery center.
Investing in Mental Healthcare Isn't Crazy
Colorado Statesman | May 6, 2011
With the advent of national healthcare reform come countless changes to how healthcare is delivered and paid for in America. Over the next several years the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010, requiring that all Americans have health insurance coverage, will go into effect.
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Increased Coverage Means More Mental Care
Denver Business Journal | November 12, 2010
Mental health care in Denver stands to get a major boost from the federal health care reform bill.
Under the Patient Protection and Affordable care Act, mental halth care will be considered an essential benefit that must be offered - as is physical health care - by all insurers when the individual insurance mandate takes effect in 2014.
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Mental Health Center Translates its Transformation into National Learning Collaborative
Mental Health Weekly | October 18, 2010
The Mental Health Center of Denver had held a series of recovery-focused conference events about a decade ago, but its leaders were getting restless. They realized that sponsoring a conference really wouldn't move the needle on transforming their own community mental health facility from one that simply tried to keep clients out of the hospital to one that helped people achieve a meaningful life in recovery.
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Focus on 'Can' Leads CMHC to Success
Behavioral Healthcare | October 1, 2010
Carl Clark, MD, focuses consumers and staff on what they can do, not what they can't, to promote recovery and growth
Carl Clark, MD, believed in recovery long before the behavioral healthcare industry adopted it as a model of treatment. As a child, he witnessed recovery firsthand when his father, then in his mid-30s, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Rather than succumb to his illness, Clark's father worked hard at his recovery, eventually returning to work full time.
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A Signature Approach to Outcomes Measurement Improves Recovery
National Council Magazine | September 1, 2007
Carl Clark, MD, Chief Executive Officer and P. Antonio Olmos-Gallo, PhD, Director of Evaluation & Research - Mental Health Center of Denver
"As clinicians, we have historically used anecdotal data to inform clinical practice to promote recovery outcomes for consumers. With Recovery Markers, we now have longitudinal, empirical data to support our clinical judgment and decisions."
Measuring our success in recovery requires those of us in mental health service delivery to be more accountable to our communities and to demonstrate the difference we make in the lives of the people we serve.
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Letting Recovery Take Place
Behavioral Healthcare | March 1, 2006
Homeless consumers are empowered to make decisions that fundamentally change their lives.